DUE TO JEAN-CHANGES COMING UP !!!!

Due to unforseen changes in Jean and her families life, we have to change some things on New York State of Mind.  The recipes will continue every day up to including December 24th.  On December 20th, Jean will have her introduction with a recipe.  December 22nd-she will have a post with a recipe explaining her changes.  On December 24th, Martha is going to introduce herself to you with a recipe.

It is nothing bad that has caused these changes-in fact-it is something good. This just came up at a not too good time.   It will be explained in the post.  Jean IS NOT leaving us, although she has asked Martha to do a few posts for her, as needed, during the month of January-maybe a week or two during February.  Martha has agreed. 

Jean has asked me not to tell you what it is until she does the post.  So, as I did with Richard, I will not tell, but it is good news. 

I hope you understand and can go along with these changes. They are just for the next month or so-then things will return to normal again-she hopes.  As Jean would say:

Be With God,
Marilyn

"BELSNICKEL" CHRISTMAS CAKES-December 13 th

" BELSNICKEL" CHRISTMAS CAKES

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

In a bowl pour butter over sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.  Then add the eggs, beating one at a time, into the mixture.  Sift baking soda thru the flour add the salt and add to the cake mixture. Let the dough stand in a cold place for one hour.  On a floured board, roll out the dough quite thin. Cut into small rounds or shapes.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake in oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

This an old recipe passed down many generations.  These would be great for your family or guests.  Also would be great gift.

Be With God,

Jean 

JEAN'S CRANBERRY BREAD-DEC 12th

CRANBERRY BREAD

2 cups bread or all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
1 egg, slightly beaten, room temperature
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries

Sift together flour and dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
In a small bowl combine orange juice, grated rind and beaten egg.  Pour into dry ingredients and mix until  just dampen.  DON'T BEAT.  Fold in nuts and cranberries. 
Pour into pans.   Let pans sit for 20 minutes.
Heat over to 350 degrees.  Bake for 1 hour.  Test with toothpick.

Recipe is for one large bread or two small.

This is the first recipe on my Jean's Recipes.  We make these bread loafs for our family and for gifts.  Every year we make up plates or baskets for our friends, sick, and elderly-both Mennonite and Englishers.  In the baskets we put breads, candy, jams and jellies-all made in our home.  I haven't counted how many of these we have made a year.  David, my husband, says I should keep track some year.  Hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does.

Be With God,

JEan

JEAN'S RECIPES START TOMORROW

Just want to remind everyone that Jean's recipes start tomorrow.  I have them set to come at 7:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time.  There will be a different recipe every day from tomorrow, December 12th up to and including Christmas Eve. 

On December 20th, Jean will have an introduction post along with a recipe.  If you are a reader of Amish and/or Mennonite novels-Jean thinks you will really like this recipe.  It's for something you see people eating in almost all the novels.  That's all I'm telling.

Also, Jean would like ideas for posts in the comments section.  She has had a few requests, which she will have posts on, but could use some more.  Sometimes Jean just doesn't know what you are interested in or want to know.  Her first weekly post starts on January 7th. 2013.

Marilyn

AMISH AND MENNONITE DRESSES ON E-BAY

I have said that I had some Amish and Mennonite ladies dresses to put on ebay-well I finally have some of them on.  I have more to put on.  Some of you have asked about them so they are on.  They are almost all the same size.

These dresses were handmade  by the Amish and Mennonite for a friend of mine that use to drive for them.  My friend felt that Amish and Mennonite might feel more comfortable if she dressed more like them when she drove.  Amish use pins when they wear their dresses, but my friend being an Englisher, they made the dresses with zippers or snaps in the back.  All of these are handmade by either the Amish or the Mennonites.

She does not live in the Amish and Mennonite area anymore - her husband got job transfered - so she doesn't use them anymore.   They are all in excellent condition. 

To get to the dresses, just push Family Life Magazine on the right.  Postage is FREE in the United States.  I give you 14 days to return if you are not happy with these dresses or any of my items, for that matter. 

So take a look.  These would be a nice, modest dress to wear.  When I get all the dresses  on, I have Amish and Mennonite prayer kapps that I will be putting on, too. 

Marilyn

MARTHA IS COMING, TOO !!!!

