Jeans Recipe: OUR MOMS COBBLER

Marilyn had talked with Jean about posting a recipe, and she came-up with this Fruit cobbler recipe. It turns out this recipe is basically the same one that  Marilyn's mom also used just like Jeans mom now is making. That explains the "our moms cobbler" title . So thank you  to both Ladies for teaming up with this cobbler recipe.

OUR MOM'S COBBLER


1/2 stick butter or margarine
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup sugar*
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups sliced fruit  (your choice) Heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in an 8x8x2 inch baking dish. Put sliced fruit in dish. Combine other ingredients and pour over sliced fruit. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

In place of sugar you can use Splenda  or other reduced calorie sugar just check with Splenda box to see how much goes in. Also you can use this recipe with raspberry's, blue berries, peaches and more. IF using canned fruit reduce sugar to 3/4 cup.



 An Apple a Day

Apples have always been an important part of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. In the early days, the custom of drying sliced apples for use later in the year resulted in some unique dishes. These dried apples slices (apple snitz or schnitz) are still used to make snitz pies and "schnitz un gnepp." The latter consists of dough dumplings cooked with home-cured ham. One secret to using snitz is to let the slices soak in water overnight.

Fresh apples are popular for making applesauce, apple cider, and apple pies, of course. But a local favorite is apple dumplings. Noted historian John Joseph Stoudt states that "compared to the English, Penn Dutch cooks were poor pudding makers. Rather, they disguised fruit in many ways. Dumplings were much favored, combining the German tradition of the dumpling with the love of the fruit."

Today, you’ll find apple dumplings in season at bakeshops and roadside stands. The apples are peeled and cored, wrapped in thick dough, and baked. They are best when served warm with milk or ice cream. Some people eat them for breakfast, while others find them a hearty dessert or snack later in the day.

No discussion of apples would be complete without mentioning "lattwaerrich," or apple butter. This delicious spread for bread and toast came from the Palatinate area of Germany, where prunes and pears were also used. Here, the traditional way of making apple butter was in large copper kettles filled with apple cider. Apple snitz was added to the mix, and the kettle had to be stirred continuously to prevent sticking to the bottom. Long-handled wooden paddles were used for this purpose so that the cook would not have to stand so close to the heat of the fire. Often the long process of making apple butter became a family party or neighborhood social event.

By the way, the true Pennsylvania Dutchman loves to put apple butter on cottage cheese. Some of us even pile both of them onto a slice of homemade bread, often to the surprise of visiting friends. Why not give it a try and spread the tradition of delicious apple butter?! Published with permission from the Amish country news. Richard from Amish Stories

This week on Jean : Michael finds a home, and a family's love.

Jean is old order Mennonite from New York State.Jean and her husband David and family live on a dairy farm, and travel their community using horse and buggy. She tells her story exclusively on Amish Stories.

Michael is now a member of our household again. He arrived on Friday. When the car pulled up to our house he thought it was just to say hi and he was going on to another house. We told Susan that Michael was coming to stay with us but he didn't know it. Michael, the Social Services Man, Susan, David and I came into the kitchen for coffee (or milk) and cake-just the kind Michael liked. After we talked for a while we all started heading for the car when we got there David opened the car door and pulled out Michael's suit case telling him we were his next house. Michael thought we were kidding until Susan ran up and told him he wasn't leaving. When all the other children were in bed, David and I sat down with Michael and explained the rules of our house-again. If he wanted to leave or go to a friends or take a walk in the woods, etc. he is to tell us-not run away. Should he want to go to another foster home-tell us-don't just take off. He said he wouldn't run away, but we explained this is going to be more than a few weeks-he's here for a long time. Also, we are sure we will have some disagreements, but we must work these out among us. He agreed so we hope this works out. We explained that as far as we are concerned at 13, he is an adult, and he will be treated that way-but he must go along with the rules. We went on with more rules, but he agreed to them. Also, we explained why he is at our house to be near his friends, but no drugs, liquor, TV, etc.

Sunday afternoon there was a tornado that hit Savannah and South Butler, New York. David got the call Sunday evening asking if he could help out on Monday. Whenever there are storms, floods, tornado's etc. the Mennonites try to help wherever we are needed. The Mennonites from Waterloo got there first, went around to see where workers would be needed and what kind of work. Then they contact other Mennonites to come and help, as we can. Michael had never been to anything like this, and couldn't understand why we were helping people we didn't even know. At Bible reading that evening David showed Michael where we must help our neighbor-that God created us all alike. We treat out neighbor as ourselves and we must help one another.

