YOUNG MENNONITE BOY PLOWING THE FIELD

I was driving down the road when I came across this young Mennonite boy plowing the field.  I tried to get a picture of his face, but he was moving too fast.  He was only 8 or maybe 10 years old.  There was no doubt that he knew what he was doing. Note that these are medal wheels.

TOMORROW I HAVE A POST ABOUT ONE OF THE RELIGIONS FOUND IN MY AREA.

HAITI BENEFIT AUCTION - PENN YAN, NY - JUNE 14-15

                                                HAITI BENEFIT AUCTION

On June 14 and 15 at the Yates County Fair Grounds in Penn Yan, New York will be the Haiti Benefit Auction.  The auction starts on Friday night :

4:30 PM  Roast Beef Dinner
6:00 PM  Cattle Auction

SATURDAY:

6:00 AM  Breakfast
8:00 AM  Crafts and Misc. Auction
9:30 AM  Furniture Auction
10:00 AM Quilts Auction

Penn Yan is an area where many Mennonite and Amish live.  This auction is put on by the Mennonites of the area.  Mennonite, Amish and Englishers all attend this auction.  I plan on attending for the first time.  If any of you live in the area and would like to come, I thought I would pass on this information for you.

WEDDING RECIPES FROM JEAN

As this is wedding time in some churches, I thought I would give you some wedding recipes.  Hope you like them. Be With God, Jean

WEDDING SOUP

1 chicken fryer (3 or 4 lbs)
2 c. chopped celery plus celery leaves
1 qt small meatballs,fry and drain, size of dime
Chopped Onions, about 1/2 cup
Garlic salt (2 or 3 shakes)
Parsley
Salt and Pepper to own taste
3 pkgs chopped spinch, thawed
9 eggs
1/2 can Parmesan cheese

Boil chicken in 10 quart pan.  (Skim). Let simmer until chicken is tender.  Remove chicken from broth, skim, debone and shred chicken. Add chicken, celery, meatballs, onions and other ingredients to the chicken broth.  If more chicken flavor is needed, add chicken bouillon cubes to your taste.  Add thawed spinach.  Cook until tender.  Whip together the eggs and Parmesan cheese.  Let soup come to a boil and pour egg mixture in slowly, stirring continously.  Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Soup can be frozen.

CROUTONS FOR SOUP

1/2 dozen eggs,whipped
3/4 box cracker meal
1 1/2 handfuls Parmesan cheese
Black Pepper
Parsley
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together.  Roll out long round strips. (Can add more cracker meal if needed to roll). Place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until light brown.  Cool, cut in small pieces.  Add to soup dish when serving soup.

WEDDING PUNCH

1 46 oz can orange juice
1 46 oz can pineapple juice
1 46 oz grapefruit juice
1 12 oz can frozen lemonade
1 qt gingerale

Keep all on ice until just before serving and serve over ice cubes.

An Amish or Old Order Mennonite wedding has anywhere from 400 to 600 people invited and expect at least two-thirds of them to come.  For the noon meal in this day in age, we need

80 fryers
8 stewing hens to make 2 canners (7 gallons) of chicken gravy
12-14 gallons of peeled potatoes
24-30 loaves of homemade bread for dressing
24 lbs frozen peas
4 gallons gelatin with fruit and whipped cream topping added
5 gallons cole slaw, with onion, celery, carrot and red pepper
15 layer cakes (beside the Bridal cake)
25 pumpkin or pudding pies for noon meal
2 three pound cans of coffee
1 regular sized jar of instant coffee
39 lb. of cheese and 50 lbs of cold ham to pass


Wedding Supper requires:

65 pounds of hamburger for meat loaf
4 gallons cooked and diced potatoes for salad
12 lbs dry noodles to make 2 large canners full
8 batches of date pudding with sauce
12 apple and 12 cherry pies to be served with ice cream

I HAVE ANOTHER POST TOMORROW ABOUT A HAITI AUCTION THAT IS COMING IN  OUR AREA. IF YOU LIVE IN THE AREA, YOU MAY WANT TO ATTEND.

MICHAEL AND EDWARD'S SCHOOL BY JEAN

As the school year is ending this month, I thought I would show you the public school that Michael and Edward attend. It takes two pictures to show the whole school, it is so large.  There are three or four towns that make up this one school district.

Edward and Michael go to school and come home on the bus.  They stop by our house and pick them up every morning that there is school.  It is quite away from out house.  We have driven there a couple of times by buggy, but if we have to go there, we usually get a driver.

