THE AMISH COOK
BY GLORIA YODER
After I was married I thoroughly enjoyed cooking for my new husband, Daniel. Having supper ready upon his arrival home from work each evening was a highlight for me. Yet I have found it to be even more fulfilling in a deeper way to be his helpmeet as God created Eve to be a helpmeet for Adam. As I strive to be submissive to him as taught in Ephesians 5:22-25 it allows him to provide effective leadership in an unselfish, loving way. This, in turn, motivates me to support him with my whole heart endeavoring to help him reach his goals and be the man God intended for him to be.
a small selection of Gloria's favorite seasonings sit on her windowsill
I still love preparing Daniel's favorite dishes. I admit, though, at first it did make me feel a bit nervous to cook for my new husband. You see, he's a cook at heart. I was impressed with Daniel's sharp taste buds along with an outstanding knack for knowing how to bring out the optimal taste in food. At the same time I was keenly aware that he'll no doubt also notice what seasonings may be lacking or what may need extra sweeteners.
I was especially nervous about baking bread for him. You see, as a young boy from ages 10 to 15, he was responsible for mixing up the bread dough in his household. Those of you who knead your bread dough by hand know that it requires effort and toughening up if done repeatedly. He had the recipe memorized and knew exactly what consistency the dough needed to be for grade A bread.
One of the first weeks after we were married I was heating a casserole in a small pan and had the heat turned a bit too high or didn't stir it as often as I should have. The bottom was a bit brown and crusty. I made a mild remark about it as I served it to my new husband.
“Isn't that what you call burnt?” he asked teasingly.
“Okay, call it what you want,” I responded. I knew that he would never make fun of me in a mean way.
Five and a half years later we still enjoy talking about my burnt casserole.
His sharp taste buds have many times proven to be a blessing for me. I especially like having his input when I'm making a large batch of pie filling, soup, or pizza sauce to can. If we have guests for dinner I always summon Daniel over to the stove to do some last minute taste-testing before they arrive
Daniel's love for herbs and spices is rubbing off on me. I love collecting all kinds of them. Recently I cleaned out my cupboard with seasonings. I admit I was aghast when I took a count of how many different shakers and containers I had. There were over 60! Some of them are mostly used in canning, others were duplicates that I had stocked up on and still others were what I keep on the windowsill behind the stove for easy access in everyday cooking.
One of Daniel's favorite seasonings is “liquid smoke." A dash of it can be added to soup, sauces, casseroles, veggies or anything you'd like to have tasting as if it had been made over a fire. We've discovered that it especially enhances scrambled eggs or breakfast casseroles. I'd like to share our favorite scrambled egg recipe with you. It's similar to what Daniels' family made countless times during his boyhood days but we've made a few changes to fit our taste buds.
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1 1 /2 cup milk
- 1 /2 teaspoon salt
- 1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- 3 slices bread (cubed)
- 1 /4 cup chopped onions
- 1 /4 cup green or red peppers diced
- 1 cup shredded cheese, divided
- 1 /2 pound sausage, browned
- 1 /4 pound bacon, cut into pieces
- Brown bacon in a large skillet.
- Remove bacon and lightly saute onions and peppers in bacon drippings.
- Add remaining ingredients, saving 1 /2 cup cheese.
- Sprinkle on top once eggs are done.
- Mix together and continue heating on medium high stirring constantly until eggs are set.
- Or if you prefer, pour everything into a 9” pan and sprinkle with remaining crumbs.
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until eggs are done.
Diane W
Sounds Yummy! We love breakfast casseroles around here, because we have our own chickens. I think I will try the liquid smoke too. Thankyou for sharing your thoughts on submission. Very encouraging!