1. food and drink
2. desserts and baking

PAGE D2 | Wednesday, July 23, 2014 | RO
THE TIMES
Welcome to Lovina’s new weekly Amish recipe column
‌I
t is a quiet morning at 5:30 a.m. Our
two oldest daughters, Elizabeth, 20,
and Susan, 18, just left for the factory
a few minutes ago. All is quiet with the
six other children still asleep.
My husband, Joe, left for work before
4 a.m. and is probably hard at work
already. They start working by 5 a.m. at
the RV factory where he has worked for
the last 9 1/2 years.
My dad was always an early riser and
loved the early morning hours. He never
liked going to bed late.
There is so much beauty and peace in
the morning hours.
Yesterday we made 12 quarts of
strawberry pie filling. We put it in the
freezer instead of cold-packing it in
jars. The strawberries came from my
sister Emma’s strawberry patch. So
many people are having a good supply of
strawberries this year. The rains seem to
be frequent enough.
Our garden is doing so well already.
But when everything grows, so do the
weeds. It is so hard to keep up with
them.
Son Benjamin took the tiller through
the rows of sweet corn, and that looks
so much better. He also used the weedeater to trim the weeds around the
buildings that we can’t get with the
lawn mower. That looks better too.
It is just hard to believe Benjamin
has grown so tall and can handle all
these jobs. I think he is taller than I am.
Benjamin’s school days are in the past
now. He finished eighth grade, which is
5 quarts strawberries, mashed
DIRECTIONS: Put 6 quarts water in
a 12-quart kettle and bring to a boil.
In bowl, mix Perma Flo and 4 cups
By Lovina EichEr
cold water. (Perma Flo is available at
some Amish-run stores and online,
usually the last grade the Amish chilbut Clearjel can be substituted. Perma
dren take.
Flo works better for freezing). Stir into
Benjamin was four years old when
boiling water, stirring constantly. After
we moved to Michigan from Indiana.
it thickens, remove from heat and add
He was always full of energy and gave
sugar, gelatin and salt. Add strawberus quite a few scares during his younger
ries and stir until mixed well. Freeze in
years. Daughter Loretta was born 11 1/2
containers. This also works well as an
months after Benjamin, and those two
ice-cream topping and in puddings or
were quite the team when they were
cobblers.
toddlers. Before Loretta could walk, I
Blueberry variation: Replace strawwould put her in the playpen if I had to
berries with same amount of blueberPROVIDED ries; add 1 teaspoon lemon juice; replace
leave the room for a little bit. One time
when I came back, I was surprised to see “Lovina’s Amish Kitchen” is the new column from
strawberry gelatin with raspberry and
Lovina Eicher.
Loretta crawling around on the floor.
blueberry gelatin (in equal amounts);
Benjamin had managed to find my
and use 3 1/2 cups Perma Flo.
scissors and cut a hole in the playpen so I prefer the bass and Joe would rather
Peach variation: Replace strawberhave the bluegill. Son Kevin, 8, wanted
Loretta could get out to play with him!
ries with 7–8 quarts sliced peaches and
me to know that he caught the perch. At replace strawberry gelatin with peach
I am so thankful neither of them was
first he couldn’t remember the name of and orange gelatin (in equal amounts).
hurt. Needless to say, we needed a new
the fish. He said, “It starts with a P!”
playpen.
Cherry variation: Replace strawberI’ll share my strawberry pie filling
Joe and the boys are fishing every
ries with 10 pounds cherries; use 3 1/2
recipe with you readers. God bless you
chance they get. For Father’s Day the
cups Perma Flo; and add 1 teaspoon
all!
children gave Joe a tri-pod that has a
almond flavoring.
chain to hang a kettle on. They also
gave him a cast-iron outdoor kettle.
