Make note, kiddos! Don’t use metal bowls or utensils with this stuff as it’ll react weirdly. Ceramic, plastic and wooden kitchenware is the best choice.

The Starter

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. warm milk (110 degrees)

Making the starter:

Day 1:

Soften active dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes.

Stir with a wooden spoon. In a non-metal bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix, slowly adding 1

cup warm milk and the softened yeast. Cover loosely with clean cloth and leave at room temperature until

bubbly. When mixture has lots of bubbles, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Days 2, 3, and 4:

Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon (don’t use a metal spoon) until mixture is smooth. Do this once each

day.

Day 5:

At this time, 2 cups of starter can be removed from the batch to bake Amish Friendship Bread or use in

your own recipe which calls for starter.

Replenish starter by stirring in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk; stir; allow to sit at room

temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate.

Days 6, 7, 8, 9:

Stir with wooden or plastic spoon until smooth. Do this once each day.

Day 10:

Repeat.

The Bread

day 1:
Do nothing with the starter.

days 2-5:
Stir with a wooden spoon.

day 6:
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon.

days 7-9:
Stir with a wooden spoon.

Day 10:
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three

separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends. To the balance (a

little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 – (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at

325 degrees for 1 hour.

4 Thick slices bacon, diced

1 head green cabbage, shredded

2 onions, sliced

4 cup chicken stock ( boullion will do, but doesn’t taste as

“right” )

1 turnip, sliced and without the greens

2 cup water

2 carrots, diced

6 sprigs parsley

2 potatoes, cubed ( can leave skin on if desired )

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1) Tie together the parsley and bay leave to make a simple boquet garni.

2) In a 6 quart pot combine everything except salt, pepper and cheese which will be added later. Simmer half covered for 2 hours.

3) Remove parsley bundle; use salt and pepper to flavor to taste. Serve garnished with cheese.

“Also referred to as Pennsylvania German and incorrectly as Amish, this rural style of regional American cookery underwent its greatest flowering during the nineteenth century. It became one of the primary regional cookeries of the Middle Atlantic and Midwestern states, encompassing communities scattered throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and of Ontario, Canada. Each area of settlement developed its own regional specialties or regional interpretation of shared culinary themes. The heartland of the cookery, however, is southeastern Pennsylvania, where it first evolved in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Because they represent a composite of several German-speaking cultures that settled in colonial America, Pennsylvania Dutch foods and food-ways are remarkably diverse, incorporating elements of Swiss, Southwest German, and North German cuisines but transformed into something essentially American.”

Read the rest of it here

The only thing I’d claim incorrect is the stament that Amish aren’t allowed to decorate their home. True, it’s not the style that Englishers like to decorate in, but Amish do use carpeting, rugs, modern recliners, ect. It’s things that are overly gaudy, pricey looking/showy and ment to be vain.

Anyone with Amish or Old Order Brethren friends will testify that there’s plenty of decoration in said home, just not the flashy junk we tend to like.

Oh! And try the kraut recipe at the bottom. I’ve had variation on that one and yeah…..is goooooooood.

1 pound navy beans, dried

2 onions; small, chopped

8 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

3 cup beef broth

1/4 teaspoon pepper, white

1 carrot, chopped

6 frankfurters, sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 tablespoon parsley, chopped

4 bacon; strips, cubed

1) Soak beans overnight.In a 3-quart saucepan bring beans, water and beef froth to a boil. Cook for about 1 hour. Add carrot and celery and continue cooking for 30 minutes.

2) In a separate frypan cook the bacon until transparent. Add the onions; cook until golden. Set aside.

3) Mash soup through a sieve or food mill. Return to pan and add the bacon onion mixture, salt and pepper.

4) Add frankfurters; reheat about 5 minutes. Sprinkle soup with chopped parsley and serve.

A quick note on this one: Frankfurters means frankfurters, NOT hot dogs. Trust me, big difference in this dish. If you can’t get true frankfurters then use those nice thich polish sausages or extra plumb hot dogs.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar; frimly packed
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs; large
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon orange rind; grated
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup nuts; chopped, if desired

1) Cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, milk and orange rind. 

2) Stir togethr baking powder, spices, salt and flour. Mix into sugar mixture.  Stir in raisins and nuts, if used. 

3) Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350F for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until done.  Remove from baking sheets and cool cookies on rack. 

Store in airtight tins. Makes about 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

3 cups Lima beans
3 cups Corn
5 Bell pepper, green
1 quart Onion
1 Head cauliflower, large
2 cup Sugar
3 quart Cider vinegar
1/2 cup Salt
2 tablespoon Celery seed
2 tb Mustard seed
1/2 lb Mustard, dry
1 tb Turmeric
tomato, green
string beans
1) Cut the string beans in pieces; break the cauliflower into flowerets, add the lima beans and corn and cook together about 25 – 30 minutes.

2) Chop the onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Heat the vinegar and when hot, add the sugar, salt and spices which have been mixed together.

3) Drain the water from the cooked vegetables and add to the
hot vinegar. Then add the chopped vegetables and cook about 25
minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
   

Shoo-fly is a bit of an anomaly. A riddle wrapped in confusion, if we may. It’s well known in Pennsylvania, especially around the famous haven of the Old Order Amish, Lancaster. Here’s the oddness tho: Even tho most englishers recognise it as a perfectly Amish tradition, other Amish communities outside of PA don’t even know about it! Shipshewana and Kelowna residents looked at me like I was crazy when asking for shoo-fly. Go figure!

2 unbaked pie crusts

Filling:
2 c flour
3/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c lard

syrup:

1 c molasses
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c hot water
1 t baking soda dissolved in hot water first
1)Mix the crumb ingredients together thoroughly in a bowl

until you have crumbs forming. In a separate bowl, mix syrup  

ingredients thoroughly.

2) Pour half of the syrup mixture into the pie crusts. And add

half of the crumb mixture; repeat with the other pie plate.
3) Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350F

and continue baking for 50 minutes more.