Beth Wiseman's Blog, page 20

April 15th Recipe Friday- Quick Amish Friendship Bread

Are you attending or hosting a potluck for Easter next weekend?  I am, so I've been searching for recipes that I can make a few days ahead of time.  This variation on Amish Friendship Bread appeals because it doesn't require that I stir and babysit a starter for a month before I can actually use it.   Let me know if you try this and what you think. 
Happy Friday everyone!



Quick Amish Friendship Bread:

Yield:

2 loaves

Starter

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour

Bread

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (5 1/8 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding (or flavor of your choice)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

 

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

 Mix "starter" ingredients together.
 Mix oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla with the "starter".
 In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, vanilla pudding mix, and nuts.
Add to liquid mixture and stir thoroughly.
 Pour into two large well-greased 9x5 inch loaf pans, one Bundt pan, or 48 muffin tins.
 Bake at 325F for one hour or until done (muffins will take only 30-35 minutes) and enjoy!

 

From: http://www.food.com

Plain Proposal Crossword Puzzle

I wish I could take credit for this, but this is the work of my amazing assistant, Janet!  Try your hand at this puzzle.  I'll post the key next week.   Do you know all the answers? 


Plain Proposal

Beth Wiseman

Clues taken from book #5 in the Daughters of the Promise Series, Plain Proposal by Beth Wiseman

1

2

3

4

 

5

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

10

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Across

6.

Rebecca reads (2 words)

7.

Shelby's pink book

8.

Miriam's eye color

10.

Activity at Zook farm

13.

Saul's peace offering to Rebecca

Down

1.

Miriam's father's cousin

2.

Rebecca hosts supper for

3.

Transportation means

4.

Saul's job offer city

5.

Miriam loves to work with

9.

Jesse's gift to Shelby

10.

Shelby likes most

11.

Fisher mule

12.

Shelby arrived from

Recipe Friday April 8th

Asparagus is in season right now and is so good for you, full of lots of healthy vitamins. I recently read a new tip for storing asparagus.  Trim the ends and stand the spears in a round container roughly the size of your bunch filled with about an inch of water.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

This recipe looks easy enough.  It might be good to serve at an Easter brunch.  Please let me know if you try it and I will do the same.  Happy Friday!!

 

Amish Asparagus Loaf

INGREDIENTS

1 quart cooked asparagus
1 quart bread cubes
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients. Turn into a greased loaf pan or casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

from:  http://lynnescountrykitchen.net/amish/asploaf.html

My Readers Make Me Smile!

"May all your letters be received with an abundance of love."
— Beth Wiseman (Plain Proposal) Someone posted this quote on the Good Reads blog yesterday.  Wow!   What an honor to have my writing quoted. 
Seeing this  made me smile and think of the many great quotes I've encountered over the years.  Here are a few about smiles:
"Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been."  - Mark Twain
"A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks." - Charles Gordy
"Keep smiling -- it makes people wonder what you've been up to." - Anonymous
"You're never fully dressed without a smile" - Martin Charnin
"The world always looks brighter from behind a smile."  - Anonymous
"The fruit of love is service.  The fruit of service is peace.  And peace begins with a smile."  Mother Teresa

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope you have lots to make you smile today!

Read Chapter One of Plain Proposal!

Plain Proposal -- book #5 in the Daughters of the Promise series -- is on the shelves!  CLICK HERE TO READ CHAPTER ONE!





From Booklist Review:

"Wiseman, a top writer of inspirational Amish fiction, delivers again in the latest Daughters of the Promise novel.  Plain Proposal is a gentle tale of inspirational romance, a look into the lives of young Amish women and men, and a non-Amish reader's primer, including even some Old Order recipes"


Romantic Times Magazine rated Plain Proposal a compelling, page-turner. 
















AND CLICK HERE for five chances to win a signed copy of Plain Proposal!  

Have a great week! 
 

Recipe Friday - March 25th

Here's a little quiz for your Friday afternoon pondering..... I mentioned this recipe in one of my Daughters of the Promise novels.  Can you tell me which one? 




Amish Lemon Sponge Pie

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice and rind (grated) of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups hot milk

Cream butter; add sugar and egg yolks. Beat until light. Stir in flour and salt. Add lemon and hot milk. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in 9-inch unbaked crust at 400° for 10 minutes; set at 350° for 15 or 20 minutes more.


Thanks to Divinerecipes.com

Healing Hearts Crossword Puzzle Answers

Here is the answer key to last week's crossword puzzle.  How did you do?  Too easy, too hard?  Which clues stumped you?  Should we do another one? 
 