Strawberry Pie Filling
Lovina Eicher is an Old Order Amish
Joe deep-fried fish in it one evening. It
writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight.
worked really well. Joe enjoys cooking
Formerly writing as The Amish Cook, Eicher
6 quarts water
outdoors and I have no objections when
inherited that column from her mother,
4 1/2 cups Perma Flo
he offers to cook. On warm evenings it
Elizabeth Coblentz, who wrote from 1991
4 cups cold water
is so nice to eat outside. The children
to 2002. Readers can contact Eicher at PO
3 cups sugar
made s’mores after they were done eatBox 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 or at
4 1/2 cups strawberry gelatin
ing fish. We had bluegill, perch and bass.
LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org.
1 teaspoon salt
The amish cook
FOOD BITES BY ELOISE MARIE VALADEZ
Italian Ice
on the Menu
Jodi and Brian Tillm a n re ce n t ly o p e n e d
Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory in
Hammond. The business
is located at 7322 Calumet
Ave. A variety of flavors
star on the menu with
some served in rotation on
various days. Among flavors are raspberry, lemon,
cherry, watermelon, peach,
pina colada, lime and root
beer. For more information, call (219) 678-2018.
Dinner’s a Mystery
The “Murder in the BC
Mansion Dinner” will be
held Saturday at BennettCurtis House, 302 W.
Taylor St., Grant Park, Ill.
The event features a fivecourse dinner, the play,
coffee and tea. Tax and
gratuity are included. Call
(815) 465-2288 or visit
bennetcurtis.com
Day in the Country
Chicago Gourmets!
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D1
will present “A Day in the
Country: Where the Buffalo Roam” on Aug. 2. A
bus tour will travel to the
Van Meter Buffalo Ranch
in Indiana and also stop at
the Fair Oaks Dairy Adventure. Bus will depart at 8
a.m. from 200 E. Howard
in Des Plaines and at 8:45
a.m. from The Wit Hotel
Lobby in Chicago. A country lunch at 11:30 a.m. will
feature buffalo burgers,
chips, sliced tomatoes,
super sweet corn and dessert. Cost is $69;or $59
for Chicago Gourmets!
members. Price is $49
if not paying for the bus
ride. To reserve, visit ChicagoGourmets.org or call
(847) 668-7751.
World Scrambles
IHOP restaurant is featuring World Scrambles
through Sept. 7 at the eatery. The new scrambles are
the Tuscan Scramble, Californian Scramble and AllAmerican Bacon Scramble.
Visit IHOP.com
The Stada
Baba Bikers pedal
down 119th
Street
during the
Pierogi
Fest’s
Polka
Parade in
Whiting in
2013.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D1
Pierogi
Among the many floats
and themes that are part
of the annual parade, the
Precision Lawn-mower
Drill team and the Twirling Babushka Brigade are
two of the numerous elements that are a a “tip of
the hat” to the childhood
Dabertin recalls.
“Everything is done
very tongue in cheek,” he
said.
“We don’t mind poking a little fun, because
it makes it something
everyone can enjoy. We
never take ourselves too
serious.”
The first festival was
held just outside of the
old Schoop’s restaurant in
Whiting.
“We had 1,200 pierogi
and they sold-out,”
Dabertin said.
“The line was down the
street. We knew then that
we were on to something.”
Since that first festival,
the event has exploded in
size and population. This
weekend, more than a
quarter of a million people
are expected to attend.
Dabertin said the festival also has one of the
largest and best-selling
Beer Gardens, along with
several entertainment
stages and dozens of
unique activities planned
throughout the weekend,
ranging from the “Pierogi
Eating Contest” and the
“Pierogi Toss” to the “Polkahontas Polka Luau.”
The Purge:
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1135AM 245 605
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[REALD 3D] 1000AM
110 420 730 1035
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1000AM 1230 300
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PlAnes: fire &
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1225 245 505 725
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[REALD 3D] 130
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TrAnsformers:
Age of exTincTion
[PG-13] 1225 735
[REALD 3D] 400
TAmmy [R] 1100AM
140 425 710 955
chef [R] 1030AM 830
22 JumP sTreeT
[R] 1025AM 115 405
705 950
how To TrAin your
DrAgon 2 [PG]
1130AM 210 450
730 1010
Deliver us from
evil [R] 1045AM
1005
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1010AM 1235 300
525 750 1015
mAleficenT [PG]
145 430
wAlking wiTh
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clubhouse [PG]
1000AM
JOHN J.
