The Amish Cooks Anniversary Book

20 Years of Food Family and Faith

by Lovina Eicher, Kevin Williams

Price: $24.99
ISBN-13: 9780740797651
ISBN-10: 0740797654
Format: Hardcover
Size: 7 X 9 in.
Page Count: 304 Pages

The Amish Cook’s Baking Book

by Lovina Eicher, Kevin Williams

Price: $29.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-8547-4
ISBN-10: 0-7407-8547-8
Format: Hardcover
Size: 10 x 9 in.
Page Count: 224 pages

The Amish Cook at Home

Simple Pleasures of Food, Family, and Faith

by Lovina Eicher and Kevin Williams

Price: $29.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7372-3
ISBN-10: 0-7407-7372-0
Format: Hardcover
Size: 10 x 9 in.
Page Count: 224 pages

“Twenty years ago, Elizabeth Coblentz began writing a column called The Amish Cook, which detailed her daily life as a mother, grandmother and Amish wife. Her columns reflected farm and family life as it must have been lived a century or so earlier. When Coblentz died, her daughter Lovina Eicher, a wife and mother of eight, took over the column, opening the door to Amish life and sharing recipes of dishes prepared from the bounty of their farm.” ––The Herald-Palladium http://bit.ly/bISGR5

The Amish Cook’s Anniversary Book contains the best of columns from twenty years of the nationally syndicated “The Amish Cook” archives, providing a rare glimpse into Amish life. This beautiful treasury features reflections on Amish history and lore, with detailed accounts of special events like weddings, funerals, church services, butchering days, and holidays. Scattered throughout the book are:

Over 30 classic recipes for delicious dishes like Cucumber Salad, Rhubarb Custard Pie, Poor Man’s Steak, Asparagus Casserole, and much more.

Monthly columns coupled with stunning full-color photographs depicting the day-to-day life of the Amish.

Personal letters written by Coblentz to editor Kevin Williams that give an even closer look into the Amish Cook’s life.

The Amish Cook’s Anniversary Book is more than a collection of mouth-watering recipes; it is also a charming and captivating look into the joyful lives of the Amish people.

“While The Amish Cook at Home was more of a peek into the Amish world and culture through food, The Amish Cook’s Baking Book focuses a bit closer on the recipes, although there are still plenty of enjoyable stories about the Amish way of baking and Lovina’s own personal stories as well. … With this next installment in the series, Lovina has truly outdone herself, bringing a huge sampling of wonderful looking Amish baking recipes. … For someone who loves to bake, this is a treasure trove of delicious recipes. … The Amish Cook’s Baking Book would make an excellent gift for any home baker, especially one interested in Amish foods. Recommended” ––Lavender Blue http://heatherfeather-lavenderblue.blogspot.com/2010/01/cookbook-review-baking-with-amish-cook.html

“The Amish Cook’s Baking Book by Lovina Eicher is a book that brings us back in time. … Lovina’s wonderful baking book is a perfect cookbook for our revived interest in home cooking. It is filled with over 100 recipes for delicious Amish home baked goodies. … I love this book. It will be a well used part of my cookbook library for many years to come.” ––Cooking Nook http://www.cookingnook.com/amish-cooks-baking-book.html

“A few months ago, I reviewed The Amish Cook at Home, a lovely book jam-packed with recipes, gorgeous photographs, and descriptions of Amish life. I fell in love with that book, but I think I like The Amish Cook’s Baking Book even more!” ––Frugal Creativity http://www.frugalcreativity.com/2009/10/amish-cooks-baking-book-review-and.html

“People travel to the Amish country for many reasons, among them the slower tempo, but the greatest motivation is to savor their amazing baked goods.  Known for their adherence to simplicity, in this wonderful book the Amish kitchen is revealed to be rich and lavish with home baked treats.  Working from scratch with fresh, basic ingredients, Amish baked goods prove that less really is more when loving hands create both sweet and savory breads, rolls, pastries, cookies, and brownies.  These are staple fare in every home across American, and in the hands of an Amish baker the ordinary rises to be extraordinary. ” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/baking_cookbooks/Amish_Baking.html

“From the self-described “plain people” comes this collection of extraordinary recipes for all-from-scratch baked goods; more than 100 recipes for cakes, cookies, pies, breads, brownies and bars. … The author, who writes the syndicated column “The Amish Cook,” lives in an Old Order Amish community in Michigan with her husband and eight children.” ––Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com/features/food/78195642.html

“Amish Cook columnist Lovina Eicher was tickled by the “English” saying, “Nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven.” In her Old Order community, proverbs lean toward the pragmatic, i.e., “Take all you want, eat all you take.” Yet love — of faith, family and simplicity — is a staple of life and the main ingredient in her new cookbook. Cowritten with Kevin Williams, “The Amish Cook’s Baking Book” serves up warm, homey memories with recipes for more than 100 cakes, cookies, pies, breads, brownies and other goodies.” ––NWITimes.com http://nwitimes.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_4bcf76a3-45f5-5e1d-a586-35415b53b836.html

“A cultural overview as well as a cookbook, The Amish Cook at Home by Lovina Eicher with Kevin Williams is filled with gorgeous photographs and appealing recipes. In conversational tone, Mrs. Eicher shares her family recipes and stories; as I read, I often felt as though I was reading a personal letter from her. Sidebars include anecdotes about Mrs. Eicher’s family, information about Amish history and culture, and hints on gardening and canning.” ––Frugal Creativity http://frugalcreativity.blogspot.com/2009/07/amish-cook-at-home-review-and-giveaway.html

For most of us, the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven is a luxury, one made unaffordable by hectic schedules in a fast-paced world. But for the Amish, baking is a necessity and enjoyment of everyday life. This dedication to live simply and unchanged by time is why millions visit Amish country each year. That, and the food!

