bruder—brother
bu—boy
buwe—boys
daedi—daddy
danki—thank you
dat—father
dawdi haus—a small home added to or near the main house into which the farmer moves after passing the farm and main house to one of his children.
Deitsch—Pennsylvania German
Der Hochmut kummt vor dem Fall—Pride comes before the fall
dippy eggs—over-easy eggs
dochder—daughter
en alt maedel—old maid
Englisch, Englischer—what the Amish call a non-Amish person
familye—family
fraa—wife
grossdaadi—grandfather
grossdochder—granddaughter
grosseldres—grandparents
grossmudder—grandmother
guder mariye—good morning
gut—good
gut-n-owed—good evening
haus—house
hungerich—hungry
kapp—prayer covering or cap worn by girls and women
kind—child
kinner—children
kinskind—grandchild
kumm—come
lieb—love, a term of endearment
maed—young single women
maedel—young single woman
maed vun ehr—maid of honor
mamm—mom
mann—husband
nacht—night
nee—no
newehockers—wedding attendants, sometimes called side sitters
onkel—uncle
Ordnung—the rules of the Amish, both written and unwritten. Certain behavior has been expected within the Amish community for many, many years. These rules vary from community to community, but the most common are to have no electricity in the home, to not own or drive an automobile, and to dress a certain way.
roasht—roast, a stuffing or dressing side dish made of cubes of bread, chopped celery, and onion
rumschpringe—time period when teenagers are allowed to experience the Englisch world while deciding if they should join the church
schul—school
schur—sure
schwardochder—daughter-in-law
schwei—sister-in-law
schwemudder—mother-in-law
schweschder—sister
sohn—son
verboten—forbidden, not done
whoopie pie—large soft cookie with marshmallow fluff filling
wilkumm—welcome
wittfraa—widow
wunderbaar—wonderful
ya—yes
zwillingboppli—twin
zwillingbopplin—twins
Note: While there are many similarities about Amish communities around the country each community makes its own rules. The Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Amish community allows cell phones while some other Amish communities limit or ban them.
Recipes
FUNERAL SANDWICHES
24-count package sweet dinner rolls
24 slices Black Forest ham
24 slices Swiss cheese
Directions
Slice rolls in half. Place on 11×15-inch sheet pan. Layer 1 slice each ham and cheese on each roll. Replace tops.
Sauce:
1 stick butter, melted
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon onion powder
Directions
Mix together with a small whisk. Brush tops of ham and cheese rolls liberally with sauce, then pour remaining sauce over all. Cover pan with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls, covered, for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Makes 24 dinner roll–sized servings. Serves about 12 if each person takes two rolls.
MARY’S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2¼ cups cake flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter (very cold)—don’t use margarine!
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup flour (for dusting the pastry mat and dusting while rolling)
2 Tablespoons butter (melted)
Directions
Preheat oven to 475°F. Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined. The dough will be slightly sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it into a horizontal rectangle that is about 1½ inches thick. Fold the left side of the rectangle over the right side and pat it out into a vertical rectangle. Then fold the bottom half up to the top and press it out into a horizontal rectangle again. Repeat the steps above three times for a total of six folds. Be careful not to overwork the dough while you are doing this. The folding is what creates layers in the biscuits. Sprinkle a little flour on the layers if the dough starts getting sticky, but just pat gently and handle the dough lightly. After making those six folds, gently pat the dough into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick. Use a sharp circle biscuit cutter and press down through the dough, then lift up. Do not twist the cookie cutter. Just push down, then pull straight up. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.
Bake at 475°F for five minutes, then reduce the heat to 425°F (without opening the oven) and bake for an additional 8–10 minutes. Allow the biscuits to sit for 2–3 minutes before serving. Serve warm. Makes about a dozen biscuits.
Buttermilk is recommended for the recipe, but if you don’t have it it’s easy to make by putting 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill up the rest of the cup with milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Now you have buttermilk!
ROASHT OR CHICKEN FILLING
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter
2 cups chopped celery
2 loaves bread, cubed
2 cups cooked and diced chicken
6 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a skillet and sauté celery in it until soft. Set aside. Mix bread and chicken in large bowl. Add celery, eggs, and salt and pepper. Pour mixture into large baking pan. Bake 1½–2 hours. Serves 15.
CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell (unbaked)
Whipped cream (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa, eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and spread it evenly along the edges. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream (optional). Serves 8.
Book Discussion Questions
Spoiler alert! Please don’t read before completing the book as the questions contain spoilers!
My parents were BOTH twins, so I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of twin siblings. Gideon and Eli are twins—something that happens more often in the Amish community than the Englisch one because the Amish have large families and the more babies a woman has the more likely she is to experience multiple births. Have you ever known twins? How were they alike? Different? Do you think you’d have liked to be a twin?
Gideon works as a maker of toys for children. What were your favorite toys when you were a child? How are the toys different today?
Hannah and Emma love working in a quilt shop Hannah owns. Have you ever quilted? Do you enjoy it? If not, what do you do for a hobby?
Have you ever thought about living in an Amish communit
y? What do you think would be the hardest part of adapting to life in one?
Eli loves working on the farm his family has owned for generations. Were any of your ancestors farmers? Would you want to try farming? Why do you think so many people today think farming sounds like something some people say they’d like to try?
A baby born outside marriage is called an unforeseen blessing in the Amish community. What do you think of this?
Leah thinks both couples could share the farmhouse and add on as they have families. Do you think this could work? Have you ever had to live with a family member after you were married? How did that work?
The Amish believe God sets aside a partner for us. Do you believe this?
Have you ever visited an Amish community? Which one? What did you think about that way of life? Would you want to live there?
Eli comes up with a solution for the two couples. Would you want to live so close to a sibling and their wife or husband? Why or why not?
Look for the next heartwarming story in
the Hearts of Lancaster County series
The Amish Farmer’s Proposal
Available Spring 2022
About the Author
Barbara Cameron enjoys writing about the spiritual values and simple joys of the Amish. She is the bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies, and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Her books have been nominated for Carol Awards and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award from RWA’s Faith, Hope, and Love chapter. Barbara lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
You can learn more at:
BarbaraCameron.com
Facebook.com/Barbara.Cameron1
Also By Barbara Cameron
The Amish Midwife’s Hope