WATKINS,
THE TIMES
“Our main goal is to
make Pierogi Fest fun,”
he said.
“It doesn’t matter
what ethnicity or background you come from,
Pierogi Fest is for everyone.”
He said this year features more than 75 food
vendors, which is twice
the size of the Taste of
Chicago, along with 100
arts and crafts vendors.
“My favorite thing
about the festival is the
food, of course, and I
always enjoy the dunk
tank with the Nuns
from Carmelite Home,”
Dabertin said.
Try the following
pierogi recipes.
with blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery.
Optional: Deep fry pierogies in 350 degrees oil for
3 minutes or until golden
brown, as directed on
box. Makes 4 servings.
• Recipe courtesy of
Mrs. T’s Pierogies
Carbonara
Pierogies
1 (16-ounce) box Mrs.
T’s Potato and 4 Cheese
Blend Mini Pierogies
4 egg yolks
3 ounces Parmesan
cheese, grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces thick cut slab
bacon, diced
1 small onion, thinly
sliced
2 teaspoons cracked
Buffalo Pierogies
pepper
1 teaspoon parsley,
1 box Mrs. T’s Potato &
finely chopped, for garCheddar Mini Pierogies
nish
Non-stick cooking
spray
DIRECTIONS: In a large
1 cup oil
bowl, whisk together egg
1/2 cup hot pepper
yolks, Parmesan cheese
sauce
and olive oil. Set aside.
1/2 teaspoon chili
In a large sauté pan or
powder
skillet, cook bacon over
1 Blue cheese dressing medium heat, turning
Carrots
as needed, until crispy.
Celery
Remove the bacon from
the pan then add onions
DIRECTIONS: Preheat
to pan and cook in the
oven to 400 degrees.
rendered bacon grease
Combine oil, hot sauce
over medium heat for
and chili powder; toss
about 20 minutes or until
with the pierogies. Coat
a baking sheet with non- softened and brown.
Return bacon to the pan
stick cooking spray and
and reduce heat to low.
spread pierogies evenly
Boil two quarts of water.
on the baking sheet.
Add frozen pierogies and
Bake at 400 degrees for
16 to 18 minutes or until heat for 3 to 5 minutes
(until they float); drain,
pierogies are puffed and
browned. For best results reserving 1/2 cup pierogi
water for thinning the
turn over once, halfway
through bake time. Serve sauce. Working very
quickly, add pierogies to
the bowl with egg yolks,
cheese and olive oil, toss
continuously to coat the
pierogies, thinning the
sauce with the reserved
water until the sauce
reaches your desired
consistency. Stir in bacon
and onions. Top with
cracked pepper and parsley. Serve immediately.
• Recipe courtesy of
Mrs. T’s Pierogies
Kung Pao Pierogies
1 (16-ounce) box
Mrs. T’s Potato & Onion
Pierogies
1/2 cup Kung pao
sauce
3 tablespoons sweet
chili sauce
1 tablespoons Toban
Djan or sriracha
1 tablespoon oyster
sauce
3 tablespoons crushed
peanuts
3 tablespoons cilantro,
finely chopped
DIRECTIONS: In a large
bowl whisk together
Kung Pao sauce, sweet
chili sauce, sriracha,
oyster sauce, peanuts and
cilantro until thoroughly
combined. Set aside.
Deep fry frozen pierogies
in 350-degree oil for 4
minutes until pierogies
float and are crisp. Use
heat resistant tongs to
remove pierogies from
the hot oil and add them
to the bowl with the
sauce. Toss pierogies in
the prepared sauce until
completely coated. Serve
immediately.