Monday morning, after milking, David and Michael left in the van to go there and work. When they got there, there were Mennonite, Amish and outsiders all there ready to help. As Michael had never been to anything like this, David asked that they be assigned together and were. Their job was to remove trees, limbs, etc from peoples property so appraisers could get to the property to see the damage. David gave Michael a quick course on how to work an electric saw. They worked side by side with David keeping sure that Michael was working the machine right and safely. Lunch was at one of the firehouses with all the trucks moved outside. The workers were there and people whose property had been damaged. People were there who had been through the tornado and told of where they were and what happened. It shows God's presence as no one was killed or seriously injured. One man lost half of his house-but he was in the other half when the storm hit. Another had a barn with a travel trailer in it-the trailer was there but they were still looking for the barn. Many houses lost their roofs, broken windows-some houses were so damaged they couldn't be lived in them. The Red Cross was providing them places to stay or they were with friends or relatives.

As David knows construction he was asked to look at some property to see if some quick patch ups could be made so people could go back in their houses. They boarded up windows, patched up roofs, etc. Michael never had done construction so David gave him the job of hammering nails. Michael was surprised that ladies came in the morning and afternoon with coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade, cookies, etc. to give them a break. The Mennonite, and Amish provided the lunches. Both of them got home late in the evening, tired but glad for all the work they did. Michael was surprised that people thanked them for the work they did. People that didn't know them.

Today the men are finishing up some work on our farm and going over to do milking along with other jobs to take care of the farms of the men that went to the tornado area today. My Mother and Mother-in-law are going to the bake sale for me as I am baking food to take tomorrow when David, Michael and I go. Susan will be at school. Martha will take Baby David and Rebeca to her house while we are gone. Some of Martha's sons are coming with us also. The men will work on construction or removing limbs while us ladies will be providing the food. This time we will be setting up at a church - as they have more room and a bigger stove. David and my relatives are bringing food to go with us. Also, Martha is baking something. With what we are bringing and other Amish and Mennonites will bring, we will have more than enough to feed the workers and whoever else stops by.

Tornado's are not a storm that we have a lot of in this area. They are very rare. The older people were talking, they believe the last tornado was in the 1960's. As far as hurricane's that was back in the 1970's-and that hit down state. With all the tornado's and hurricanes in other areas, God has watched over us.

Baby Rebeca is doing much better. She is like a normal baby right now-not as much crying and fussing as she did. I will worry about her a bit when we leave tomorrow as I never left her along with anyone outside our family-not that Martha is a stranger. Martha said I have to her learn to let her go sometime. I know she and Baby David will get excellent care at Martha's house while we are helping the tornado people. David and I are not sure if we will adopt Rebeca or not. We would really like to. The problem is that because the girl that had her is a minor (17 years old) she is allowed three years to change her mind and get the baby back. She would have to change her ways from drugs, be able to financially provide for the child and complete courses on talking care of the child. If she wanted the child back, her fastest way would be to get married (unfortunately) to a man who could provide. Still she would have to stop taking drugs and complete her child courses. So many young people have gone that way, but they don't think of the love or the future or God. Just because she has Rebeca doesn't mean she is the best for her. I am not talking of Rebecca's mother alone, I am speaking of some young ladies of today. Marriage isn't the answer especially just for the sake of getting married-when you aren't careful who you marry or seek God's will. So the answer to whether we will adopt Rebeca isn't an easy answer. We would love to keep her and make her our own.

Michael's public school does not start until September 6th so he has many things he would like us to do before that. He would like to go fishing and a picnic again, go clothes and school shopping, have his friends over, and much more. We also have to do our harvesting and other farm jobs, so we are trying to see what we can work out. As far as he and we are concerned when he turns 14 in a couple of months, he shouldn't have to go to school, but because he is a Foster Child, we must go by the state-he goes to school. His former foster home was also a farm, so he has become very good at some of his jobs. He really helps David a lot. We want Michael to do his best in school because when he graduates from high school-he may want to go to college. He says he won't, but he is 13 and has four years to make that decision. Our hope is, that even though he may not become Old Order Mennonite, that he will go into farming and eventually own a farm near us. Only God and time will tell.