Martha called me this morning and told me how much she liked Richard's post today and said she would come to New York State of Mind, if I wanted her, too.  I more than welcomed her.  Martha is also Old Order Mennonite as is Jean, but Martha was not always.  She was an Englisher, like we are, and coverted to Old Order Mennonite.  She, her husband and children also own a Dairy Farm in Finger Lakes area of New York State.  Jean, Martha and their families are very close friends.  So if you have any questions for Martha, please leave them in comments.  Martha will not be on weekly as Jean is, but her posts will come as she has questions to answer, or as she said, she has something to say. 

Also coming is Sara, the Old Order Mennonite who is a Foster Parent as are Martha and Jean.  If anyone has questions for her, she would be glad to do another post or two.  She will not be on weely as Jean, but as she gets questions, will be glad to answer them.  Sara gets the most difficult or special foster children.  As with Martha and Jean, many of her Foster Children are adopted and become members of their family-for ever - as the children say.

So if you have any questions for Jean, Martha or Sara, please leave them in your comments.  It gives them subjects on which to post.  Sometimes, Jean especially, wonders what to do a post about.  She doesn't know what you would be interested in. 

Starting in January, we have a lot coming. 

Recipes start December 12th, so keep posted.  A new recipe every day including Christmas Eve.

Marilyn

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, PIERRE

Today is Pierre's fourth Birthday. This is the first of his birthdays he has celebrated with me.  I believe that he is a gift from God to me. 

I had put down my previous dog Rickie, who had cancer.  He had out lived two and a half years older than the vet told me he would.  I was heart broken, but I needed another dog to fill my heart.  As Rickie had been a chihuahua, I didn't feel that I could get another chihuahua right now.  The two dogs I had before Rickie had been poodles, so I set my heart on another poodle.

My looking at SPCA and Humane Societys did not produce a poodle. There were many dogs, but not a poodle.  So I made a list of everything I wanted in my next dog.  As I got my previous dogs as puppies, I wanted an older dog this time.  The list was long of what I wanted in my next dog.  I thought I would never get a dog like that.  I wanted a full breed poodle.  On my limited income, I thought it would never happen.  Also I wanted the dog to come to me on Valentine's Day.  I told the Lord this was what I wanted and prayed.

As I belong to a dog club, I put my request on the computer to them.  I had lots of e-mails and looked at lots of dogs, but none were a full poodle.  One friend got on Craig's List.  She would e-mail me anytime a poodle came on.  I would e-mail the people that were selling the poodles.  One never answered me and the other had already sold it.  On Valentine's Day, she e-mailed about a poodle that was on- in the town next me.  It wouldn't come up on my computer so she had to send it to me.  I answered by land line and e-mail.  A while later, I got a call from the lady that owned him.  She explained that she worked 10 hours a day and didn't feel he was not getting all the attention he should. She also said one problem with him is he hogs attention. 

I was told to come over and see him.  My car was in the garage getting new brakes on it, so I asked if I could come tomorrow.  She asked where I lived and brought him over.  I waited on the street in from of our building until she pulled out.  Pierre (them called Tido) jumped out of the car and ran right to me, jumping on me like we were old friends.  When we went into my apartment I couldn't find him-the lady said to look on my bed-and sure enough there he was like he lived here.  The price she wanted was within my budget, but being a Christian I wanted to pray about it.  She said she would hold until the next day.

The next morning she called and asked me if I wanted and when I said yes, she said come and get him.  When my car was delivered-over I went and got him.  She said he had all his shots-two years ago and hadn't been groomed in ages.  I took him home, called the vet and the next day he went for all his shots.  Then he went to the groomers where he was groomed.  I didn't recognize him when I went to pick him up.  I almost took the wrong dog-but the groomer stopped me and gave me Pierre.

I wish Pierre could talk and tell me about his life before I got him.  There were two previous owners.  My vet says he was show dog, as she took him through all the moves in her office.  He does tricks, too.  Where ever he was is over-he is my little boy now.  Before he didn't have toys-now he has a basket full-some from Alaska.  He shares the attendtion that he hogged at his previous home with all the 97 tenants in our apartments here.   Pierre answers every request that I made on my list to God except I asked for a girl and he is a boy-that doesn't matter.  So Happy Fourth Birthday Pierre, the first birthday with me.  I truly believe that Pierre was a gift from God to me.

Marilyn