The Essential Amish Cookbook: Everyday Recipes from Farm and Pantry

Author of many Amish Cookbooks, Lovina Eicher brings things back to basics in her new release, The Essential Amish Cookbook.

Cooking and baking is something I do because I enjoy.  And because I need to eat.  And because I like to eat tasty things.  I'm fortunate because I learned how to do these things from an early age.  I do however realise that this kind of homemade is becoming a lost art.  Younger generations have grown up without the basics and therefore are overwhelmed by the more daring or involved recipes.  A brief scroll through social media reveals a pattern of quick, minimal ingredient recipe videos folk are saving, pinning, and studying.

This is not the book for those who are searching for more advanced cuisine or groundbreaking technique.  It is a fantastic tool for anyone who needs a place to begin. This book keeps to the Amish idea of keeping life simple and provides simple recipes that will serve as a proper foundation for years of cooking.  Do not be mistaken to think that simple means bland.  From zesty combinations like the Pea and Cheese Salad, to the classic homespun Pot Roast, these recipes are made to taste good.  I was actually a little surprised to see ingredients like Velveeta and instant pudding mix in some recipes, but again that would appeal to our generation of convenience.  I mean, if we have it why not use it.

I especially like that this includes several desert recipes, as I love Amish baked goods.  Eicher even includes seemingly foolproof bread recipes.  She also includes two additional sections titled "Church Meals" and "Wedding Meals."  These highlight special dishes for the occasions while sharing details about the Amish culture at these special times.  Beautiful photographs and personal tidbits strewn throughout make this a personal book.

Although some recipes seem intuitive and redundant to the seasoned cook, I like how she doesn't assume the new cook would already have some basics and so she includes those recipes.  In that sense it truly is a book of essentials.  It is a fantastic tool for anyone who needs a place to begin and would be a great gift for those millennial just heading out into independent living.

A Quest for Queso

My good friends know that Mexican, specifically Tex-Mex, is one of my absolute favorite foods.  Whenever I make it to the States on a visit, I tend to frequent these establishments a bit more than I did even when I lived there.  The nice thing about Tex-Mex is that is relatively easy to replicate wherever one goes, and can taste really great depending on some of the local ingredients.  For example, I've never had better guacamole than when I lived in Uganda.  Those avocados were so large and tree-ripened... so great.  On the other hand, the cheese there was rare, expensive, and not so great.  So great guac, no queso.

Living in Europe now, I have great access to all kinds of quality cheeses which is such a joy.  A good Dutch Gouda works great in those Tex-Mex recipes like quesadillas or enchiladas in place of the Jack cheese that we can't get here.  Unfortunately, my favorite cheese in Tex-Mex is the one I get in a little bowl before my meal, that steamy white milky goodness known as Queso Blanco.  While most restaurants use Asadero cheese, also known as Oaxaca or Chihuahua, which is a Mexican soft cheese, the most successful copycat recipes shockingly use....

                  wait for it...

White american cheese.

Now before you all get into some snarky debate as to whether we should ever call the processed mounds that fill American cuisine "cheese", let me just say, some things work.  In search of satisfaction, I've tried so many recipes spanning the gamut of great quality cheeses that only get grainy or oily with the heat to cheap cheeses that just don't have the right flavor.  At this point, I'm willing to try anything to satisfy that craving for something an ocean away.  But living in Europe, means no American cheese in sight. 

I did a little searching online for an adequate substitute and found, well, processed cheese from an American subsidiary of a European company. You can get Laughing Cow and Babybel rounds both here and in the States, and a blog I ran across had used them to make a different cheese dip, which made my own wheels turn as to how I could adapt it to make my beloved Queso Fresco.  Here's how it went...

I started by melting some Babybel rounds in the microwave, like 15 seconds. until it was liquid.

It only looks yellow because of the light.  Then I added the Laughing Cow and put it in the microwave for another 15 or 20 seconds.

At this point, when I mixed it,  it only got chewier and not as melty.  I would have given up, but the site I'd found said this was right and to just heat it again.  It took around 30 seconds and then was melty again.

I then added a bit of milk and heated again until it was the right consistency.  You can see how it smoothly coats the spoon.

So then I just stirred in some cumin and finely diced jalapenos (my town doesn't have the tins of green chilies).