Susan is just opposite in school. She really enjoys it. So far in school, she is getting great marks, but she is only in first grade. We hope she keeps these up through out her education. She can't understand why Michael does not like school. He keeps telling her to wait until she gets older. The problem is that school, so far, is coming easy to Susan and she can't understand why some of her friends don't do as well as she does. We try to explain that everyone is different. Susan rides to school and home on the buggy bus. Sometimes her and the older children from school walk home together. I won't let walk with just children of her age-they are too young alone.

Baby David is getting big. He is now 8 months old and is a big baby. David says we will have to find another name to call him besides Baby David pretty soon. LOL We don't care for junior or what many of the Old Order Mennonite would use David's David. Even their middle names are the same so that doesn't help. LOL David said we should have thought of this when we named him. he guesses. We were so happy to have another child-especially a boy-that we named him-never thinking about when he got older. David's father is also named David-so was his Grandfather. We also don't like the fourth David. My husband use to be called the third David. Names !!!!!

Be With God,
Jean
                                           Don't miss a special recipe from Jean this Wednesday on Amish Stories.

Amish Stories is taking a 1 week break starting on September 3, we will return on September 12 with the recipe of the week. I have asked Jean to write a post on her feelings about "911" which is now approaching 10 years since that assault on American soil. I wanted her thoughts as a person who is old order Mennonite and as an American. This "911" post from Jean will be on Sept 13.  Richard

Recipe of the week :

Country-Style Scrambled Eggs

In a large skillet, saute potatoes, onions, and green peppers in butter until tender, stirring often. Beat together eggs, milk, and pepper. Stir in ham. Pour over potato mixture. Cook without stirring until mixture begins to set on bottom and around sides. Using a large spatula, lift and fold the partially cooked mixture so the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking until done. Sprinkle with cheese. 4 cups coarsely chopped potatoes

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced green pepper

6 tablespoons margarine or butter

12 eggs

4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups fully cooked ham, diced

2 cups shredded cheese

Taste the old fashioned goodness of Amish style chicken, experience the delight of mouth watering apple pie. If you want authenticity - then get a piece of homemade goodness - Cooking with the Horse & Buggy People II. This 320 page spiral bound cookbook has over 600 recipes.

Cooking with the Horse & Buggy People II. To order this book please see our friends at www.Amishshop.com.                        

We hear the Amish worship at home and that your services are very long. Can you give us an "insider’s look" at what happens at a church service? Published from the Amish country news.

A: Maybe the best way to answer your question is to simply describe a church service I attended, from the time we left home until we returned.

Church in our district last Sunday was held at the John Stoltzfus farm. We had to get up a little earlier than usual to get the milking done. Afterwards we had breakfast at 6:30 AM and were on our way in the horse and buggy by 7:00. It took us about 30 minutes to get there. When we arrived, we took our horse to the barn, and I joined the other men to talk before the service began. When it was time, we left our hats, entered the house and shook hands with the preachers, deacon and bishop who sat in the front. Sliding doors had been removed, and the men sat in two rooms, the women in the other two.

The service started about 8:00 AM with a hymn sung in German from the Ausbund. The second hymn is always the same, the Loblied. One man leads, singing the first notes as everyone joins in. The singing lasted about 30 minutes. Of course we all sung in unison, with no musical instruments. It was slow, yet beautiful and, with over 150 voices, quite moving.

The first sermon began about 8:30 AM and lasted about half an hour. Then there was a silent prayer, a Scripture reading (Matthew 13) and the main sermon. Both preachers cried at times during their sermons and were quite emotional. It is amazing to realize that the preachers have little idea who will preach until the service beings. They usually read a Scripture and say what comes to mind, without any notes.

To keep the children quiet, some mothers produced books, Cheerios in a coin purse, plastic animals wrapped in a hankie or candy. The oldest lady in the district, in her upper 80’s, sat in a more comfortable chair, rather than on the hard benches we all had. The main sermon lasted about one hour. Then there were testimonies, additional remarks made by the other preachers attending. After a prayer, Scripture and hymn, the service concluded around 11:00 AM.