Lovina Eicher, celebrated cook and author of The Amish Cook at Home, offers a slow-paced journey through this delicious world of Amish baking in her latest offering, The Amish Cook’s Baking Book (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.99).

The book is filled with more than 100 recipes for cakes, cookies, pies, breads, brownies, and bars, all made from scratch, using tools and techniques that have been passed down through generations. The 80 beautiful photographs, sidebars from Lovina’s children, and interesting insights into Amish life, both in and outside the kitchen, make this book a journey into authentic Amish baking, the kind found only if you stray from the main routes and explore the back roads and communities.

As the “eat local” and slow food movements continue to grow, The Amish Cook’s Baking Book brings the soothing simplicity of using seasonal and local ingredients to make delicious, back-to-basics baked goods.

There are many baked goods that the Amish are credited with concocting or co-opting: elephants ears, funnel cakes, and Soft Pretzels (see page 78), to name a few. But perhaps the baked good with the single most Amish identity is shoofly pie. Long before Dinah Shore immortalized the molasses morass in her famous song, the Amish were enjoying this pie. The origins of this pie’s unusual name have been debated by food historians for the better part of a century. The most commonly offered explanation is that the name comes from the flies that are attracted to the pools of molasses that sometimes form on top of the pie while it is cooling. Many Amish homemakers set hot pies on a windowsill to catch a cooling breeze in the summer, hence the need to shoo the flies.
Other food historians point to the possibility that the name of the pie is simply an inaccurately translated version of a German or Swiss word. Interestingly, Elizabeth Coblentz, in her first mention of the pie in her column, spelled it “Choo Fly Pie.” Whether this was simply an error or a phonetic clue to the recipe’s origin went with her when she passed away.

Makes one 9-inch pie

1 disk My Homemade Pie Dough (page 3) or Pat-a-Pan Piecrust (page 4)
1 cup molasses
2/3 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Topping:
3 1/2cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening, softened
Dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine the molasses, boiling water, and baking soda. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.

To make the topping: In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, shortening, and salt. Spread this on top of the molasses mixture in the pie shell. Bake until the center of the pie is set, about 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack or windowsill until the pie is firm, about 45 minutes.  Store any leftovers in a sealed cake safe. The pie will keep for about 5 days.

For the homemade pie dough crust: Roll the disk of pie dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the overhang to 1 inch. Fold the dough under and crimp the edges.

For the pat-a-pan piecrust: Pat the dough with your fingers, first at the sides of the 9-inch pie pan and then across the bottom. Flute the edges.

“Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
Makes your eyes light up
Your tummy say ‘Howdy.’
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff.”
—Dinah Shore, “Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,” 1946                                            ­­­

As the world around us seems to grow increasingly complex and busy, it’s comforting to know that syndicated columnist Lovina Eicher is here with The Amish Cook at Home: Simple Pleasures of Food, Family, and Faith (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.99), a beautiful homage to life in an Old Order Amish community, filled with delicious recipes offering comfort, simplicity, and sustenance.

Part almanac, part cultural overview, part culinary calendar, The Amish Cook at Home is structured around the four seasons, which heavily influence Amish life and cooking. Inside you’ll find:

• Recipes full of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and meat, including such culinary traditions as Dandelion Jelly, Chicken and Dumplings, and Concord Grape Streusel Pie. (And don’t be surprised to also find such treats as Breakfast Burritos, Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños, and Pizza Casserole.)
• Informational notes and sidebars about Amish history, culture, and lore, some contributed by members of Lovina’s family and her column editor and co-author, Kevin Williams
• Stories of Old Order days and glimpses into events including weddings, funerals, and tax time
• Anecdotes from Lovina’s family life shared with her husband, Joe, and their eight children
• Almost 100 recipes and beautiful color photos depicting life in Lovina’s rural Michigan community

The Amish Cook at Home will be welcomed not only by faithful readers of Lovina’s syndicated newspaper column, The Amish Cook, but also by a new audience eager to embrace a simpler way of life, even if for only an hour or two while making a tasty, home-cooked dish straight from Amish country.

A round face, a ready smile, and the ability to “multitask” long before it became trendy in cubicles and cars across America define Lovina’s life. It is this calm sense of simplicity, this living connection to a time when life wasn’t so fast-paced, that has endeared Lovina to millions of readers of “The Amish Cook” column.

The column is not something Lovina had expected to be juggling along with her many other daily duties. Running a household of ten people can sometimes leave little time to spare as is. But Lovina stepped up to the task of writing the column under some very difficult circumstances, and in the process really grew into her role.

—K.W.

Serves 4 to 6

This is a thick soup. The color is light, like a cream sauce. I usually like to serve a fresh garden salad with it.

1 3/ 4 cups chicken broth
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 / 2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 / 3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 1 / 2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Velveeta or Colby cheese (cubed or sliced)

Combine the broth, potatoes, asparagus, onion, and salt in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Whisk the milk and flour together well in a small bowl and whisk into the broth mixture. Stir in the cheese until melted. Pour into warmed soup bowls and serve immediately.

Variation: I once fried bacon strips and then crumbled them in with everything. It was very good! You could also sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top as a garnish.

1/2 recipe sourdough bread dough (page 55)
6 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

FROSTING

1 tablespoon water
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 / 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Take each ball of dough and roll it out as thin as possible on a floured surface. Brush the dough with the melted margarine or butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon.

Roll up the dough like a jelly roll. Cut each roll into slices 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Place the slices 1/2 inch apart in a buttered jelly roll pan, cover with waxed paper, and let rise for 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while making the icing. Combine all the icing ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.