Harvest of Blessings (28 page)

Here’s the recipe Miriam baked for Annie Mae and Adam’s wedding cake. As with most Amish recipes, it’s made with simple everyday ingredients, and the beaten egg whites produce a cake that’s lighter than a cake from a box mix. Using two 9-inch pans will make a standard two-layer cake, but this amount of batter also fills a 9 x 13-inch pan or a 2-inch deep 10-inch round pan. Don’t wait until someone gets married to try it!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut wax paper to fit the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans. With the paper circles in place, spray the insides of the pans with nonstick coating.

 

Beat the egg whites with the baking powder until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, cream the sugar with the shortening, then mix in the cold water, vanilla, flour, and a pinch of salt. Fold in the egg whites.

 

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched in the center. Cool the cake layers for 15 minutes in the pans before turning them out onto wire racks. Carefully remove the paper and cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting (or see the recipe for Buttercream Frosting at
www.CharlotteHubbard.com
).

 

This refreshing ice cream has to be one of my favorites! For a more colorful dessert, use both red and green starlight mints.

In a large bowl, whisk the cream, milk, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the candy and the extract. Pour into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer instructions until mixture is soft-set, about 20 minutes. Pour mixture into a container (a glass bread pan works well), cover, and freeze 2–3 hours until nearly solid.

 

This has become my favorite go-to recipe for bread that requires no rising. The mix of grains produces a dense, satisfying loaf with a touch of sweetness that complements soups or tastes great toasted for breakfast. Try it with peanut butter and jelly, or spread on some goat cheese or cream cheese!

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Reserve 1 T. of the cereal. In a large bowl, mix the remaining cereal, the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender (or rub in with the tines of a fork) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the dried fruit.

 

In a small bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk with a whisk or fork until blended—reserve 1 T. of this mixture. Stir the remaining liquids into the dry ingredients until just moistened. On a floured surface, knead the dough 5 or 6 times until it holds together. Shape the dough into a 7-inch disk, place on the cookie sheet, and cut a large X across the top, ¼-inch deep. Brush the top with the reserved buttermilk mixture, and then sprinkle the loaf with the reserved cereal. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool before serving.

 

Finally, my quest for a really good whole grain pancake mix has ended! The secret to this mix is putting the oats through the food processor so they become like flour, which produces a smooth, silky pancake that’s a lot fresher and tastier than you get from a box mix. Warning: the bulk recipe below makes a LOT of pancake mix. I made half this recipe and got enough mix to fill a gallon zipper bag and make about six of the recipes below. Once you try this, you’ll understand why Miriam was so tickled to get Nora’s food processor!

This is truly a soup for all seasons, as you can either serve it hot as a side dish or first course, or chilled as a refreshing light meal on a summer day. Even kids like carrots, so this is a great way to get more servings of healthy veggies into your family’s meals.

In a large pan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, and simmer carrots until tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer soup to a blender or food processor in batches, and puree until smooth. Add orange juice and seasonings. Reheat and serve.

 

Here’s the perfect dish for entertaining, when you want real mashed potatoes without the last-minute hassle. I love to make these on Saturday so we can enjoy mashed potatoes after we get home from church, usually to go with a roast I’ve put into the Crock-Pot.

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Boil them in salted water until tender, and drain. Beat in the remaining ingredients until the potatoes are well mashed and the cream cheese is blended in, and place this mixture into a sprayed microwavable dish or a 2-quart casserole. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.

 

To reheat, cover with a microwave-safe cover and microwave on a medium setting for about 8 minutes, until steaming hot. Stir and heat a bit longer, if needed; OR, cover the casserole with an ovenproof lid or foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Serves 6–8.

 

This was a recipe I found stuck in Mom’s cookbook. Part of the enjoyment in making this dish comes from recalling how she
loved
onions, and part of it is following the recipe written in her distinctive, back-slanted handwriting. Sweet, creamy, and decadently rich, this makes a wonderful side dish for any sort of meat. You can make it the day before and reheat it.

Peel the onions and slice them thick. Sauté them in the butter or margarine until tender, adding water if necessary. Place in a 2-quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick coating. In a separate bowl, stir together the broth, cream, flour, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings until blended. Pour this mixture over the onions and top with the Swiss cheese. Bake uncovered at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly. Serves 6–8.

Here’s the ultimate comfort food, made from ingredients you can keep on your shelf to whip together at a moment’s notice. When I serve this or take it to a potluck, I rarely get any because the bowl’s empty by the time I get to it!

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan or a quart-size baking dish. Mix all ingredients, saving back ½ cup of the cheese. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until the center is set. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

 

We love bread pudding and we love baked pineapple, so when I decided to try blending the two, it was
outrageously
good, moist and creamy and sweet without a lot of added sugar. It’s great for breakfast, and it’s also a yummy dessert.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray/grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. To scald the milk, heat it until it’s steamy, melt the butter in it, and then pour this mixture over the bread cubes. Stir. Pour in the pineapple, cornstarch, eggs, sugar, and vanilla and stir everything together until the eggs and sugar are well-blended with the bread mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the center is loosely set. Serves 6.