After church, we men prepared the rooms for lunch, converting some of the benches into tables. There were about 35 people at the table in the room where the men ate, each place with a knife, cup and saucer and glass of water. We had coffee, bread, buns, peanut butter spread, red beets, pickles and cheese. Of course, we gave a silent prayer before and after we ate. We ate quickly since others were still waiting. (I remember how, when I was a boy, we waited outside for our turn to eat, since the older people eat first. When our time came, we took out little pocket mirrors to comb our hair, left our hats on the porch again and went inside.)

Afterwards the men sat and chatted in one area and the women in another. Families left as they were ready. When we got home, we rested and did some reading until it was time to eat at 4:00 PM, and then milked and fed the cows once again. Next Sunday is the "off Sunday," and we’ll be visiting friends in another district. Before long it will be our turn to have church at our place. Published with permission from the Amish country news.Richard from Amish Stories

Dont miss Tuesdays post on Jean............... Michael finds a home!

Lancaster on 2 wheels : Part 2. And remembering Monty the rooster.

Amish farm on the left side.



painted horse shoe's for sale in front of a Amish home



a great looking barn next to this Amish home.

Notice Amish straw hat in garden!

(From  Lancaster on 2 wheels)     Now for part 2 of my story. After leaving the Amish food stand and feeling defeated, i decided to return with more muscle and that would be talking my car over to buy those things that i couldn't seem to make fit on the scooter. But while going back to return the scooter i was enjoying the beautiful country side that so many visitors here and abroad talk about for years after taking  their trip to the Lancaster area. I never get tired of this even if i live here, so I'm grateful for every min that i spend being in a place that I've loved so much for so long. If you want to see Lancaster and feel like your more apart of the sight- seeing experience then i would strongly recommend taking a scooter for a ride, its fairly quite and really fun. I did end up taking my car over to that Amish food stand to pick up more of what i wanted the first time, and more importantly i was shown how to pop the seat by the folks at Country Road Cycles. All you have to do is just turn the key and up goes the seat, boy did a feel like a fool, and that Amish fellow was right because he pointed to the seat in the beginning. And those little Amish girls were also correct and i can still hear them saying "you can get more stuff on that scooter".  So Ive just created a new motto for this post  " maybe its better in trying to look good riding than to know how to store more "stuff" on your scooter, or the next time just listen to 3 small amish girls when they give advice !..............Richard

Country Road Cycles- Scooter and Motorcycle Rental : 220 N. Ronks Road, Bird in Hand, PA 17505

(717) 598-3191        www.countryroadcycles.com




Monty in better days

Remembering  Monty the rooster : If you remember on my first Lancaster on 2 wheels post this past spring, i had made a comment about this rooster attacking me while still on a scooter. Maybe it was because i was eating a chicken sandwich at the time i will never know, now wait folks Monty is alive and  well so nothing bad has happened to him!.  I was told  Monty was harassing some visitors in  this location, so because of that  he was sent packing to a Lancaster farm where I'm told he's enjoying time with his new friends. Will i be visiting little Monty well  the answer to that  would be "no" because  I want to remember him the way i found him, jumping on innocent people and trying to rip the smile off your face with his little rooster claws. Good bye old friend and don't forget to write, or in your case....... bite.        Richard from Amish Stories.

                                             

THE AMISH COOK

BY LOVINA EICHER

The laundry is on the line and we have a nice sunny day to dry it. Mornings have been cool with temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s. It warms up during the day but sure makes for nice sleeping weather at night.

We had a busy week last week with lots of home-canning on the list. We canned salsa and tomato juice. We also put peaches into the freezer. I still have plenty canned. I put some orange juice concentrate and sugar on the sliced peaches for the freezer. It gives it a little orange flavor in the peaches. I fill a lot of small containers so I can put them in Joe’s lunch or the children’s for school sometimes. This week I will can some more hot peppers. Our favorite are Serranos. They don’t seem quite as hot as the jalapenos but I will still can some jalapeno and banana peppers.

On Friday the children’s school took two busloads to the zoo as part of a summer field trip. Benjamin, Loretta, Joseph, Lovina, and Kevin all went along. They went to the zoo in Toledo, Ohio. They sure enjoyed their day and had lots to talk about when they came home around 5:30 p.m. School doors will open again in a little over two weeks. This summer went way too fast, it seems like school just let out for the term.

Daughter Verena, 13, is still doing okay and she will have her cast removed on September 15 if all goes well.

