We may not all be Amish, but we can always be Amish at heart.
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Organizing Kitchen Tools
I have been cleaning out kitchen drawers this week. I am in the process of eliminating utensils I never use and making drawers easy to find things in a hurry. Things I never use are going to a thrift shop that gives proceeds to unwed mothers who need assistance. I have taken out most all odd silverware to give to my son who will be getting an apartment soon.
I discovered a set of knives by Cutco that I love. They are so awesome that I am considering selling them myself. I can have this one set of knives and do all jobs necessary in the kitchen. I am going to keep my grapefruit knife, my bread slicer and my paring knife in case one of the other ones are dirty, but that's it. I found a magnetic knife bar at the kitchen outlet store and that will hold the extra knives magnetically inside the cabinet door near stove. I made a beautiful souffle from Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom cookbook yesterday. I feel like I am in my element when in the kitchen making something. It was even better since the drawers are clean and orderly. I can see the bottom of the drawer, ahhh, nice.
I got a letter this week from Ms. Clara. She and her family are doing well. Her granddaughter, Leanna, graduated this year from 8th grade and is now concentrating on cooking, baking, and sewing. After her mom is finished teaching her in the form of an apprenticeship, she will be an expert. Since Amish children only complete 8 years of school, they go to work and learn their trade according to their interests and talents. Leanna's brother is working on the dairy farm that has been in their family for many years.
Well, anyway, I thought of Leanna yesterday while making my souffle. I wish I had learned all of the homemaker skills as a child. In our culture, it is not considered so serious that you learn these things expertly. I had an Easy Bake oven and that is as serious as it would get for me until I was married and had to learn to cook or go hungry.
I have a very unique recipe Ms. Clara gave me. It is in the Winesburg Fire Department Cookbook as well. We had it while I was staying with her. I don't know why I have never heard of it before. It seems so odd, but it is so good.
1 can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1 can sliced pineapple
Cool Whip
Cherries
* Put can of milk in kettle and cover completely with water. Boil for 3 1/2 hrs. Cool. When cold, open both ends. Push out contents and slice. On top of each slice put a pineapple slice, whipped cream, and a cherry.
I discovered a set of knives by Cutco that I love. They are so awesome that I am considering selling them myself. I can have this one set of knives and do all jobs necessary in the kitchen. I am going to keep my grapefruit knife, my bread slicer and my paring knife in case one of the other ones are dirty, but that's it. I found a magnetic knife bar at the kitchen outlet store and that will hold the extra knives magnetically inside the cabinet door near stove. I made a beautiful souffle from Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom cookbook yesterday. I feel like I am in my element when in the kitchen making something. It was even better since the drawers are clean and orderly. I can see the bottom of the drawer, ahhh, nice.
I got a letter this week from Ms. Clara. She and her family are doing well. Her granddaughter, Leanna, graduated this year from 8th grade and is now concentrating on cooking, baking, and sewing. After her mom is finished teaching her in the form of an apprenticeship, she will be an expert. Since Amish children only complete 8 years of school, they go to work and learn their trade according to their interests and talents. Leanna's brother is working on the dairy farm that has been in their family for many years.
Well, anyway, I thought of Leanna yesterday while making my souffle. I wish I had learned all of the homemaker skills as a child. In our culture, it is not considered so serious that you learn these things expertly. I had an Easy Bake oven and that is as serious as it would get for me until I was married and had to learn to cook or go hungry.
I have a very unique recipe Ms. Clara gave me. It is in the Winesburg Fire Department Cookbook as well. We had it while I was staying with her. I don't know why I have never heard of it before. It seems so odd, but it is so good.
1 can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1 can sliced pineapple
Cool Whip
Cherries
* Put can of milk in kettle and cover completely with water. Boil for 3 1/2 hrs. Cool. When cold, open both ends. Push out contents and slice. On top of each slice put a pineapple slice, whipped cream, and a cherry.
