A Farmer's Daughter Cookbook Review

Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen

SUMMARY:  Over 200 mouthwatering recipes - fresh from the farm

     I'm Dawn Stolzfus.  Welcome to my kitchen!  I was raised on a Mennonite farm where simple, wholesome food was a key ingredient of the good life.  Now I'm opening up my recipe box,wiping away the crumbs and wrinkles from the well-loved recipe cards, and sharing them with you.  From Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls and Strawberry Shortcake to Old-Fashioned Beef Stew and Chicken and Herb Dumplings, all the best comfort food I learned to cook from my mother are here, along with some dishes that may surprise you!

     In addition to the simple, wholesome recipes for starters, main dishes, sides, and desserts, I share favorite stories from my Mennonite upbringing, tips and tricks for easy meal planning and preparation, and ideas for serving with flair.

     If you enjoy feeding your family hearty, wholesome meals made with fresh ingredients and lots of love, please join me in the kitchen!

REVIEW:  I love cookbooks and this looks to become one of my favorites.  The recipes are ones that sound delicious and look like they might be relatively easy to make.  There are quite a few I've marked for future meals.

     One of the recipes included was one to make your own cream of chicken (celery or mushroom) soup from scratch.  Since I am always looking for ways to make my family's meals healthier, this is one I wanted to check it out, especially since I needed a can of cream of chicken soup for my recent casserole dish. The recipe was easy to follow and tasted really good, even though I left out some of the seasonings.  It has since been added to my mix.

Cream of Celery, Chicken, or Mushroom Soup

2 cups powdered milk

3 tbsp reduced sodium chicken bouillon

3 tbsp onion flakes

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

2 tbsp diced celery (or 1/2 cup freeze-dried 

mushrooms or chopped cooked chicken)

Mix together all ingredients except celery, mushrooms, or chicken, and store in an airtight container.  This makes a bulk version, so tape the instructions on your container so they'll be easily accessible when the time comes.

     To make the equivalent of one can of cream soup:  mix 1/3 cup dry soup with 1 1/4 cups water.  Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickened.  Add celery, mushrooms, or chicken.  Stir constantly so that soup will not burn or stick to bottom of pan.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Dawn Stoltzfus is a wife, a mother of two sweet little boys and one precious baby girl, and a lover of anything creative.  She started and ran The Farmer's Wife market until 2008, when she sold it in order to stay at home to raise her family.  She loves to cook, for one or three hundred.  Her love of cooking was inspired by her mother and developed as she cooked for her family of six on their active, working dairy farm in Ohio.