I am constantly amazed at the prevalence of canned soup in Amish recipes. Not sure why – I use it regularly in my own culinary creations. It just seems the Amish would have a natural alternative, or something. But when I give it a second thought, the Amish lifestyle is all about simplicity. What could be simpler than making use of a can of soup?

WIGGLES

1 ½ pounds hamburger
5 slices bacon
2 small onions
1 ½ cups diced potatoes
1 ½ cups diced carrots
1 ½ cups diced celery
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup peas
1 quart tomato soup
2 pounds Velveeta cheese
1 pound spaghetti (or noodle of your choice)

Cook vegetables separately. Fry bacon, take out of skillet. Fry hamburger and onions in grease. Put in a roaster, add potatoes, celery, carrots, and peas. Add mushroom soup and cooked spaghetti. Arrange bacon slices on top. Add grated cheese. Pour tomato soup over top. Bake 1 to 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees.

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Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
Directions:
1 In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water; add yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

2 Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Work in 5 to 6 cups flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured level surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat the entire surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

3 Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

4 Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Immediately brush tops with melted butter or olive oil (and spices) if desired.

Makes 2 loaves

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3/4 cup flour

1 T. cornmeal

1 T. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup cold milk

2 1/2 cups onions, finely diced

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the milk to make a thick batter, stirring out lumps.  Add the onion and mix well again.

Heat oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep-sided frying pan.  Drop batter by heaping teaspoonfuls into the hot oil.  Fry for a couple of minutes until golden brown on bottom side; turn and fry the other side until golden.  Remove with a slotted spoon and serve immediately.

From “The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook” by Georgia Varozza.

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Amish Bacon Bean Soup

1 pound bacon ends* or sliced bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pound navy beans
1 onion, chopped
4 quarts water, approximately
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large pot and simmer for at least 2 hours or until beans are thoroughly cooked.

*Bacon ends are inexpensive and have lots of smoke flavor and meat.

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Potluck Potato Casserole

2 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups Velveeta cheese, cut into small cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 pint sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups corn flakes, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Cook the potatoes until almost soft. Drain. Mix together the onion, Velveeta cheese, pepper, cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup melted butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Add to the potatoes and pour mixture into a buttered casserole or baking dish.

Mix together the corn flakes and 1/4 cup melted butter and cover the potato mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

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Peanut Butter Granola

1 ¼ cups honey
2/3 cup oil
1 cup peanut butter
1 T. salt
1 T. cinnamon
½ cup water
10 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw peanuts or other nuts, chopped
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup coconut
2 cups raisins

Combine the honey, oil, peanut butter, salt, cinnamon, and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until peanut butter melts.

In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, peanuts or other nuts, wheat germ, cornmeal, and coconut. Then add the peanut butter mixture and mix well.

Spread granola out in 2 large shallow greased pans and bake about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, stirring often to prevent overbrowning, until crunchy and golden brown. When cool, add raisins.

Store in airtight container.

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Whole Wheat Quick Buttermilk Bread

1 quart buttermilk
4 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix together all ingredients and pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

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