Amish Apple Dumplings (These are awesome!)
AMISH APPLE DUMPLINGS
-2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls-2 large Granny Smith apples-peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each
-1/2 cup butter, melted
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1 tablespoon ground
cinnamon
-12 oz. Mountain Dew
1. Preheat oven to 350
degrees.
2. Unroll the crescent
roll dough and separate into 16 pieces.
6. Pour the entire can/bottle of mountain dew over the pan contents.
8. Serve with vanilla
ice cream (definitely key!!)
A Lesson From the Amish
After arriving home from Amish Land, my house drove me crazy. I knew I had to de-clutter my own home. It has been a work in process, but I am getting close to being finished. I can tell that I am nearly finished because I don't want to shop for things any more. I think it has been too hard to get rid of things, I certainly don't want to start bringing more in at this stage. Of course, purchase do still have to be made, but I will tell you I really put a lot of thought into the purchase before it is made. I will ask myself if it is beneficial or necessary. Is the item worth the money and effort to bring into the house? If I don't like it or use it, I have to find a buyer for it or donate it. A lot of times I just walk away and not get the item.
I am going to need a washing machine soon. That reminds me of a story that Enos, Clara's husband, told me when I was staying with them. I loved the way the clothes came out cleaner and fresher with the wringer washer. I said that I would love to have a wringer washer myself. Enos said when I got home to Georgia, I should go to the local hardware store and see if they are willing to take my washer in on a trade for a wringer washer. He was seriously thinking that all local hardware stores would have these in stock. I truly with they would. Susan, daughter in law of Clara, has a modern washer and a wringer washer. Susan is of new order because of her husband, Edwin, having horse allergies. They are allowed to have electric in the home. She only uses the electric washer for light cleaning. They run a dairy farm and therefore have a lot of deep cleaning to do on their clothes. The deep cleaning is used with the wringer washer because it is so much more effective.
I know of a good hardware store that still has wringer washers. It is Lehman's in Ohio. If people knew the difference in the cleaning potential, we would be seeing these machines in homes again. Well, maybe not, as you have to take more time from the day to do the laundry. You stand there and actually run the clothes through the thing and then through again for rinsing. Then either hang the clothes on the clothesline or put in the dryer. One thing I like is that when you are done, you're done. There's no listening for the rinse cycle or the washer to stop so you can put in dryer. The Amish wash on Monday mornings. We hung every thing on the line with the smalls (underwear) on the line closest to the house. Clara said people will take pictures of her line and she wants her smalls on the first line so they don't get in the picture. The dresses and Amish man's dress shirts are hung on a clothes hanger and then put at the end of the line to dry that way.
A Little Amish History
If you ever visit Holmes County in Ohio, you must make it over to the Behalt Mennonite Center. Behalt means "remember". There is a beautiful mural painted on the wall in a round room that describes the history of the Amish and Mennonite faith.
There is a guide who takes you through the history as he follows the pictures around the room. The painting is the work of one artist, named Heinz Gaugel. It is 10' high and 265' long.
There is a guide who takes you through the history as he follows the pictures around the room. The painting is the work of one artist, named Heinz Gaugel. It is 10' high and 265' long.
I will do a brief paraphrase of the history depicted on the Behalt mural. It begins in 1525. The early church, called christianity, was accepted by the Roman ruler, Constantine. It was then named Roman Catholicism. In Zurich, Switzerland, the earliest known adult baptisms were done. These people believed that baptisms were meant to be done as an adult as Jesus illustrated in his lifetime and in scripture. These people came to be known as Anabaptists. They were called this because it means baptized twice. The Catholics had made them be baptized as infants and they were going around baptizing again as adults. From this movement, sprang a lot of other groups such as the Mennonites, Amish, the Hutterites, and so on. The mural depicts the persecution that the Anabaptists endured because of their beliefs. They eventually moved to different areas to practice their faith without interference and now the majority are in the United States.