Healing Hearts (An Amish Love)
Beth Wiseman

Clues taken from Healing Hearts, one of three novellas in An Amish Love (Inspirational Amish Anthology).

1 J
A
2 M
S






3 T





O







R





4 N
E
S
T




U





T




5 C


S





H



6 C
O
U
R
T



7 G
O
S
8 S
I
P

U









H



S









9 E
N
G
L
I
S
C
H

10 K
I
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E
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N









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11 L
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O


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12 M
E
A
L

Across

1.
Ellie makes

4.
empty _______ syndrome

6.
woo

7.
community whispers

9.
Amish word for non-Amish person

10.
Amish word for children

11.
Naaman's wife

12.
Yoder's Pantry, a place where everyone comes for a good ____




Down

2.
Naaman gone eleven

3.
Naaman must regain

5.
Naaman leaves to visit

8.
Larry's job

11.
husband and wife rediscover

 

Recipe Friday March 18th

It's recipe Friday once again!  By request from Connie, a yummy Homemade Amish Ice Cream recipe this week.  You can add fresh sliced peaches or strawberries or a jar of maraschino cherries right before you fill the ice cream freezer. 

Amish Vanilla Ice Cream

  In a large mixing bowl, cream the eggs, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Stir in the evaporated milk, cream, milk, and vanilla. Pour this into the freezer can of a 4-quart ice cream freezer and cover with the lid. Pack with crushed ice and rock salt and turn until ice cream is hard. Using rock salt instead of table salt cuts the turning time. Add crushed ice as it melts, keeping ice right up to the top of the outside of the freezer. Take care that the salt does not get into the ice cream mixture inside the freezer can.

4-quart freezer

4 egg equivalent of pasteurized egg product
2-2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 t. salt
2 (13-ounce) cans evaporated milk
1½ c. heavy cream
2½ c. milk
1½ T. vanilla extract

Note:  I'm more than a little nervous about using raw eggs in a recipe these days, so I changed the ingredients to use a pasteurized egg product, such as EggBeaters.

Thanks to www.Amishshop.com

My Publishing Schedule

Good Morning!

I've been getting a lot of emails pertaining to the Daughters of the Promise series -- like, "What a great conclusion to the series," or "Sorry to see this series end."  Plain Proposal was not necessarily the last book in this series.  I asked my publisher if they have gone public with such a statement, and their response was, "Tell people that while you have started the Land of Canaan series, neither you or your publisher has decided to end the Daughters of the Promiser series.  Time will tell." 

I can tell you this -- I have recently signed three new contracts with my publisher, Thomas Nelson -- so I am committed to writing books well into 2015.  The only thing that remains up in the air is exactly what order they will release.  As of now -- here is the very tentative schedule, so far:

HEALING HEARTS -- this is a collection of novellas (all written by me) previously released in other anthologies, but together for the first time in one book.  This will release in July 2011.

THE WONDER OF YOUR LOVE -- book #2 in the Land of Canaan series (Katie Ann's story).  Releasing September 2011.

AN AMISH WEDDING -- novella collection, three stories written by me, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long.  Releasing December 2011.

I am currently working on Need You Now.  This is my first non-Amish women's fiction book.  It will release in March 2012.  More details on this to come.

In July, I will MOST LIKELY start on book #3 in the Land of Canaan series, but that is not a 'for sure'.  From there, my publisher and I will decide how we want to move forward. 

I am also working on a novella collection with authors Kelly Long and Amy Clipston.  More on that to come also!

Hope this helps!!

Have a great day,
Beth

Healing Hearts Crossword Puzzle

 



Healing Hearts (An Amish Love)
by Beth Wiseman

Clues are taken from Healing Hearts, one of three novellas in An Amish Love (Inspirational Amish Anthology). I'll post the answers next week. 

1
 
2
 






3





 







 





4
 
 
 




 





 




5


 





 



6
 
 
 
 



7
 
 
8
 
 

 









 



 









9
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

10
 
 
 
 
 



 









 










11
 
 
 
 
 








 


 










 












12
 
 
 

Across

1.

Ellie makes

4.

empty _______ syndrome

6.

woo

7.

community whispers

9.

Amish word for non-Amish person

10.

Amish word for children

11.

Naaman's wife

12.

Yoder's Pantry, a place where everyone comes for a good ____

Down

2.
Naaman gone eleven

3.
Naaman must regain

5.
Naaman leaves to visit

8.
Larry's job

11.
husband and wife rediscover