The Amish Cook: Cooking Doesn't Have To Be Precise

There are old recipes that have been around for decades and there are new concoctions that make me wonder where a good imagination can take a person. But there are people like me who have trouble following the recipe!

When I open a cookbook and choose a recipe, I have trouble doing exactly what it says. When it bakes I think you can add a little liquid smoke, a little onion powder or a little salt. When it comes to desserts, I've always liked the recipes that I call "Danielizantes" to satisfy my husband's taste buds.

Just this week, I flipped open a page in a cookbook where I'd written a few years ago, "Replace chocolate with caramel and peanut butter chips in Danielize." Reading it, my heart skipped a beat. What Happened After. It's snowing. Without Daniel.

Hmm, that's interesting, my last sentence had me staring into space wondering what to write next. As I stared out the window and saw nothing, the first rays of the daytime sun broke through the clouds. May the warmth of the Lord's providence warm my pain and leave the rays of the sun where only the clouds lived!

The best part about meal prep has nothing to do with the recipes, as the chubby little hands unload the ingredients and place half of them next to the bowl and pretend they can mix it all themselves. Memories tend to end in the middle of the busiest days.

Getting back to the recipes, some people seem to be good at deciding to make something and it turns out perfect; my sister-in-law Mary is one of them. He rarely has the luxury of reading Taste at Home magazine or Quick Cooking, but when he does he is bursting with ideas and remembers them far better than I do.

Whenever possible, he makes a board out of a magazine, makes it much simpler than it actually is, and does it perfectly. God, where did God find the recipe? I don't know but I'll tell you this, every time I go to Ohio to hang out with Daniel's family I always crave their food and it never disappoints.

Now when I cook I like to test it to make sure I'm getting the right effect; she doesn't, she usually goes through the kitchen without recipes and doesn't bother to try it once. He often points out that more salt can be added if desired; it is seldom necessary.

And no, he won't open a restaurant, even if he did, I would go regularly and not be served the same thing twice in a row! Laughing, I think I might say I've said enough; Stay tuned I will be sharing more of her recipes in the future.

Today I leave you with S'more Cookie Bars that I have made for my husband in the past.

Taste them and don't forget to prepare some to satisfy your taste buds! In the kitchen, your imagination gives you wings that you don't even know.

S'MORE COOKIE BAR

2/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

6 tablespoons whipped cream

10 oz milk chocolate bar, broken into small pieces

2 mini marshmallow molds

Combine butter and sugar; Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Then add the dry ingredients and mix everything together.

Press into a 9" x 13" pan and bake at 350°C for 13-15 minutes. NOT digest. Cool down completely. Heat the cream over a low heat, then remove from the heat, add the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Mix in the marshmallows. Then spread evenly over the cooled crust. Let cool and cut into bars.

This article first appeared in Pontiac Daily Leader: Gloria Yoder, Amish Chef: Cooking doesn't have to be exact.