Giveaway of "Grace Given" !!!

Review of The Amish Family Cookbook 

by Jerry & Tina Eicher

From the home of bestselling author Jerry Eicher (more than 350,000 books sold) and his wife, Tina, comes this warm and inviting peek into an Amish kitchen, complete with....

Amish recipes:

Hannah Byler's Pecan Pie

Beat on low speed slightly or with hand beater: 
3 eggs 1/3 cup butter, melted 1 cup light corn syrup 
? t. salt 2/3 cup sugar 
Stir in: 1 cup pecan halves. 
Pour into: 1 pie crust
Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes.

Amish proverbs: It takes seven to cook for to make a really happy wife.

and Amish humor:

The Englisha visitor suffered through a three-hour Amish wedding service, sitting on the hard backless church bench. 
"Why does it take so long to tie the knot?" he asked afterward.
"Well," the bishop said, stroking his long white beard. "So that it takes ?em a lifetime to untie it."


Readers will laugh, pray, and eat robustly with The Amish Family Cookbook at their side.

My REVIEW:   Jerry & Tina Eicher have put together an amazing collection of tried and true Amish family recipes !   The cookbook also features recipes from many of Jerry Eicher's works of Amish fiction.    There are Amish proverbs and little stories interspersed through out the cookbook.    I have really enjoyed the cookbook and look forward to preparing many more of the recipes.   I decided that I needed to try several of the recipes and feature them here with my review.   

I first made

 "Laura's Rice Custard"  

4 cups milk                                                                     1 cup sugar

2 cups cooked rice (do not pack)                         1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup raisins                                                              1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs                                                                               cinnamon

                                                                                            nutmeg

Heat milk, rice, and raisins in small saucepan until warm.   Set aside.  In separate bowl, beat egg and whisk in sugar and salt.   Add hot milk mixture to eggs along with vanilla.   Pour into 2-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set in shallow pan of water and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 1 hour.  Stir twice while baking---20 minutes after start of baking time and again about 15 minutes later. (this helps to keep rice and raisins from settling.)

Note: Laura is an older lady in our church and she knew I loved her rice custard.  She often brought it to carry-ins at church.

"The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice you give others."   

"Laura's Rice Custard" was really creamy and delicious!

I next tried :
"Baked Oatmeal"

3 cups quick-cooking oats                                                   1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar                                                                   2 eggs

2 tsp. baking powder                                                              1 cup milk

1 tsp. salt                                                                                     1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine the dry ingredients.   Whisk together the wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients.  Pour into a greased 9-inch square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.   Serve warm with milk.

(I added 1/2 c. raisins)

This was also quite yummy, but I think I would have liked it better if I had baked it a few more minutes.  

Last, I prepared:
"Pineapple Cake"

2 cups flour                                                                 Frosting:  

2 cups sugar                                                                1/2 c. butter, softened

2 tsp. baking soda                                                    1 8-oz. pkg, cream cheese, softened

2 eggs                                                                            2 cups powdered sugar

1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple                        1 tsp. vanilla

Mix first five ingredients.  Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.   For frosting, cream together butter and cream cheese.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.   Frost cake immediately while still hot.   

This one is for my mom's 79th birthday celebration......smells so good! moist and delightful!  

"Pineapple Cake"

Awesome cookbook!  check it out!    

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers: Harvest House, in exchange for my honest review.