Amish in the News: Odd Story in Pennsylvania, Barn-Raisings, Becoming Amish, Classic Chicken Corn Soup, Chocolate Mocha Cream Puff and More!

By Kevin Williams

There is a lot of Amish in the news this week and some of these stories I want to explore more in-depth over the days ahead. But here are the highlights:

ODD ABUSE CASE IN PENNSYLVANIA:  I'm not sure what to make of this one and I'd like to explore it more over the days ahead. I'll make some phone calls and see if I can get some more information.  But the case goes something like this: a struggling ex-Amish family in need of some cash "gifted" their teenage daughter to a non-Amish man. And from there it just gets stranger. Click here to read the latest and I'll follow this story more. It's just tragic and weird and I'd like to learn more.

CARVINGS IN AMISH COUNTRY:  Has anyone been or heard of Daniel Warther Carvings in Walnut Creek, Ohio. I'm unfamiliar with the place, but if you know of it  you might find this article interesting.

Sounds like an interesting new book, stay tuned, I'll write more about it in a future post!

BECOMING AMISH:  Man, this is a fascinating story. I've written before about Bill and Tricia Moser, they are suburban "converts" to the Amish and their journey is chronicled in a new book called Becoming Amish. I've met a number of converts to the Amish faith over the years, but I have not met the Mosers.  Their journey is quite extraordinary, because successful converts to the faith are relatively rare (but I somehow have managed to meet many of them).  Click here to listen to this 10 minute interview, it's rather interesting and I am sure the book is too.

RETURN TO AMISH:  From interesting stuff, to reality show garbage (in my humble opinion), but if you want to catch up on the latest news from TLC's series, Return to Amish, click here.

CUT BANK, MONTANA FARMERS MARKET:  Okay, really, there's one reason to click this article: to salivate at the table full of homemade baked goods that the Hutterites bring to weekly to the Farmers Market. Wow, it really makes me want to get in my car and drive 40 hours to Cut Bank. Click here to salivate.

AMISH BARN-RAISINGS:  Click here to see some photos of an Amish barn-raising in Pennsylvania. Barn-raisings have definitely evolved over the years and in Lancaster County, PA, good, old-fashioned manual labor of hammers and nails are now supplemented with heavy duty equipment as well.  But, still, the old adage that many hangs make light work still applies.

CHOCOLATE MOCHA CREAM PUFF:  Millie Otto is an Amish writer in Illinois and she writes a weekly column for a local paper, I like to share her work with you from time to time. Check out her column this week which includes a recipe for Chocolate Mocha Cream Puff.  Yum.

CLASSIC CHICKEN CORN SOUP:  Few recipes are associated more with the Amish and summer in Lancaster County than "chicken corn soup", an article in the Lancaster paper this weekend had a wonderful recipe for the classic. Click here to enjoy.