David and I are use to small schools like Susan's.  We don't understand students going from room to room for classes.  Why there are so many students in one school.  Why students can select some of their classes.  Why they even have some of the classes they have. Seeing that they are not going to college or trade school why most students have to go to 12th grade.  When we go to school why the students have more say in what courses they will take than we do. Michael and Edward try to explain this to us, but we still don't understand.  We don't feel that Susan is getting a lesser education than they are.

When Edward's adoption goes through, we are taking both of them out of there.  After many family discussions they and we agree it will be the best for them.  As they both are planning on going into farming, we don't feel any more public school education is necessary.  We also explained to them that they will not be sitting around at home when they are out of school-they will be working.

The school is upset that we will be taking them out.  We have heard lectures on how we are taking education away from them.  They will be leading a life without a full education.  Having free time and not being in school could lead them to drugs and crime-try to figure that one.  They won't be able to get a great job. We tried explained that they will be working more hours a day than they are spending in school.  We have been around and around.

There are some people that need a High School education, even a college education, but Michael and Edward aren't that way.  We told Michael and Edward if they don't work, they will be put back into school,  They understand.  We are not using school as a threat, but they have to have a way of making a living.  God will provide but one still has to work.

Below are another picture of the school and of the activities field outside area.

Be With God,
Jean

GOOD-BY NEWARK, NEW YORK DINER

On May 9, 2013 the Newark Diner was loaded on the truck and towed to Ohio where it will be restored and then taken to Buffalo, New York where it will be a restaurant again.  There was no public announcement made of when the diner would be moved, so I wasn't there to take pictures.  I thank the Wayne Post for the second thru sixth pictures on this post.  Of course I took the top picture, and I also took the last two.

If someone had told me that the Newark Diner or the Scofield's Diner as some of us folks call it was going to be gone when I took my pictures in December or when I put the post on in February of this year, I wouldn't have believed them.  Three months later, it is gone.

Wayne Post ran an article on the Diner and my comments along with others were in the article.  The Diner will be sadly missed by a lot of us.

When it opens again in Buffalo, I hope to drive there and eat in the Diner again.  I hope that I will be allowed to take pictures of it again.

Marilyn

COBBLESTONE BUILDINGS - IN UPSTATE NEW YORK

Cobblestone architecture was developed in the northeastern United States, especially antebellum western New York State. Masons that built the Erie Canal during 1817-1825 started building cobblestone structures about the time the canal was finished.  The stones used in the construction were typically of a rounded shape deposited in the area of glaciers, and cleared from the fields by early farmers or brought from the shores of Lake Ontario. Immigrants spread the style to other parts of the country, including an area of Wisconsin.  Historians estimate that at least 75 per cent, and possibly more than 90 percent, of American cobblestone buildings can be found within 70-75 miles of Rochester, New York.  The style was prominent between 1815 and about 1860; around 900 cobblestone buildings were constructed in New York State before the American Civil War.  After the war, construction slowed; there were only two post-Civil War cobblestone structures known.  About 700 homes remain in the Rochester area.

In true cobblestone architecture the whole wall consists of rows of cobblestone embedded in a lime mortar.  The exterior surface may especially carefully constructed for decorative effect with cobbles matched by size and color.  Some cobblestone architecture shows consisted matching in the size of the stones used, shape, and color.  This method of construction has been referred to as a form of folk art.  Cobblestone architecture is featured in many houses and farmhouses but also in churches, stores and town halls.

I live 25 miles east of Rochester, NY where there are many cobblestone houses.  At the top is a local school that was built of cobblestone.  The school was opened in 1848.  It has since been turned into a private residence.  All the homes I show below are private residences, except one.  Most are in the New York State Landmark Society.

All the houses shown are in the town that I live.  One shot is a close up of cobblestone.  You can find these and more in the local area of Rochester,

RECIPES THAT USE GROUND ALMONDS

Had the request for recipes with ground almond in them.  Here are two that were found on the computer.  Martha

ALMOND CRESCENTS

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup ground almonds

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Using a paddle attachment of your electric mixer, beat butter, gradually adding sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in extracts during the last minute.

Stir together flour and ground almonds.  Pour into the batter and mix briefly to combine.

Shape the dough into logs and bend into a crescent shape, using approximately 1 tablespoon of dough for each.

Place onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  While still warm roll gently in confections sugar.

ALMOND COOKIES

2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons pure almond extract
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 cup blanched almond halves

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together shortening and sugar.  When shortening and sugar are light and fluffy, add almond extract.  Add one egg at a time, beating until blended.

Add flour mixture slowly.  Blend in ground almonds.

Cover bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide dough into 4 parts and form a cylinder shape with each portion by rolling out until each log is 1 inch diameter.

Cut the logs into 1 inch sections.  Roll these into 1 inch balls.  Press an almond half into the center of each.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Recipes by Cooks.Com