From the Promise Lodge Kitchen
Beulah, Ruby, Irene, and the other Promise Lodge ladies have once again prepared some amazing food in this story—because in times of celebration or times of crisis, food remains a tie that binds us together. As always, the recipes here call for simple, basic ingredients most of us have on hand because feeding our families and friends doesn’t have to be complicated! I’ve made each of these dishes (several times, because they’re favorites!) and I’ve included them because they are so tasty! Like most Amish cooks, I sometimes start with convenience foods rather than doing everything totally from scratch because I want you to enjoy trying them for yourselves!
If you don’t find a recipe you want, please email me via my website to request it—or to let me know how you liked it!
Charlotte
MIRACLES AT PROMISE LODGE Recipes:
Dilly Potato Salad
I’ve never been a fan of potato salad with goopy dressing, so this recipe with chopped slices of dill pickle is now my go-to recipe! Rather than boiling the potatoes, I prefer to bake them directly on the oven rack, let them cool, and then peel them.
1 ½ pounds red potatoes, baked or boiled, then peeled and cubed
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
¾ cup dill pickle slices, drained and cut in half
½ cup celery, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp. Dijon or yellow mustard
2 T. pickle juice
2 T. fresh lemon juice or cider vinegar
2 tsp. dillweed
Salt and pepper to taste
Either bake or boil the potatoes until firm but not overdone—timing on this depends on the size of the potatoes. Let cool, peel, and then cut into bite-sized cubes. (If you like the peel, leave it on.)
In a large bowl, combine the potato cubes, diced eggs, pickles, celery, and onions. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and then pour this dressing over the potato mixture. Mix well and place in a serving bowl. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Serves 4-6.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
A luscious pan of bars without heating up the kitchen! These disappear fast!
1 ½ sticks melted butter
1 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 sleeve of round, buttery crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 10-12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, peanuts, crackers, powdered sugar, and crunchy peanut butter. Spread on the bottom of an ungreased 9×13” pan. In another bowl, melt the chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter (double boiler, or microwave in 1-minute intervals) and stir until smooth. Pour this topping over the peanut butter/cracker mixture, spreading to cover it evenly. Chill 15 minutes and cut into squares (if you wait too long, the topping will crack!) Freezes well, or store with waxed paper between layers.
Kitchen Hint: put the crackers in a sealable quart bag and crush with a rolling pin.
Easy Fudge
Chocolate candy doesn’t get any faster or easier! Amish folks would melt the chocolate and condensed milk in a double boiler, but a microwave works well, too.
2 12-oz. bags semisweet chocolate chips (4 cups)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. water
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts (optional)
2 tsp. vanilla
Line a 9×9” pan with waxed paper; set aside. On the stove: melt the chocolate chips, milk, and water in a double boiler over boiling water, stirring until completely blended. In a microwave: use a large microwave-safe bowl to melt the chips, milk, and water, and cook on High one minute at a time, stirring after each interval, until melted and blended. Add the vanilla and nuts, if desired, and pour into the lined pan. Chill about 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Store in an air-tight container with waxed paper between layers.
Kitchen Hint: for thinner pieces, use a larger pan
Ruby’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
The secret to these cookies is to remove them from the oven while they’re puffy and underdone, so they firm up on the baking sheet. These freeze well, so you can always have some on hand!
2 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups butter-flavored vegetable shortening
¼ cup milk
2 T. vanilla
2 eggs
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
2 10-12 oz. bags of semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350º. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cream the brown sugar, shortening, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Combine the flour, salt, and soda, and gradually mix into the batter until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake about 8-9 minutes, or until just lightly browned—don’t overbake! Remove from oven and allow cookies to sink and set on the cookie sheet before removing to a rack to cool completely. About 6 dozen.
Kitchen Hint: You can replace one bag of the chocolate chips with either peanut butter or butterscotch chips.
Pistachio Pudding Salad
Here’s a throw-back to the era when we made a lot of “salads” that were really desserts! Always a hit at a potluck gathering.
1 3.4-oz. box instant pistachio pudding
1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
1 8-oz. tub of whipped topping, thawed
2 cups miniature marshmallows
¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)
In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and the pineapple, stirring until the pudding is dissolved. Add the whipped topping, then fold in the marshmallows and pecans, if using them. Pour into a serving bowl. Cover and chill 3-4 hours or overnight.
Kitchen Hint: for more fun and flavor, use multi-colored fruit-flavored mini marshmallows!