By Kevin Williams
We have a lot of stuff in blogroll as we buckle up and take our weekly whirl through the blogosphere for everything and anything Amish or Plain.
The theme of recipes this week is "cookies"....and, really, who doesn't love cookies. Many people don't like making cookies, but eating them? That's a whole different kettle of fish! So we have three super posts this week featuring Amish cook recipes.
BEST-EVER AMISH OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES: SIGH, I always say why ruin a perfectly good oatmeal cookie by adding raisins? Still, some people swear by them. My mother-in-law makes oatmeal raisin cookies that my wife just loves. I love them too. Without the raisins. Anyway, click here for a recipe for Best Ever Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
AMISH CHURCH COOKIES: This is a post that features a recipe for Amish "church cookies." The writer's post was pretty accurate in describing the Amish services and the cookies that are served during them. It's true, plates of cookies will often be passed around during services for the children (and some adults!) to enjoy. Contrary to the image of the Amish service as being a stern, somber occasion, it is actually pretty laid back. I think because the services are so long there has to be some latitude for people and their personal comfort. Click here for the church cookies recipe.
Amish Buttermilk Cookies are a classic...
AMISH BUTTERMILK COOKIES: This recipe isn't all that far from the one previous. This is Patricia Patchwork's take on an Amish favorite. There really is nothing better than a well-made, classic Amish buttermilk cookie. For a number of years I thought the best cookie I ever tasted was an iced buttermilk cookie from an Amish bakery in northern Indiana. I think my taste has swung back toward classic chocolate chip these days, but, wow, you can't go wrong with a good buttermilk cookie. Click here to see the recipe.
ODE TO RURAL LIVING: Check out Bruce Stambaugh's post about his life in rural Holmes County, Ohio (and I can call this post my Ode to Envy, one of these days I'll make it out of the city) Anyway, for those of you wistful for a more rural life, click here.
SIX LIFE LESSONS FROM THE AMISH: A blogger in Maine reflects upon interactions with the Amish and has come up with a list of six "life lessons" we can learn from the Amish. I was interested to see what the writer came up with since this is something I've been studying and writing about for the past 25 years and, wow, I think they were spot-on. Maybe I'll write more about this writer's post in another post sometime. Yea, I think that'd be a good idea. But click here to read their post and bear in mind again that I think they are spot on, I'd just like to expand my thoughts sometime.
MAKING A WOODEN TOP: Erik Wesner at Amish America has a fun post today about visiting an Amish toymaker and a video demo of him making a wooden toy top. There are some outstanding craftsmen among the Amish especially, it seems, in northern Indiana (I mean, they are everywhere, but I think the Great Recession threw a ton of Amish factory workers out of work and it sort of forced many of them to look within for their skills and start their own businesses...so there may be a correlation between that event and more craftsmen in northern Indiana). Click here for the video.
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