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Barbara Workinger.com - the Amish Country Mysteries web site

Topics on this page include suggested links,  quilting links, 
 further  reading  &  seasonal  recipes.


to learn more About the Amish
Suggested Links

The Amish News
Visit this site for links to articles and publications
concerning the Pennsylvania Amish.



The People's Place
An educational and heritage center about the Amish and the Mennonites
in the village of Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.



The Heritage Center of Lancaster County
The museum collects, preserves and interprets Lancaster County's history and
decorative arts through the permanent collection,  annual exhibitions  and
educational programming.



The Landis Valley Farm Museum
A nationally significant living history museum that collects, conserves, exhibits,
and interprets Pennsylvania German material, culture, history and heritage from
1740 through 1940.



Lancaster County Pennsylvania Dutch Country
The Official Site of the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau


The Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center
The most comprehensive source of information on the culture and the attractions of Lancaster County, PA.



About Quilting
Or click on the  quilting mysteries  link for a fiction reading list.



Quilter's Muse
A lively site chock-full of fascinating information.  Lots of links to things
every level of quilter will find helpful, Good articles and Interesting stories
of travels to quilt shows. Wonderful photos, too. Don't miss it!



Quilt Shows around the world
with helpful links


The Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum
The famed Esprit Quilt Collection is now the centerpiece of a
new part of The Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County.



The People's Place Quilt Museum
An educational and heritage center about the Amish and the Mennonites
in the village of Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.



Planet Patchwork
The Ultimate Address in Quilting.
Articles, information, books, and supplies for quilters.



The Quilt Index
An online research and reference tool designed to provide unprecedented
access to contextual information and images of quilts held in private and
public collections.   Contains hundreds of uniquely designed quilts from
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Michigan and Illinois along with the history and
techniques used to make them.



Simply Quilts
Web site for the series on the Home and Garden Television cable channel.
Programs include how-to information and help for quilters at any level.








recommended further reading on the Amish

Nonfiction selections


Dr. Frau: A Woman Doctor Among the Amish - Grace Kaiser

Amish Ways - Ruth and Blair Seitz

The Gift to be Simple: Life in Amish Country - Bill Coleman

Growing up Amish * - Richard Ammon

Amish Women - Louise Stoltzfus

The Riddle of the Amish Culture - Donald B. Kraybill

Great Possessions - An Amish Farmer's Journal - David Kline

Plain and Simple - Sue Bender

How to Speak Dutchified English - Gary Gates

cookbooks by Marcia Adams



Fiction


Ellie;  Daniel;  Reuben;  Rachel (series) * - Mary Christner Borntrager

The Quilted Message - A mystery * - Ken Munro

The February Trouble - Neil Albert


* Especially suitable for children

 
 


Amish Country Seasonal Recipes

click  here  for a printable version of these recipes

or  click  here  to visit an archive of previously posted recipes




Oregon Plum-Delicious Crisp

Preheat oven to 350° F
Spray a glass loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2 cans Oregon Fruit Products Purple Plums, drained, pitted and quartered
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (½ stick) cold butter cut into pieces
½ teaspoon ginger

Combine plums, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon in the loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, combine flour with brown sugar, walnuts, and salt.
Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter to a coarse-crumb texture. Spoon over plum mixture.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and plums are bubbly.
Serve warm topped with French vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream lightly dusted with ground ginger.


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Pennsylvania Dutch Apple-Muffin Cake

Ingredients

About 2 Tablespoons packaged unseasoned bread crumbs

Crumb Topping:
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon


Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼cups sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 cup cored, peeled, finely diced apple

Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 2-quart Charlotte mold or a 9-inch tube pan and sprinkle with the bread crumbs, tapping out the excess.
Prepare the Crumb Topping: in a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the batter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, allspice, and cloves. In a small bowl, stir the butter, sour cream, and eggs until they are well combined. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture just until the mixture is smooth and satiny. Stir in the apples. Spread the batter into the prepared mold. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
Bake the cake for 1 hour or until the crumbs are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean. (If you are using a tube pan, start testing for doneness after 45 minutes.)
Cool the cake in the mold on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a metal spatula or knife between cake and the side of the mold to loosen the cake, then gently invert it into a work surface and remove the pan.
Turn it over onto the wire rack and cool completely. Transfer the cake onto a serving plate.



