Plain Voices

There are a number of Amish and Mennonite writers who put pen to paper each week and I like to share some of their voices here on Amish365. So, here we go:

Millie Otto: Mille is an Old Order Amish columnist in Illinois, she writes for a handful of newspapers in the Land of Lincoln. She uses a blend of homespun humor and pragmatism in her life view. An excerpt of her writing this week:

It was such a cold, gray, blustery day. I just decided to hang everything inside. It was kind of cozy. And relaxing. I didn’t have to watch and make sure everything stays on the line. I don’t really like to dry the things inside but it is easily done if the need arises.

With this past week having been Thanksgiving, it reminds us to be thankful in everything. All the time, not just one week out of the year!

Click here for her column and recipe for date pudding. Date pudding is an Amish favorite and I think of it as more of a summer treat, but I could see it also being a fun holiday dessert!

MENNONITE MEMOIRS: I just love this weekly column by Rosann Zimmerman an Old Order Mennonite grandmother in Pennsylvania. She is a wonderful writer and gives a window into the OOM church. Here is an excerpt:

When I baked cookies for Anna, she taught me how to place them in neat rows on the sheet. When she asked me to make cracker pudding, I did, for the first time. The pudding turned out very stiff and dry but the worst thing about that pudding was her glass refrigerator shelf which cracked when I set the hot dish on it. But she and all the other mothers that I worked for, always seemed willing to put up with my blunders and inexperience.

Click here for the full column.

Cherlyn Beachy - Recipes From the Farm: This talented young Mennonite Mom and writer shares recipes with some publications in the Midwest, with New Year's coming up this sauerkraut recipe couldn't be more timely, click here!