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Home cooking for cooler days

Mary — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:39:17 +0000

SWEET AND SOUR RED CABBAGE

Old German Recipe by Rosanna Coblentz

¼ cup butter

4 med apples, peeled and sliced

½ red onion, chopped

1 head red cabbage, finely shredded

1 cup red wine (opt.)

4 whole cloves

1/3 c brown sugar

2 bay leaves

¼ cup vinegar

¼ cup butter

Juice of ½ lemon

Sliced or cubed cooked pork roast (opt.)

Melt butter in 4 quart Dutch oven. Add apples and onion sauté slightly. Add cabbage, red wine, cloves, sugar and bay leaves. Simmer covered for about 1 hour, then add the remaining ingredients. Heat to melt the butter and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings. Note: For a hearty main dish, add sliced or cubed cooked pork roast, as much as desired, during the last hour.

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Amish generalities are hard to make

Mary — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:29:40 +0000

Another title for this posting could be “What I learned during my summer vacation.” Remember when we returned to school in September and had to explain what we learned during our vacation? While researching the Amish of Maine, preparing to write Living in Harmony, I found out generalties about members of Old Order Amish are difficult, if not impossible, to make. Although their “classification” is the same as those I’ve research here in Ohio, their habits, customs and the rules governing their lives couldn’t be more different. Last week I touched on the “no celebration of Thanksgiving in Maine.” Today, I’ll break another “maxim” regarding the Amish. We’ve all learned they don’t build churches or meeting houses like Menonnites or other Christian sects, right? They choose to meet and worship in each other’s homes, taking turns. However, the industrious Maine Amish have built a meeting house in their community and use it weekly for services and Sunday school classes. See what I mean about blanket generalities? Blessings on your Advent season.

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Thanksgiving in Amish Country

Mary — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:38:12 +0000

As a writer of Amish novels, and therefore a researcher of their culture and heritage, I’m often asked how the Amish celebrate a specific holiday. The answer to that question, as with most regarding these fascinating people, lies within the particular sect they belong to, such as Old Order, New Order, Beachy Amish, Swartzentruber, Mennonite, etc. And within the general divisions lie additional disparity due to decisions made by particular bishops. I will only speak on two sects I have interviewed most, namely the Old Order of Ohio and more recently, the Old Order of central Maine. Here in Ohio’s Amish Country, they will do fairly much what we Englischers will do: congregrate at the home of a family member, eat turkey with all the trimming, enjoy the antics of children and grandchildren, and savor apple and pumpkin pies with a good cup of coffee! Ahh, I’m getting hungry already. However, this past summer I traveled to research the Amish of Maine in preparation for my summer release, Living in Harmony. Although they are also technically Old Order, I was told they don’t celebrate any holiday. When I asked: not even Thanksgiving? I was told: Christians don’t need a excuse to overeat like glutons, since glutony is a sin. I shrank back a step since I’m guilty of overeating on most, if not all, Thanksgivings. So I will try to remember my new friends in Maine and push myself away from the table a bit sooner this Thursday. Blessings on you all!

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