When Martin Luther revolted and left the Catholic church because of the extreme corruptness, he still practiced infant baptism. So basically, the Anabaptists believed in what Martin Luther did, but didn't feel he went far enough according to scripture.
A little Insight about Jonas the Amishman
Jonas is a man who truly lives by his beliefs. His trade for most of his life has been running a concrete business. Once when he was doing a stamped concrete project, it sprinkled rain and caused very little damage to his work. There were very small pits that you really didn't notice until they were pointed out to you. He and the crew tore up the whole project and did the project over. He, like most Amish men, are very sure that their work, as well as their life, is a witness for the Lord. They believe you should do your very best as though you are doing it for the Lord.
Jonas has also been prosperous selling vitamins. He has an ad in the Budget that advertises the vitamins and he has also enlisted others to sell the products. It is a multi- level marketing company. He has been recognized as one of their highest sellers. It is really remarkable, as he has reached this status with only a horse and buggy and a little ad in the Budget.
Jonas and Catherine started an orphanage in Haiti and they serve there at least twice a year. At their home in Ohio, they built the largest "in case" house I've ever seen. They not only use it for church, they let the community use it for other functions. They have a huge auction there every Fall in order to raise extra funds for the Haiti mission. They have Vacation Bible School there, too. They are very good stewards of what they have and he is respected by all the people in that area.
Jonas is fun to be around. He took us out to eat in his horse and buggy one night. He taught us his favorite dish at the restaurant so we tried it. He gets a salad at the salad bar and then orders chili to pour over it. It was so good! I think it would have to be that salad and that chili to be such a winner. When the waitress came over to the table towards the end of the meal, Jonas asked her what is the difference between a canoe and an Amish man? When she said she didn't know, he said, "a canoe tips." He was just kidding because he left a very handsome tip for the young lady.
Last time we went out to eat, we drove them in the car. We told them it was our turn to drive them. I think they enjoyed it. After dinner, we went to a horse show. We were the only "English" people there. English is what they call people who are not Amish. Everyone there knew Jonas. He is so well known and respected that the crowd parted a path for us to enter when they saw it was Jonas. My husband calls Jonas the Godfather of the Amish people.
Introduced to Jonas and Catherine: Cont.... At church.
The Amish do not have church buildings like most protestant religions. By the way they do consider themselves Protestant. More on that later. They realize that the people are the church and not a brick and mortar building. They take turns meeting in each others homes. A lot of them have built buildings that serve as a workshop until it is their turn to have church. It then becomes where the benches are put and set up for service. It got a slang name "in case" house. (In case it's your turn to have church). There are a few who have church in their homes, too. They usually put the benches in the parlor or whatever large room they have. The benches are brought to the house the evening or two before church and unloaded into the designated area. There is a coffin like wagon called a church bench wagon that is pulled along behind the horse.
Church Bench Wagon
The Sunday we went with Jonas and Catherine, we happened to be at the bishop's "in case" house. After the women greeted each other with a blessed kiss on the cheek, they sat on one side of the room and the men on the other. The youth boys always come in last. This is a tradition that is sweet, as it gives the girls a chance to look at the eligible gentlemen as the enter in. They young men looked a little shy as they came parading down the aisle to find their seat. All of the men hang or place their hat somewhere and then service begins. The sermon is in German, but on this occasion they decided to speak in English, on our account. It was Father's Day weekend and each of the deacons were speaking a piece about lessons their fathers had taught them. It was very interesting. I enjoyed the singing very much. They all sing in A cappella unison. It is a very moving music style. Their hymnal is called the Ausband. A person can start singing a song of their choice during the singing time. It is not rehearsed. Catherine whispered to me asking if she could start a song that I like. I told her "What a Friend We Have In Jesus." When the next song was over, she started the song for me. The service lasted about 1 1/2 hours. Despite how long it was, the children did really well. I don't know why I was surprised to see the men motion for the kids to come over and help the mom if they were starting to get restless. The couples work hand in hand with the discipline and affairs of the children.