Meanwhile, sisters Verena and Susan had our family together for a belated 2010 Christmas gathering at their place on Saturday. All of us siblings take turns, rotating from oldest to youngest who holds the annual gathering. Verena and Susan wouldn’t have enough room to have us all together in the winter time so they decided to wait until summer. They had the community tent - shared by 3 churches in this area - up and had the gathering in there. Our family total comes to 82 now but four grandchildren and families were not present. Uncle Jake and Mary Coblentz from Wisconsin stopped in and stayed for dinner too. In all the total there was 75 with the family from farthest being nephew Ben from Wisconsin.



The dinner menu was mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, barbecued chicken, corn, Cole slaw, cucumber salad, veggies and dip, cake, pecan, blueberry, cherry, and oatmeal pies, butterscotch pudding, Oreo cookie dessert, mixed fresh fruit, finger jello, cookies, etc. The 2011 family gathering will be at Paul and Leah’s unless they decide to wait until summer also



The afternoon was spent playing games and Susan and Verena had lots of gifts for the winners. We also had plenty of snacks to snack on. Susan and Verena had a pinata for the younger children to enjoy. It made for a lot of excitement when it broke and the candy flew everywhere.



Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty Coblentz came to visit after dinner. Brother Amos’s daughter Mary Jane is in the hospital since Wednesday due to having complications with her gall bladder. Plans are to do surgery today to remove her gall bladder. Mary Jane and her husband have two boys. The baby is four months and their other son is two years old. Brother Amos and Nancy are taking care of their two grandchildren while Mary Jane is hospitalized and had them along to the gathering. We wish Mary Jane a complete and speedy recovery.

Yesterday afternoon sister Susan had invited our church, cousins, and friends for sister Verena’s 45tth birthday which is today. Verena was really surprised when everyone started arriving. Everyone enjoyed barbecued chicken, hot dogs, fruit, mixed fruit, vegetables and dip, cake and ice cream. Also lots of snacks were brought in. This was all in the tent where our gathering had been held the day before.

Since it is almost autumn and people will have their squashes from the garden soon, this is a great recipe to try:



BUTTERNUT SQUASH BAKE

1 /3 cup butter, softened

3 /4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 - 5 ounce can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups mashed and cooked butternut squash



Topping:

1 / 2 cup Rice Krispie cereal

1 /4 cup brown sugar

1 /4 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons butter, melted



In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir in squash. Mixture will be thin. Pour into a greased 11 X 7 inch baking pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until almost set. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over casserole. Return to oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until bubbly. reprinted with permission from www.amishcookonline.com. Richard from Amish Stories.

Part 2 of  "Lancaster on two wheels" on Friday. And a tribute to Monty the rooster from the original "Lancaster" series from this past spring.

Random Wednesday: Various images from the Lancaster/Lebanon Pennsylvania area. With a recipe for wet bottom Shoo-fly-pie.

I'm trying something a little different for a few Wednesday post, since I have a fair amount of pictures from this summers car/tractor show's along with images of the countryside ill use them in a sequence of posts. Hope you enjoy them everyone. Richard from Amish Stories.

I love the color combination on this truck!



Wet Bottom Shoo Fly Pie


Makes two 9-inch pies.



Crumb Mixture:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 cup shortening


1 cup brown sugar






Bottom:


1 cup hot water


1 cup brown sugar


1 cup molasses


1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon vinegar






Mix crumb mixture ingredients together. Blend bottom ingredients together. Line 2 pie pans evenly with liquid, and cover with crumbs. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, and then at 350 degrees F until done. Posted with permission from  Recipe Goldmine. Richard from Amish Stories.


The Amish Cook on Thursday and on Friday "Lancaster on 2 wheels"  part 2.



Jean : Susans first day at school, and the difference's between public schools and old order Mennonite schools.

Jean is old order Mennonite from New York State.Jean and her husband David and family live on a dairy farm, and travel their community using horse and buggy. She tells her story exclusively on Amish Stories.

