The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook by Georgia Varozza Page A

cheese
paprika to taste
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup fresh parsley, minced
    Chop the spinach, add the cucumber, onions, and radishes, and toss lightly. Arrange in a large salad bowl and place the cottage cheese in a mound in the middle. Sprinkle the cottage cheese with paprika.
    Blend the sour cream with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pour over the salad. Toss when ready to serve and sprinkle the parsley over the top.

 
    Sweet Potato Salad
3 lb. sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cubed
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1½ cups mayonnaise
salt to taste
¼ tsp. pepper
dash of hot pepper sauce
    Combine all the ingredients except mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Add these ingredients together and mix well. Add to sweet potatoes, cover, and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

 
    Tangy Marinated Bean Salad
1 can (16 oz.) green beans, drained
1 can (15½ oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained
½ onion, minced fine
1 cup celery, minced fine
1 tsp. salt
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup oil
    Mix the beans together and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Marinate this salad overnight before serving.

 
    Thousand Island Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sweet pickle relish, drained
¼ cup catsup
2 green onions, minced fine
salt and pepper to taste
    Blend together all ingredients. Put in a container with a tight-fitting lid and store in refrigerator.

 
    Triple-Layer Salad
    First layer
1 package (3 oz.) strawberry Jell-O
2 bananas
    Prepare the Jell-O according to the package direction, then pour into a 9 × 9-inch glass pan. Slice the bananas into the Jell-O and refrigerate until firm.
    Second layer
1 package (3 oz.) lemon Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
4 oz. cream cheese
⅓ cup mayonnaise
    Dissolve the Jell-O in the boiling water. Add the cream cheese and mayonnaise; beat mixture until well blended. Refrigerate until partially set; pour over the first layer. Refrigerate until firm.
    Third layer
1 package (3 oz.) lime Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
½ cup crushed pineapple
    Dissolve Jell-O in the boiling water. When it is cool, add the pineapple. Refrigerate until partially set, and then pour on top of other layers. Refrigerate until firm.

 
    Wilted Dandelion Salad
4 cups dandelion greens, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 T. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 T. sugar
3 T. vinegar
1½ cups water or milk
    Wash the dandelion greens carefully, then drain and chop them and place them in a bowl. Add the hard-boiled eggs.
    Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp. After it has been drained on a paper towel, crumble it and add to bowl of greens. Do not discard the bacon grease.
    Combine the rest of the ingredients and add them to the grease in skillet (there should be 2 T. grease; if not, add a small amount of butter or oil). Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Pour over the dandelion greens and chopped eggs and serve immediately.

Very early in spring, before the flower buds develop, is the time to gather dandelion greens. With a sharp knife, gather the entire plant. Once you are back home, cut off and use only the leaves .

 
    Zesty Oil and Vinegar Dressing
¼ cup vinegar or lemon juice
¾ cup oil
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced fine (optional)
    Combine all ingredients and shake in a jar until well blended. Dressing will separate, but just shake it again when you use it.

Quilting bees are a common activity among Amish women, as quilts are used on all beds and given as wedding gifts or made to sell for charity. When the quilt is ready to be put in the frame and quilted, an Amish woman will invite her friends over for the day. She will provide the midday meal, which is often lighter fare than usual, with treats such as homemade grape juice, jam-jams (two sugar cookies stuck together with apple butter or