Can you believe out of all the Sundays that we were invited on the day they had a covered dish after the service. They call it a "carry in". They quickly turned the "in case" house into a banquet hall. The women made sure the children had their meals and then all gathered together on one side of the room. Everyone was having so much fun visiting and laughing. The men would tell jokes and stories, as you would hear them laugh and have a really big time together. I asked Catherine if it is tradition that they always separate to eat. She said the only time the men and women sit together and eat at church gatherings is for weddings. Cookouts and bonfires they are all together, also. The kids quickly ate and then went to jump on the trampoline. I loved listening to them play. The small children only speak Pennsylvania Dutch. They don't learn English until they start school. Speaking to them in Pennsylvania Dutch during their early years gives them a strong foundation in the language so when they learn English, they are sure to be bilingual.
Church Bench Wagon
Introduced to Jonas and Catherine
My family and I were introduced to Jonas and Catherine on our first trip to Amish country. It was really under unique circumstances and I feel that it was divine. We stayed at B&B in Millersburg. The family had already retired to the room and I stayed downstairs chatting with the owner over evening coffee. I was telling her how much I would love to worship with the Amish, but I know their tradition is generally against it. She said she was raised Amish, but had married and left the church to be a more liberal protestant. Her brother in law, Jonas, would let us go to his church, she was sure. Jonas and Catherine are from a New Order Amish church, therefore they have a cell phone. When she asked Jonas, he asked that she bring us over the next day, Saturday, to meet them first. When we arrived, they welcomed us inside and visited with us for about an hour, then invited us to attend church service with them the next morning. Jonas is a very handsome Amish man with a great personality. He told us to arrive by 8:00, but don't worry if you are a little late because we have a fast horse.
I got hardly any winks in that night, awaiting the neat experience ahead of me. I didn't bring anything to wear as conservative as the Amish, as I was on vacation. I had packed only medium length skirts in the likelihood that we try out the Baptist church up there. The B&B owner loaned me and my daughter, Caroline, long dresses. I think she was as excited as we were for us to have the experience.
On the way to church, we passed a lot of buggies of Amish folk heading to church. Some of them really looking hard at the buggy, to see who was with Jonas and Catherine. We were in the topless buggy that morning because the weather was so fair, they said it is also very comfortable. Jonas told us that on Wednesday morning the curious ones would be reading their Budget to see who we were. The Budget is the Amish newspaper. It comes once weekly and is so great to read. This is a way that they keep in touch and see what is going on in all of the Amish communities across the U.S. The little churches all assign writers for the Budget. If you have any news to report, you tell them and they write it up and make sure it is sent to the paper in time. Even some of the smallest details will be found in the budget. You might enjoy subscribing to it. It will run you about $52.00 a year.
When we arrived at the house where church was being held, the ladies greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek. The reason they do this is because of the scripture verse in Romans 16:16, " Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you."
Jell-O Magic Mousse
I was so surprised to find out that the Amish love Jell-O. They buy it in bulk because they love it so much. If you go to some of the little Amish markets in Ohio, you will find lots of flavors of Jell-O in bulk to choose from. It may just be an off brand gelatin, but same type product. Ms. Clara had Jell-O fruit salad as one of her side dishes at least 3 times in the week that I was there. She also liked to have a square of Jell-O with whipped topping on it for desserts.
I found this Jell-O dessert that is great for us moms that are so busy, but like to have nice meals for our families. It is a fun surprise to have desserts and I try to do that a lot. This dessert recipe is not from my Amish friends, but I am going to share it with Ms. Clara when we go to Ohio. I'd like to share it with you, too. You are not going to believe how easy and good it is. My son, Andrew, gives it 41/2 stars out of 5.
