Amish Cooking by Pathway Publishing set the standard for the modern Amish cookbook.
By Kevin Williams
I was excited to receive my copy of Amish Cooking in the mail today. This book was first published in 1977 by the Pathway Publishing Company and really kicked off the proliferation of mass-market Amish cookbooks. It is a slim, hardcover edition PACKED with recipes. Not a ton of meat recipes, the book is very dessert heavy. A few places in the lament the high cost of meat at the time, so I think the book tilts towards economical dishes. In fact, there is a whole chapter of recipes for leftovers, that is almost worth buying the book for that alone. Whole chapters on cookies, pies, cakes...just a super book that really captures the culture. Here are three recipes from the book, and I'll be sharing more in the weeks ahead. If you want a copy there are still some available for super prices using this Amazon affiliate link. I got my copy for, like, $4.
- 1 1 /2 cups butter or margarine
- 4 1 /2 cups sugar
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 6 eggs
- 6 squares (1 ounce) of unsweetened chocolate
- 6 cups sifted cake flour
- 3 teaspoons soda
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1 /2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups ice water
- Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
- Blend in melted chocolate.
- Sift together dry ingredients, add alternately with water to the chocolate mixture.
- Pour batter into 3 8" layer pans which have been greased and lined with wax paper.
- Bake in a moderate oven 30 - 35 minutes.
BEGGAR'S DISH: Take 1 pour or more of hamburger with a bit of onions. Fry until good and done, then take a can of red kidney beans and drain off liquid. Put beans in with meat. Mix in well, then fry until good and done. This is an economical dish when meat is so expensive. For a variation, add a can of condensed tomato soup with the beans.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoon onions
- 1 /2 teaspoon salt
- 1 /2 cup diced cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 cups cooked noodles
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 /4 cup ketchup
- Mix all ingredients and pour into greased casserole.
- Top with 1 /4 cup cracker crumbs.
- Bake at 350 for 1 hour or more.
Marie Kennedy
Gloria's family all live fairly near me, they are wonderful people and I love all the recipes but can't you call Gloria's soup something besides Funeral Soup:-( ?
Kevin
Maybe "Comfort Soup" would have been better!
Carol
I have this book. I found it about 10 ago when I was ordering Pathway Readers to use for my kids schooling. We have used loads of recipes from it. It is one of my go-to cookbooks.
Kevin
Definitely has some interesting and offbeat recipes, I am looking forward to digging into it more!
pamela Lakits
thanks for the tip on the cook book Kevin. I just ordered one. Cant wait until
it comes!!!! Oh, and I'm with Marie on the name of the soup. A bit depressing!!!!!
Maybe calling it "Comfort Soup" would sound nicer. Just a thought! 🙂
Kevin
Enjoy the book, Pamela, it's a good one!
Linda from KY
I have used Pathway's reader and vocabulary books for my son's schooling through the 6th grade. Those books were also quite reasonably priced, especially because I was able to order directly from Pathway. Still, it's hard to beat $4 for a cookbook!