Weekend Blogroll: Growing up Mormish?

Okay, it's the weekend, which means it's time to buckle yourself into the blogmobile with me and go on an exploration of cyberspace for all things Plain.  I've come up with some gems this week that I think and hope you'll all enjoy!

GROWING UP MORMISH: When I was a young reporter at The Middletown Journal in Ohio I did a feature story about Mormon missionaries. I was assigned to tag along with a couple of young men and young women as they made their rounds on their bicycles throughout a typical day.  It was a fun, insightful day but in the end a really wonderful feature story was spoiled by a headline that read "Mormons Labor to Spread The Truth."   This was 1989 and I think even since then Mormonism has gained acceptance...but, wow, readers lit up the Journal switchboard complaining about me calling Mormonism "The Truth."   Sheesh.  A) Hey, hello, I don't write the headlines, that was totally someone else. I'm not in a position to cite any one religion as the Truth, I think we each have to find our own truth according to our own beliefs and journeys  B)  If people had bothered to read the actual article, they would have found a balanced, great story.  But many readers couldn't get past the headline.  So that is my main life experience with Mormonism. 

I do find the values the Mormon church espouses to be very wholesome and admirable, which is why I love the blog "Growing Up Mormish."  It is written by a talented 19-year-old woman who writes a blog that transcends religion and focuses on the commonalities of her Mormon existence and her Amish admiration.  It's a great blog of simple living, holistic ideas, recipes and photography. I will be going back there frequently! Click here to enjoy Growing Up Mormish.

AMISH HOT PEPPER MUSTARD: This is a recipe that enjoys several variations among Amish cooks. I remember when the original Amish Cook, Elizabeth Coblentz, sent me home with a jar (delicious stuff!).  This was back in the early to mid-90s.  In an effort to entice The Cincinnati Enquirer to carry The Amish Cook, I sent up a sales meeting with the food editor at the time and thought I would take the jar of mustard (also known as a sandwich spread) with me to the meeting.  SIGH, unknown to me the jar was leaking in my brief case so my papers were soaked with a peppery-mustardy spread by the time I was ready to make my pitch. The Enquirer passed on the column, but in another 15 years or so later, they'd pick it up finally. Click here for a variation of that recipe.

AMISH CHEESEBURGER SOUP:  Okay, I'll be candid, I'm not sure how many Amish cooks I know make a roux for a soup, but this is a recipe that I found on a blog over the past week.  In general it sounds like a pretty simple, pretty hearty soup and that may ultimately be the Amish connection. Click here to check out the recipe.

AMISH FOR DINNER? I wasn't quite sure what to make of this blog story, but I thought I'd share it.  Read about a Wisconsin woman's experience when a family brings a couple of Amish guys over for supper.