3 C. boiling water Add boiling water to gelatin. Stir 2 min.
1 - 6oz. package Strawberry Jell-O Whisk in the Cool Whip, blending well.
1 - 16oz. tub of Cool Whip, thawed Pour into dessert glasses or dessert cups.
Chill and enjoy!
* there is a reaction that occurs and causes the top to be lighter because of cool whip rising. So it will be two toned and pretty.
I made mine about 8:00 in the morning, and it was already set by lunch time. We are having it tonight after Tilapia. I think a tangy fruit dessert is good after fish.
April 25, 2010
I just talked to Ms. Clara on the phone. She let me know that she would be near a phone this evening so I could call her. She was visiting with her son and his family. They went to church this morning and Ms. Clara said they have been lazy today, just visiting and hanging around the house.
They have visitors on Sunday evenings or they will go visiting. When I was there on a Sunday, she had visitors. I made her go on into the living room and visit with the company while I cleaned up the kitchen. I've never enjoyed washing dishes in all my life. The sink was directly under a window and I had the pleasure of seeing quite a few horse and buggies ride by. I never get used to the sound of the horse and buggy. It is music to my ears.
She said that she and Enos are looking forward to our visit in June. We will probably go to the Amish Door to eat together.
She makes angel food cakes that are unbelievable. She only charges $3.50 a cake. I asked her to make one for me to purchase. She doesn't know I will give her more than $3.50. I would feel guilty paying $3.50 for a cake so wonderful.
Telephones and Amish - Almost all of the Amish families have a phone near their home. Usually called a "lane phone". It got that name simply because they are usually at the end of a lane in a vicinity that several Amish homes can share it. They look like outhouses. Ms. Clara's lane phone had a lock on the door. Every evening when I went to call my family, I would get the flashlight and the key and walk to the end of the lane to use the phone. They also had an answering machine. The Amish do not think it is sinful to have phones, they feel that it can be distracting if it is conveniently in the home. The early church insisted on no phones in the house to deter gossip. It also encourages them to actually visit their family and friends to see how they are doing and catch up on details of life, instead of an impersonal phone call. There are exceptions made by the church. Edwin, one of Clara's sons, has a cell phone. He is allowed to have one because he is a firefighter at the local station. If Clara knows he is going to be over or she will be at his house, she may call me. All of my friends know that if that Amish number pops up on my phone, I take the call no matter what I'm doing because it is special to receive a call from her. I don't know when she will get an opportunity to call again.
Cars and Amish - Amish people will ride in cars, they just won't own one. They feel like a car can lead to a sinful life and cause them to drift from their traditional ways. A car being conveniently parked in the driveway would make it too easy to go places without much thought. They also think modern conveniences can cause life to be too easy, therefore, take their mind off of God. There can be exceptions made by the church, also. One of Clara's sons has an extreme allergy to horses, so the church allows them to work with a more modern tractor, not a horse pulled tractor. He and his family hire a driver to go places. They own a dairy farm so he doesn't need to go away to a job. One night they were going to a birthday party of some friends so a driver came and got them and brought them home. There is a huge amount of people willing to shuttle the Amish around. The ones I have met offer fair prices and have a lot of business. Ms. Clara said the last time she went to the eye doctor she paid an average of $1.00 a mile with her driver. You couldn't get a ride that cheap anywhere else that I know.
Amish land here I come!!! Soon that is...
We are planning our trip to Amish Land (Ohio) where the largest Amish population in the U.S. are living. We have been invited to stay with our good friends and adopted relatives, Enos and Clara. We are looking forward to the food and the relaxation. My blood pressure seems to drop the minute I arrive in "Amish Land". My daughter, Caroline, started calling this area of Ohio "Amish Land" when we were up there the first time and it stuck.
I'll journal my trip and have some cool photos when we get back. I wish I could bring some pie back from my favorite restaurant, Boyd and Wurthman.
Amish clothesline