Time has sure past. David and I remember when Susan was born and today was her first day of school. She got to wear one of the new dresses, carried her new lunch box, had her pencils, crayons and paper that she got for her sixth birthday. Martha and Joseph take their wagon with their school age children to pick up the children on the way to school. Kids call it the buggy bus. Anyway they were coming to pick up Susan, but David and I decided to take her to school on her first day in our buggy. In out school First Grade is the first that school children go to-we don't have any pre-school. At school most of the first grade students have parents that go with them into school as we did Susan. We were concerned that Susan might be afraid or upset in some ways on her first day. We were wrong. Susan was glad to see her playmates-children she knew from church and were her neighbors. One of her friends was crying and Susan asked her what she was crying about. All her friends were there. The teacher is an Old Order Mennonite single lady who has been there for several years, attends our church and the children knew here before school. When it was time for us to leave Susan told us she would see us later.
I remember my first day of school, I got upset when my parents left but it didn't bother Susan at all although some of the other children were.

Susan is going to the same school that David and I went to but things have changed since we both went there. When we went to school there were outhouses, and a water pump on the side. Since then there has been  addition's and there is a girls restroom and boys restroom which include toilets and sinks. Our furnace was in the center of the room. It was a wood burner then coal. I remember when we were kids if we had anything that needed to be heated for lunch-we would set it on top of the furnace about a half hour before lunch time-when lunch time came it was all heated up ready to eat. Our lights were propane. The school now has oil heat and electric lights. The furnace is one of  the addition's that was put on. Now as before it has all the grades in one room. As Amish have moved in the area, but not enough to start their own school the children are Amish and Old Order Mennonite. Our student school books are the same that are used in the Amish schools-printed by the Amish. Also in our school, we now have a telephone that we didn't have when David and I were in school. It is for the teachers use or emergencies. We start earlier than public schools, but our schools get out earlier in the spring. Also our children go to school until 8th grade. We feel there is no need to continue their education after that. We also have a small barn our back for the teacher to put her horse and buggy.

If a special child is an Old Order Mennonite or Amish child they also attend our school. There are a couple mothers or single ladies that come in two days a week to give the special children extra time or instruction that the special children may need. Special children are started in first grade and go up in the grades as they can. All children special or not are treated alike. What I like about the one room school is that a child may be in first grade on a subject that they have a hard time with, second grade in a subject they are doing well in and maybe even third grade on a subject that is easy for them. Another thing is that the seventh and eight grade students sometimes help the lower grade students. If a student needs extra help and the teacher is busy with another grade or subject-she may ask one of the seventh or eight grade students to help the child.

Our teachers do not have a college education. They completed school at the eight grade like the other students. At age 16 they can become a teachers assistant for two years. When they have completed their two years as teachers assistant they can be hired by a school as a teacher. Teachers do not make as much as the teachers do in a public school-although the salaries have increased over the years. If a teacher is going to marry-then another teacher is looked to replace her. Things have also changed here. There are a very few but there are lady teachers who are married but do have children or their children are grown. Also, some of our schools have men teachers-they are few-but there are some. We do not have married or men teachers in our area.

We take care of our own schools. We do not accept tax money, public education money or anything like that from the public system. As a parent, we have to pay so much a year to support our school. It is the same price for anyone who has students whether you have one child going or like Martha who has  ten or more children going-we all pay the same. All the maintenance on the school is done by us. If the school needs to be painted, needs new drapes, needs a new roof or any other maintenance-we do it. We have a board of education of men parents who keep track of the school education wise, maintenance wise, student wise and more. As the state has certain education goals the students must achieve in each grade the board sees that the teacher meets these goals in her teaching. The students are given tests certain times a year to make sure our students are meeting these goals. When David and I were in school and now-the Old Order Mennonite and Amish usually not only pass the state goals but surpass them. Our students do better than the public schools do. Once a year we have a quilt sale, crafts sale, baked sale and more to raise money for the school. All the money from this sale and what we pay is set aside for the school repairs, phone bill, electric bill, oil, teachers salary and more.

We were concerned on how Susan was doing today in school. We went and picked her up in the buggy but she told us she wanted to ride the buggy bus-so Martha and Joseph will pick her up tomorrow. As we sat for cookies and milk for Susan while David and I had coffee Susan said she liked school. In fact, she can't wait to go back tomorrow. She is taking school better than David and I did. We didn't enjoy school likes she seems to. David and I were concerned for Susan all day as we didn't know what she would think. We are glad she enjoys it.

