Ahhhhhhhh.  Have you ever had one of those moments when you take a bite of something good, homemade and just "ahhh"?  Well, with "Gather Around the Amish Table" by Lucy Leid, the "ahhh" moments will be plenty and close around. Easy recipes with ingredients that are staples in any pantry makes this cookbook a must have in any kitchen.

As you can see from the cover, these are recipes and stories from Plain communities (Amish and Mennonite cooks).  The simplicity of life of these communities requires going about their daily lives without major technological gadgets, which includes life in the kitchen.


Recipes are simple and straightforward.  I was able to prepare several recipes without any trouble (except one little incident that is on me). What do you think?

Chocolate Chip Cookies p193

Chocolate Chip Cookies p193

Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal 19

I didn't realize I didn't have enough chocolate chips, so it was a little bare. I was missing about 1/8 cup, so not too much.  Everything was delicious, and family and friends were impressed. Not only the baked recipes were good, many of the meats and main dishes are also very easy to make.

The layout of the book was just like the recipes - easy. It's easy to read, easy to hold and easy to follow. It is broken down into several sections based on the food type, from Breakfast to Breads & Spreads, to Meats & Main Dishes, to Vegetables & Side Dishes and of course dessert.  There are a total of 10 sections for you and your family. Top of the page is the recipe title, underneath a paragraph of a personal story of the recipe's owner, and then 2 columns separated by a line down. Left of the line consists of a list of ingredients needed and on the right is the recipe instructions. Sometimes there's a picture or a tip from Lucy.

I love this cookbook and I look forward to cooking many of the recipes I've already tagged. One thing I would like to point out is that if you know anything about Amish cooking, you know that many of their food tends to be "heavy" and filling. They are hard working people and since everything is done by hand, they expend a lot of energy, and therefore very understandable their food tends to be on the hearty side. There are a few recipes that are lighter, but if you're looking to count calories, I would say experiment on the recipes here to fit your needs.  For example, next time, I'm going to try lowering the amount of sugar in the cookies, and see how that would work.  Since these recipe all require staple ingredients, it really is easy to experiment and play with.

A keeper it is!

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity Group for an honest review.

To purchase your own copy, click here: http://bit.ly/1NfOVUi

Incorporate Amish cooking traditions this fall in your kitchen with Lucy Leid's Gather Around the Amish Table. Straight from Amish kitchens to yours, this cookbook offers favorite family recipes and charming stories from Amish and Mennonite cooks. Gather your family around the table to sample the nourishing fare and trademark charm of the plain people. In the words of one cookbook contributor: “Bake someone happy!”

Get your fall baking underway with an Amish baking basket giveaway from Lucy and MennoMedia!


One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Gather Around the Amish Table
• An Amish baking basket full of goodies

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 29th. The winner will be announced September 30th on the Litfuse blog.