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Carmelized Carrot Fritters

¼ c Onion chopped fine
I T brown sugar
1 t. pumpkin pie seasoning
½ c Water
2 Eggs
½ c Flour
¼ tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Chopped parsley ( 1 Tbsp if you're using dry parsley)
¼ C butter or margarine

Combine carrots with onion and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer covered until carrots are tender. Drain liquid into a measuring cup. Measure 1/2 cups of liquid into a small bowl.
Separate eggs. Set aside the whites in another small bowl.
Add the yolks to the reserved liquid and mix. Add flour, salt and paprika and beat until smooth.
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. At this point you should have 3 different mixtures.
(1) is the carrots and onions
(2) is the egg yolks and simmering liquid
(3) is the egg whites stiffly beaten

Fold 1 and 2 into 3. Add the parsley.
Heat some butter for frying in a griddle or skillet. (Do not let butter burn, just brown slightly) Drop batter by heaping tablespoonful and fry both sides until golden brown on low to medium heat..



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Apple Glazed Beef Brisket

4 to 5 pound boneless beef brisket
1 medium onion, quartered
2 large garlic cloves, halved
10 whole cloves
Water
1 jar (10 ounces) plum jam or jelly
1/3 cup dry white wine, or broth (vegetable or beef)
3 tablespoons Dijon-style or spicy brown mustard
3 tablespoons minced green onions, including tops
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns (or 1 teaspoon ground pepper)
¾ teaspoon curry powder
Parsley
Tomato roses

Place brisket, onion, garlic and cloves in large Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 ½ to 3 hours or until tender.
Drain brisket, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. To prepare glaze, combine jelly, wine, mustard, green onions, salt, pepper and curry powder in small saucepan and heat until jelly melts, stirring occasionally.
Place brisket in shallow roasting pan. Brush with glaze and roast in slow oven (325ºF) 45 minutes, basting frequently with glaze.
Place brisket on heated serving platter and garnish with parsley. Carve brisket into thin slices and serve with remaining glaze. 8 servings.

* Brisket may also be cooked on charcoal, or gas grill for 30 minutes, basting often with glaze.



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Fae's Best Oatmeal Cookies

¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup chopped and toasted macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter


Directions: Preheat oven to 325 ° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper,or Silpat sheets.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, sugar, coconut and macadamia nuts.
In a small saucepan, combine the water, honey and baking soda. Bring to a boil, then stir in the butter. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then stir into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon.
Place tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. Leave about 3 inches between cookies.
Bake for 12 minutes for chewy cookies, 15 minutes for crunchy, in the preheated oven. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks. Makes 30 - 36 cookies.


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click  here  for a printable version of this recipe

Shoofly Coffee Cake

This "Introduction to the taste of Shoofly pie" was sent to me by a fan in Indiana who found it years ago at a bed and breakfast in an Amish area.  Thanks, Claire!  It is delicious.


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/3 cups sour cream
1 cup sugar
¾ cup butter - softened
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup light molasses
½ cup chopped walnuts --pecans are super, too
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt


In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and molasses until you get a consistency of wet sand. It works best if you mix with fingers or two forks.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir. Add sour cream and beat until smooth.

In a separate small bowl, mix brown sugar with walnuts, nutmeg and cinnamon.


Preheat oven to 350°

Prepare a 10 inch coffee cake pan with a thin coating of cooking spray and a light sprinkling of flour. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture in the pan.

Spread half of the batter over the nut mixture, followed by another 1/3 of the nut mixture, the remaining batter and the last 1/3 of the nut mixture.

Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Let cool slightly before serving or slicing. This is really great served warm with butter. Leftover cake, well wrapped in plastic wrap keeps well in the refrigerator for a week. Just warms up in the microwave.



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click  here  for a printable version of the recipes

or  click  here  to visit an archive of previously posted recipes

 
 

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