Lovina Eicher’s Essential Amish Cookbook Winner (Plus 3 Recipes)

We’ve got a winner of The Essential Amish Cookbook following the Q-and-A giveaway with author Lovina Eicher.

But first, here are 3 of Lovina’s recipes for you – a main dish, a salad, and something sweet.

Thanks to Herald Press for letting us reprint them here.

3 Recipes from The Essential Amish Cookbook

Want to test-drive a few of Lovina’s dishes?

Here are three recipes you can try, along with the additional notes from Lovina that she adds to each recipe in the book.

Hobo Suppers

10 red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
2 cups carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 (16-ounce) package smoky links, cut into pieces; or 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper, as desired
Cheese, sliced

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together except the cheese. Divide the mixture into the amount you want for each serving, placing individual servings on sheets of aluminum foil. Fold foil over, wrapping tight, and set on grill for 10 minutes on each side.

Open up foil; if potatoes are soft, add a slice of cheese. (If potatoes need more time to cook, close pouches and return to grill before adding cheese.) Re-wrap and grill a few more minutes until cheese is melted.

Alternatively, can be cooked in oven at 400°F for 10 minutes, then turned over and cooked for 10 additional minutes. Check doneness of potatoes before adding cheese.

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Hobo Suppers make a great dinner when it’s hot outside and I don’t want to heat up the kitchen. I gather the onions and green bell peppers right out of my garden and we head to the grill. The children help assemble these suppers wrapped in foil.

Amish Macaroni Salad

3 cup cooked macaroni
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 cup whipped salad dressing
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix macaroni, carrots, celery, and onion in a big bowl until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, mix mustard, whipped salad dressing, vinegar, salt, sugar, milk, and salt and pepper. Combine with macaroni mixture and toss until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate and serve.

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This is one of my husband, Joe’s, favorite salads. I like to add chopped hard-cooked eggs sometimes. We usually have plenty of eggs, as we have our own laying hens.

Caramel Pecan Rolls

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F-115°F)
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
5 cups bread flour, divided

Filling

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Topping

3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Caramel sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Heat milk to lukewarm; pour into a mixing bowl, along with the yeast liquid. Add melted butter, granulated sugar, and salt. Add beaten eggs. Add 3 cups flour and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups flour and stir to combine. Remove from mixing bowl and knead until soft and smooth, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).

Prepare filling ingredients: Set out 1/4 cup butter to soften. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; reserve. Separately, prepare topping: Stir all the topping ingredients together; reserve.

Make caramel sauce: In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle reserved topping on top.

Once dough has doubled in size, cut in half and roll each half into a 12 x 15-inch rectangle. Spread with softened 1/4 cup butter. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon sugar over butter. Roll up dough from one long side; pinch seams and turn ends under. Cut each roll into six slices. Place slices in pan, cut side down. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 1 minutes; invert onto a serving platter.