It was really that simple and fast.  I am now so excited!  I can have my Queso Blanco anytime!  Now it is a bit saltier and stronger in flavor than the stuff I love back home, but I definitely am calling this one a success!  Time for me to grab my made from scratch spicy beef and bean mix, my homemade fresh tomoato salsa, and all the fixin's for a Nacho Salad!  Oh yeah!

Craving satisfied!

I'm How Old? That Can't Be Right!

Well, yippee tai yai yo!  It's my birthday!  We actually celebrated last night with a girls night full of ice-skating, chats, pizza and a movie.  It was so much fun.  I am still waiting to see pics of us on the ice, although I am a little nervous about those pics...  At least I didn't fall!

Today I got to start my day off in a great way with a special email from my sis and a skype video call with my mum.  That put me in a good mood for the whole day.

The day was predominantly quiet, which was nice because I was a bit tired after yesterday.  I saw some friends, and ran some errands and even managed a nap in between.  Tonight I celebrated quietly and contently with a special little dinner.  A few weeks ago I saw these frozen lobsters at Lidl for just a fiver.  Now I'd never had lobster, so I instantly thought this would make a great treat for my birthday.  I had some onions and mushrooms sizzling in the skillet as well.  These were for the fried potatoes that would accompany my lil' lobster. 

Okay, let's be honest now.  There is something about these creatures that beg for silliness.  I can neither confirm nor deny that video exists of this lobster going into the pot all while speaking in some unrecognizable accent that was anything but Canadian, which was the specified origin on the packaging.  Perhaps there's more of a story here, but again, I can neither confirm nor deny.   Now the lobster was already cooked, so I simply had to thaw it and then drop it in boiling water for no more than five minutes.  Gotta love that.  Five euro, five minutes, one fancy fine meal!

Complete with pan-fried potatoes and garlic-parsley melted butter.

Okay, I'll admit I had to look up on the internet to find out how exactly to go about eating it, but there's no shame in that.  It was such a fun thing to do and it actually tasted really good.  I love crab meat and this was like a sweeter version of that.  Speaking of sweet, I finished of my birthday dinner with a rich piece of Chocolate-Chocolate cake I brought home from Ormand's, my favorite place on the square. 

Sweet dreams now, folks.  Thanks for sharing my birthday with me.  God bless :)

Why Not! White Chili

I'll probably post about the Thanksgiving Feast at DCF tomorrow, once I have some pics loaded.  Because we were feeding a huge group, we had two turkeys and a ham.  My 22lb bird was the second to be eaten after the first disappeared completely within the first 45 minutes.  This means that I got to bring home any leftover bits.  It looked well-devoured, but there's a lot of meat in a bird that size.  Five days later, I have been eating nothing but turkey and still have a bowl full left.

We are in the midst of a freak cold snap here in Ireland, so anything that warms the body is appealing.  So for some variety (and warmth!), I decided a white chili would be ideal.  Afterall, it's turning white outside.  Why not inside too!

 

Since this chili is made with turkey and uses a white sauce instead of a beef/tomato combo,  I didn't need to have such a robust bean as the kidney bean.  I chose butter beans which would suit the milder flavors.  You could use any white bean really.  Just because it's white chili doesn't mean it ALL has to be white, so why not also have a tin of mixed beans for color and flavor?  The red pepper is also a bit sweeter than green, so I chose this to complement the poultry.  I also don't know if many folk put mushrooms in their chili, but I love them in almost anything, so why not put them in too!

I started by sweating the onions, garlic, chili and mushrooms in a tsp of oil in the bottom of my soup pan.  I'm all about one-pot wonders.  

Then I made a roux.  I added a TBSP of each butter and flour right into the mix with the sweated veg and slowly added small bits of milk stirring vigorously as I did.  You'll see the sauce begin to thicken straight away.  I'm sure most folk would use turkey stock instead of milk to thicken, but I haven't yet made my stock.  So milk worked fine and still got thick.   I also added salt and a good bit of cumin.

Next I added the turkey, the tins of beans, and a tin of sweet corn.  This is where you would add more stock slowly while stirring to bring more liquid into the large amount of ingredients.  As I said before, I haven't made stock yet, so I just used some of the homemade gravy leftover from the turkey and then water.  Why not.  It worked fine.  I added more cumin, chili, salt and pepper as needed and let it simmer away for a while.

 

Topped off with some white cheddar (because I like my cheese without artificial colors) and sour cream, the only thing it is missing is some fresh cilantro and avocado.  I'm out of the cilantro and my avocado isn't ripe yet, but I'm hungry so I'm going ahead and eating.  Why not!

