Weekend Blogroll: Amish Peanut Butter Spread With a Twist; Swiss Amish in New York; Indiana Amish, and Potato Dinner Rolls...

Okay, a little later than usual, but why not?  This is our weekly trek through cyberspace, exploring the mighty and vast blogosphere for any writings about the Plain people for us to enjoy.  And I've come up with several to share, so here goes:

AMISH CHURCH PEANUT BUTTER SPREAD:  This is a wonderful confection which I've written about plenty of times on this site.  Basically this decadent spread is an equal part mixture of peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and corn syrup that is stirred up in vast quantities and served after Amish church services. Some people eat it as an actual sandwich, while others simply spread it on one slide of bread and eat it open-faced.  A local deli to where I live actually has a similar sandwich on the menu called the "chunky monkey" but they add a sliced banana to it. YUM:)  Some of my favorite Amish restaurants actually have church peanut butter spread in squirt bottles on the table next to the catsup. Good stuff!:) Okay, back to this blogger...I like her campy and carefree style of writing and the urge to experiment. She decided to tinker with tradition and build a better Amish church peanut butter spread. She apparently succeeded. I have not tasted her version,but it sounds good.  And while I've not heard of any Amish adding her twist to it, I could see it being done in maple syrup producing Amish areas like the Conewango Valley of New York or Geauga County, Ohio.  So click here to read about her twist to tradition.

SWISS AMISH IN NEW YORK?  20 years ago it seemed the Swiss Amish were primarily found in Adams County, Indiana or Webstser County, Missouri.  This is another topic I've written extensively about but for newbies Swiss Amish differ from other groups in their dialect and traditions, one of the most notable being a penchant for driving open-top buggies. There are now Swiss Amish settlements in Kentucky, southern Indiana, and elsewhere in Missouri.  This is the first time I've been aware of any actually moving east so I am trying to get more information.  But check out some of Tom the Backroads Traveler's photos. His pastoral pictures of rural life in Upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania really bring me a sense of serenity. He is capturing a slice of America too often overlooked in our internet and interstate obsessed world.  Click here to view some wonderfully serene scenes of New York's Swiss Amish. The community Tom visited is near Clyde, New York. This is an area north of the Finger Lakes and just north of the New York thru-way (I-90).  This is an area that has been relatively economically depressed for some time so to have Amish moving in, buying up properties and then injected the local community with commerce has been a shot in the arm.  I've always been a bit of romantic when it comes to off-the-beaten path America (love the author William Least Heat Moon) so I am a big fan of Tom's images because they go beyond Amish and Mennonite to capture the character and quirks of rural America. I love this one!:)  Hmmm, diner or dinor? Classic!

AMISH POTATO ROLLS:   Okay, this isn't MY Rachel:), but blogged Rachel posted what sounds like a great recipe for Amish-style potato rolls. Using mashed potatoes in breads and rolls is a time-honored tradition among Amish cooks, so I was happy to see this recipe showcased at this time of year. If you are looking for a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner roll, I recommend trying this Amish potato roll recipe.

NORTHERN INDIANA AMISH AUTUMN SCENES:  A blogger posted some nice images from her recent foray into northern Indiana's Amish country. Just some nice scenes of colorful foilage and buggies on the move.