LEMON SPONGE PIE

3 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
5 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbs melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups warm milk
9″ unbaked pie crust

beat egg yolks. add sugar, lemon juice, and melted butter; mix well. stir in flour & milk.

in a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks; fold into the first mixture. pour into unbaked pie crust & bake at 425° for 10 minutes. reduce heat to 325° & continue baking for 35 minutes.

GOLDEN ANGEL FOOD CAKE

9 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour (measure before sifting)
1/2 rounded tsp cream of tartar

in a small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored (5 minutes or more deoending on beaters). add vanilla. mix on low until blended. gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. continue to mix on LOW until blended, then beat 5 minutes more on HIGH. sprinkle part of the flour over yolk mixture; fold in by hand. continue until all flour is folded in. set aside and cover so batter doesn’t dry out.

THOROUGHLY WASH AND DRY BEATERS. then, in a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on HIGH until soft peaks form. gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. beat on HIGH until stiff peaks form. take some of the egg whites and fold into the yolk mixture to soften. add yolk mixture to stiff egg whites; fold together.

gently pour batter into ungreased 10″ tube pan with removable sides. bake on lowest oven rack at 350° for 50-60 minutes. when done, top will spring back when gently touched near the center. immediately turn upside down until completely cool.

optional: serve with fruit such as strawberries, peaches, or blueberries and whipped cream or milk.

GRAHAM CRACKER PUDDING

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled, plus enough regular milk to total 3 cups
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 lg box instant vanilla pudding mix (or 3/4 cup bulk instant vanilla pudding mix)
3 tbs butter
1 cup crushed graham crackers, divided
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
strawberries OR blueberries, optional

mix cold milk (including sweetened condensed milk) and vanilla together. gradually add pudding mix, stirring continually for 2 minutes; put in the refrigerator.

melt butter in a saucepan and add crushed graham crackers. stir over medium heat until lightly browned. remove from heat.

beat 1 cup heavy whipping cream until peaks form; fold together with 1/2 cup browned graham cracker crumbs and cooled pudding mixture. pour into a 2-qt serving dish. reserving 1 tablespoon crumbs, sprinkle remaining browned graham cracker crumbs over the pudding mixture; refrigerate.

before serving, beat the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream and spread over the chilled mixture, making peaks with the whipped cream. sprinkle reserved crumbs over the top to decorate. serve immediately if possible; refrigerator leftovers.

optional: serve with sweetened strawberries or blueberries.

BANANA PUDDING: fold 2 sliced bananas into pudding mixture before pouring into serving dish.

LEMON BARS

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup 10x sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups whipped cream, divided
2 small boxes instant lemon pudding mix
3 cups milk
nuts, optional

melt butter; mix with flour & pecans. press into a 9″x13″ pan. bake at 350° for 15 minutes. cool.

mix together 10x sugar, cream cheese, & 1 cup whipped cream; spread over cooled crust. blend lemon pudding mix & milk until thick; spread over the cream cheese layer.

spread remaining whipped cream over mixture. nuts can be sprinkled on top if desired. cover & refrigerate. Cut into bars when chilled.

AMISH BROCCOLI DISH

2 (10 oz) bags frozen chopped broccoli
4 oz velveeta cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups crushed croutons
5 tbs melted butter

boil and drain broccoli. cream together cheese and cream of mushroom soup; mix in broccoli and salt. place in a greased 3-qt casserole dish. mix croutons and melted butter together and pour evenly on top of casserole. bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

AMISH MEATLOAF

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup cracker crumbs
1 tbs chopped onion
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
flour
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup steak sauce

mix first 6 ingredients together and shape it into a loaf; refrigerate overnight. cut loaf into 1/2″ slices & dip in flour. brown slightly on both sides; place in a casserole dish. mix cream of mushroom soup with steak sauce; pour over meatloaf. bake at 250° for 2 hours.

FRUITS & VEGGIES

STIR-FRYING VEGETABLES – Stir-fried vegetables are a quick & easy side dish option. Or serve them over noodles or rice for a delicious meal. The secret to stir-frying is to have the pan or wok very hot & the veggies cut into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly. Great choices are peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, snow peas & beans. Avoid starchy veggies such as potatoes & yams. Stir-fried veggies should be  flavored near the end of the cooking time for best results.

CORN CHOWDER

6 med potatoes
1/2 lb bacon
2 small onions, diced
4 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups corn
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp parsley
potato flakes (optional)

cut potatoes into bite-size pieces. boil until soft; drain. dice bacon & fry until almost crisp; drain. add onions to bacon; cook until tender. heat milk, but do not boil. add bacon & onions to warming milk; stir in potatoes & remaining ingredients. add potato flakes to thicken if desired. let simmer for 1 hour.

AVOCADO & EGG SALAD

4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
4 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1 tbs finely chopped green onion
2 lg avocados, halved & pitted
2 tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper

combine eggs, bacon, & onion. carefully scoop out avocado halves, leaving shells firm, & brush insides of shells with a little lemon juice. mash avocado & stir in remaining ingredients. add egg mixture & spoon into avocado shells.