It may look meek and mild, but don't be fooled.  This chili can pack some heat which is just perfect for this white weather.  And it used up some of those leftovers!  Yipee tai yai yo!

A Good Day

These days I find myself exhausted constantly because of some health problems with which I have been dealing.  So when my morning meeting was canceled and I knew that the day would go at a slower pace, I'll admit I was a little relieved.   I was able to get a good amount done before heading to Harbour Mill House for our Tea and Coffee Drop-in.  I caught this bit of sky on my way there.

 

Here is another view from the quay on which Harbour Mill House sits.

It's beautiful isn't it!  Of course only in Ireland can you have this sunny day with only a few clouds, and still be rained on while standing in a freezing wind!  After running a few errands, I returned home to my kitchen filled with the tempting smells of the morning's labours.  

I had sweated some onions, carrots, celery and a parsnip in a bit of olive oil with salt and garlic.

  I always make sure to use the leafy bits of celery as well as they seem to add a lot of flavor and also look pretty floating in broth.  Of course I had to use some fresh sage from my summer container garden.

Then came the remains of the roasted chicken I had made for company on Sunday.  Irish chickens are amazing, so juicy and full of flavor.   It doesn't look so amazing with most of it gone, but any soup lover knows the potential of such a thing.

Topped off with water and some seasoning and it remained simmering until I left.  Now at home I sit in silence.  It was a calm day, but productive and not rushed.  I am tired, but not broken.  I am thankful.  I am breathing.

I am happy to be in this moment...

in my warm home with this bowl of soup

under this evening sky.

This moment is linked with others at

Choup!

Well the rain has finally settled in and Ireland is feeling, well... more Irish.  I had some dried chickpeas so I decided to make one of my all-time favorite soups to warm myself up.  It's another easy one-pot wonder that I first tasted at Lorita's house shortly a couple of years ago.   I don't know if we even make it the same way, since I was in such a rush to try it at home that I forgot to get a recipe or even a name.  So this is my take on it.  I call it Choup because frankly it's easier than saying Chickpea Chorizo Chili Soup, besides it's more fun.  Doesn't it just beg for the exclamation point!  Choup!

It's not the greatest shot, but I was already eating when I remembered to snap this.  I didn't want it to get cold trying for the perfect pic!  Can you blame me?

Try it for yourself:

Soak dried chickpeas overnight, drain and rinse.  You can use canned chickpeas if you want to skip the soaking, just be sure to drain and rinse.

In a large soup pot put about 1-2 TBSP olive oil and turn to medium heat.
          1      Onion, thinly sliced
          3-4   Carrots, diced
          1      Potato, large diced   OR   1/2  Turnip (aka Rutabaga or Swede) diced
                  Garlic
                  Salt
Cook together until onions are sweated.  Then add:
          about 2/3 C  Chorizo, diced 
                  or however much you want really - I probably used just over a half cup
          about 3 C or 2 tins Chickpeas, well drained and rinsed
Stir together and cook for just a few minutes.  Then add:
          1 Tin of diced tomatoes 
                  I cheated with some halved cherry tomatoes and 2TBSP tomato paste 
          Water - have it come up a couple inches higher than just covering 
          Cayenne Chili Pepper (optional)
          Salt & Pepper  to taste
Cover and cook until chickpeas are tender.

This is the perfect soup because it is warm, hearty, and full of flavor despite being so simple.  The carrots and tomatoes bring a lot of sweetness, the chili brings some heat, while the chorizo adds a saltiness and fills the soup with its smoked paprika flavor.  The chickpeas also make it really filling.

Go on, try it.  Don't forget to tell me what you think!

A Double Portion

The weeks that rest at the change from August to September here in Ireland are stained purple from the wealth of wild blackberries.  I was overjoyed to not miss the picking as I detailed here in a previous post.  Now, at the end of October those days are gone.  All that remains of the wild hedges are the dried nubs of a bounty spent, with just the odd berry remaining as a reminder such as I encountered on this day.  This is just the way nature works, and yet God surprises.

Peppy Fulfills His Purpose

I love autumn.  It is by far my favorite season.  I love the cool crispness in the air, the earthy tones of gold everywhere and the smell of fireplaces in the evening when the sun sets much earlier than just a month or two before. 

Wild Blackberries

For a year I have waited for this season. My schedule (and lack of transportation) has always precluded me from taking advantage of one of the natural wonders of my beloved Ireland... wild blackberries!