Michael does not know this but he is going back to us. His parents have been sentenced for many years in prison. Social Services wants him back with his friends and in the school he had been in. Michael will be going back to the public school. Michael knows he is being moved, but he doesn't know to where. We were asked if we would consider taking him back and David and I agreed. The funny part is that if we had refused him he would have gone to Martha and Joseph's so in a way he would be here anyway. We also haven't told Susan because we were afraid she might forget to keep it a secret and tell Michael during one of our phone calls to him. Michael knows he is going to a family that has three other children so he doesn't think it is ours. He does not know we have another foster child.

The little Foster Child baby that we received is getting so she doesn't cry as much as she use to. We were told because she has a drug baby they may find that she has problems as she gets older. This could be she is a special child, sight problems, hearing problems and more. She seems to be fine right now, but these could show up as she get older. We were asked to name her so after much thought, prayer and suggestions we have named her Rebeca Cynthia . That is not one of the names that was suggested. Her middle name is her mother's name. The papers have been signed by her mother and she will be going up for adoption.

David and I wish to thank you all for your contributions for the people of the Amish van accident and their families. Money is still coming in and is being used for their medical needs. Also, we would like to thank you for your comments, we really appreciate them.

I understand more recipes are wanted. Are their any special recipes that you might be interested in? Also , if you have any questions you would like to ask, please feel free.

Be With God,
Jean

Jean and Davids home  (Image's courtesy from Marilyn of New York)

The back of the house

Jeans barn with buggy inside



the food stand that Jean uses to sell her canned and baked goods.





New post on Wednesday called  "Random Wednesday"with a wet bottom shoo-fly-pie recipe.

Recipe of the week: Pennsylvania Dutch Sticky Cinnamon Buns. With Amish fiction writer Wanda Brunstetter's book signing schedule and contest !

Famous Pennsylvania Dutch Sticky Cinnamon Buns
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, scalded
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups sifted flour, divided
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 cup chopped raisins
2 tablespoons currants
2 tablespoons finely chopped citron
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Soften yeast in warm water and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add milk to sugar and salt. Mix and cool to lukewarm.

Add 1 cup flour and mix until smooth. Stir in yeast. Add remaining flour mixing well. Knead dough on floured board until smooth. Put in greased bowl, grease top, cover with towel and let rise in warm room until double.

Punch down dough, and roll into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with the softened butter and spread with mixture of raisins, currants, citron, the 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up like a jellyroll and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Lay the slices in a buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Sprinkle top with the 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. Published with permission from recipe goldmine. Richard from Amish Stories.

 

  

Wanda signing books for fans in Florida.

 

Wanda at a book signing in Ohio





Book signing at an Amish friend's home

 Wanda Brunstetter  the very popular Amish fiction writer will be in Lancaster Pennsylvania and Ohio in September for a book signing for her new book  "The Healing". I was asked by her if i wanted to mention to Amish Storie readers her book signing stops in my area. I sent Wanda a note telling her that id be happy to pass along to the readers her Schedule for her Lancaster and Ohio appearances's. Richard from Amish Stories.



Come meet Wanda

Pennsylvania

September 6, 2011  
06:00 PM to 08:00 PM


Hackman's
1341 Mickley Rd, Whitehall, PA 18052
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September 9, 2011
05:00 PM to 07:00 PM


Shady Maple Restaurant 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl, PA 17519
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September 10, 2011
12:00 PM to 02:00 PM


Lifeway
2320 Industrial Highway, York, PA 17402
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September 12, 2011
11:00 AM to 01:00 PM


Bird in Hand Restaurant 2760 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505
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September 13, 2011
04:00 PM to 06:00 PM


Miller's Smorgasbord 2811 Lincoln Highway East (Route 30), Ronks, PA 17572
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September 14, 2011
04:00 PM to 06:00 PM


Plain & Fancy Farm and Gift Shop at the Amish Experience 3121 Old Philadelphia Pike (Route 340), Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505
---------------------------------------------------------                                              Ohio                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   September 17, 2011 dinner and Booksigning in an Amish Home  04:00 PM to 06:00 PM
Dinner served at 6:00pm. Call 1-330-893-3248 or visit Amish Heartland Tours for reservations. Sugarcreek, OH
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    September 19, 2011
04:00 PM to 06:00 PM

 Dinner and Booksigning in an Amish Home Dinner served at 6:00pm. Call 1-330-893-3248 or visit Amish Heartland Tours for reservations. Sugarcreek, OH
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September 20, 2011
11:30 AM to 01:30 PM


Lunch and Booksigning in an Amish Home Call 1-740-754-1833 or visit Eastern Ohio Tours for reservations.