• Recipe courtesy of
Mrs. T’s Pierogies
Farm
Mr. North’s Toffee
Shortbread
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups cornstarch
1 pound unsalted butter,
bowl, mix butter with
softened
sugar and salt, using
1 cup light brown sugar,
hands to cream together
packed
until combined. Add 2
1 (8-ounce) bag English
cups of flour with hands
toffee bits for baking
until dough is blended
together, while making
DIRECTIONS: Preheat
certain not to “overoven to 350 degrees. Line
handle” the dough. Add
a jellyroll pan with alufurther 2 cups of flour,
minum foil. In a separate
and mix in until fully,
bowl, stir or sift together
blended and dough is
the flour and corn starch.
stiff. Flour work surface
Cream the butter and sugar
and roll out dough until
with an electric mixer.
1/4-inch thick. Use a
Add the flour mixture and
2-inch round cutter and
then stir in the toffee bits.
cut out the dough, place
At the end of this process,
on a cookie sheet. Do NOT mix by hand to ensure
use parchment paper or
that all the ingredients are
spray. If desired, use a
evenly mixed. Press the
cookie stamp to add an
dough into the prepared
emblem (I like either a
pan and flatten to an even
Thistle or Celtic knot) on
thickness. Prick the dough
each shortbread round.
all over with a fork, being
Failing that, use a fork and sure the fork hits the botpierce each round 3 times tom. Bake for 10 minutes,
to represent the Father,
and then reduce the heat
Son and Holy Ghost. Place to 300 and continue to
the trays in a refrigerator
bake for 40 minutes more.
for 15 minutes. Preheat
(Rotate the pan half way
oven to 350 degrees. Place through each of the twothe trays of cookies in the time periods). Remove the
oven for 20 minutes — or
pan from the oven and let
until golden brown. Using cool for 2 minutes, and
an oven glove, remove
then, while still in the
from the oven and put the pan, cut into bars that are
trays on top of cooling
finger-size or whatever
wires. Let cool slightly,
size desired. Allow to comthen place cookies onto a
pletely cool in the pan, and
wire tray to cool, using a
then serve.
dash of sugar to sprinkle
sparingly over each while
The opinions expressed are
still slightly warm. Once
solely those of the writer.
cool, keep cookies in an
He can be reached at philip.
airtight container. Makes
potempa@nwi.com or (219)
3 dozen.
852-4327.
DIRECTIONS: In a large
lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh oregano
2 cups baby arugula
Salt and ground black
dark green lettuce. It’s so
simple you may be tempted pepper
Heat the grill to
to whip up this entree
medium.
sandwich on any evening
Lightly mist the bread
— no matter the weather
on both sides with the
— when you only have 30
olive oil cooking spray.
minutes to put dinner on
Grill the bread on the grill
the table.
until nicely toasted, about
TUNA AND WHITE BEAN
2 minutes per side. Once
BRUSCHETTA
Start to finish: 30 min- the bread is grilled, rub one
side of each slice with the
utes
cut side of the half clove of
Servings: 6
Six large 1/2-inch-thick garlic. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use a
slices rustic whole-grain
potato masher or fork to
bread
mash 1/2 cup of the beans.
Olive oil cooking spray
1/2 garlic clove plus 1 1/2 Add the remaining whole
beans, the olive oil, tuna,
teaspoons minced garlic,
celery, red onion, olives,
divided
lemon juice, oregano,
15-ounce can white
minced garlic and arugula.
beans, drained and rinsed
Mix gently, then season
6 tablespoons extrawith salt and pepper.
virgin olive oil
Divide the bean mixture
Two 5-ounce cans
light tuna packed in water, between the slices of bread,
mounding it on each. Serve
drained and flaked
with a fork and knife.
3/4 cup finely chopped
Nutrition information
celery
per serving: 390 calories;
1/2 cup finely chopped
170 calories from fat (44
red onion, soaked in ice
water for 20 minutes, then percent of total calories);
19 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g
drained and patted dry
trans fats); 30 mg choles3/4 cup pitted and
terol; 34 g carbohydrate; 7
chopped herb-marinated
g fiber; 4 g sugar; 23 g proolives
tein; 1,120 mg sodium.
3 tablespoons
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D1
Tuna