Fresno, OH
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September 23, 2011
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM


The Gospel Shop Walnut Creek Amish Flea Market, 1900 State Route 39, Sugarcreek, OH 44681
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September 23, 2011
03:00 PM to 05:00 PM


The Gospel Shop Walnut Creek Amish Flea Market, 1900 State Route 39, Sugarcreek, OH 44681
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September 24, 2011
10:00 AM to 01:00 PM


Gospel Bookstore Holmes County Flea Market, 4550 State Route 39, Millersburg, OH 44654
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September 24, 2011
03:00 PM to 05:00 PM


Gospel Bookstore Holmes County Flea Market, 4550 State Route 39, Millersburg, OH 44654

Win  a Dinner with Wanda in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania !


Would you like to meet Wanda in person? Will you be in the Lancaster County, PA area on Tuesday, September 13th? If you answered yes to both questions, enter the “Dinner with Wanda in Lancaster County, PA” drawing today.






The winner of the drawing will be entitled to bring along one friend to join Wanda and her husband for a free dinner at Miller’s Smorgasbord in Ronks, PA on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 6 p.m. The dinner will follow Wanda’s book signing there.






To be eligible for this drawing you must either live in the area of Lancaster County, PA or plan to visit there on September 13th. The winner will also receive a free set of autographed books by Wanda.
To enter  contest or for more information just click  www.wandabrunstetter.com
Dont miss old order Mennonite Jeans post this coming Tuesday, with first time pictures of Jeans home!

Lancaster on 2 wheels : Riding through the Amish country side on a scooter :The sequel

Country Road Cycles

Another Amish food stand, not the one i went to though.

Amish food stand where i bit-off more than i could chew. Notice the bottle of pickles in the center of the scooter!

Since i had a blast with my first "Lancaster on 2 wheels" during the spring, I've decided to do a second post this time really traveling a little more out to the back roads of Lancaster county. This post has a cute story that i will go into towards the end of the post. So i drove over to Country Road Cycles on Ronks road in Bird in Hand,Pa to rent another scooter. I'm not receiving anything for saying this but these folks are super nice and courteous and will answer any questions that you might have to make your scooter experience the best possible. When someone is nice to me that goes a very long way even if the price is slightly higher, which in this case wouldn't really be true because Country Road cycles is on par with others who rent scooters price wise. Now if your looking for something say a little faster they do have a faster scooter that you can rent along with an even faster motorcycle (licenses do apply for anything over 49cc). Now for my cute little story, after getting my map for my scooter route i decided to drive over to one of Lancaster's covered bridges. Before the covered bridge there is a Amish food stand sitting smartly about 100  feet from the bridge itself, so i decided to make a pit stop for a cold glass of homemade root beer and who knows what else!. As you can see in my pictures these folks make a lot of stuff, so to make my choice's a little easier i wanted to buy a pie and some bottled items. Well i was eying my poison until i thought to myself "where the heck am i going to put everything", I'm riding on a scooter!. I must have said that loud enough for those little Amish children behind the food stand counter to hear me. And then i heard back " you can fit all your things in there", so i had to peek over the counter to see these 3 small Amish children smiling and telling me that i could buy more stuff. Talk about the future of the Amish business, with these 3 kids the future looks extremely bright indeed. After hearing and feeling positive vibes from these young Amish geniuses i walked over to the scooter and started gently pulling and pushing and turning anything that looked like i could pop the seat. Even their dad got into the picture with trying to help me figure out how to get more stuff on this scooter other than a bottle of pickles,lol. All i had that i knew was a cup holder built into the handle bars, with i was now  using for that  jar of pickles. Well after myself and the Amish gentleman spent a little time trying to figure out how to pop the seat, i gave-up and proclaimed myself lucky to be at least leaving with those pickles. Part 2 of this post will be next Friday along with an Amish recipe.. To rent a scooter please visit the really nice folks at :


Country Road Cycles.  220 N. Ronks Road
Bird in Hand, PA 17505
 If you tell them you heard about them from Amish Stories I'm told you will get a $5.00 discount from your rental.


www.countryroadcycles.com






(717) 598-3191