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“ The Christmas season is one of the busiest times in the Pennsylvania Dutch kitchen. For weeks before Christmas the house is filled with the smell of almond cookies, anise cookies, sandtarts, Belsnickle Christmas cookies, walnut kisses, pfeffernusse, and other traditional cookies. Not just a few of one kind but dozens and dozens of many kinds of cookies must be made. There must be plenty for the enjoyment of the family and many holiday visitors. ”

“ PEACH DUMPLINGS 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup milk or cream 2 cups sliced peaches 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 2 cups hot water
Make a syrup of the sugar with the butter and 2 cups hot water. Add the peaches. Let this come to a boil. Make dumplings by mixing flour and baking powder and salt into a fairly stiff batter with milk or cream. Drop large spoonfuls of this batter into the boiling syrup and peaches. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Serve while hot. ”

“ Dissolve yeast cake in 1⁄4 cup of warm milk, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stand in warm place to rise. Cream butter and sugar, add salt and the eggs, beaten in one at a time. Add the sponge containing the yeast, the lukewarm cream and the sifted flour. Grease muffin pans and sift a little flour over them. Fill pans about 2⁄3 full with the batter. Set in a warm place until dough rises to the top of the pans. Bake in hot oven (400-f) for 25 minutes. ”

“ Soups are a traditional part of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking and the Dutch housewife can apparently make soup out of anything. If she has only milk and flour she can still make rivel soup. However, most of their soups are sturdier dishes, hearty enough to serve as the major portion of the evening meal. ”

“ DANDELION SALAD Young dandelion greens 4 thick slices bacon 1⁄2 cup cream 2 tblsp. butter 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 1 tblsp. sugar 4 tblsp. vinegar 1⁄2 tsp. paprika black pepper
Wash dandelions and pick over carefully. Roll in cloth and pat dry. Put into a salad bowl and set in warm place. Cut bacon in small cubes, fry quickly and pour over dandelions. Put butter and cream into a skillet and melt over low heat. Beat eggs, add salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar, then mix with the slightly warm cream mixture. Cook over high heat until dressing is quite thick. ”

“ Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add well beaten eggs, lemon and spice. Add lukewarm milk to yeast and mix with half the flour. Work in butter and sugar mixture and enough flour to knead into a smooth dough. Keep it as soft as can be handled readily. Let rise over night at about 80 degrees. As soon as dough is fully doubled in bulk, knead down and let rise again for an hour. Makes three dozen.
CRUMB CAKE 1⁄2 cup sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon 1⁄4 cup chopped nuts 3⁄4 cup flour 3 tablespoons melted butter
Combine the dry ingredients. Work in melted butter until crumbs are formed. ”

“ Melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the onion and celery. Stir in the bread crumbs to toast for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add all the other ingredients, combine with the potatoes and mix thoroughly.
DUTCH CABBAGE ROLLS 1 lb. ground beef 1⁄3 cup rice, uncooked 1 egg 1 onion, chopped fine 2 tblsp. shortening Juice of 1 lemon 1 can tomato soup 1⁄2 cup celery, chopped 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. parsley, minced 6 cabbage leaves salt and pepper
Combine meat, salt, pepper, rice and egg, mix well. For the sauce: saute onion in the butter until soft. ”

“ Cream shortening with white and brown sugar. Add 2 eggs and work in the sifted dry ingredients. Then add the chopped blanched almonds. Shape dough into long rolls. Roll in wax paper and store in cold place for 12 hours. Slice thin and bake in hot oven.
SAND TARTS 2 cups sugar 1 cup butter 4 eggs flour
Work butter and part of the sugar together, then the remainder of the sugar and the eggs should be mixed in. Use flour enough to make very stiff. Roll thin, cut out in small squares, wet top with two eggs beaten, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and chopped almonds. ”

“ Cut oranges into quarters and remove seeds. Grind cranberries and oranges, fruit and rind in food chopper. Add the hot water and bring to a boil. Cook quickly until fruit is soft. Add sugar and raisins. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until thickened. Add chopped walnuts or blanched almonds.
APPLE BUTTER 4 qts. apples 2 qts. apple cider 2 cups sugar 2 cups dark corn syrup 1 tsp. cinnamon
Boil the cider until reduced to 1 quart. Pare the apples and slice thin. Put the apples into the cider and cook very slowly, stirring frequently, until it begins to thicken. ”

“ Put in the onion, celery, potatoes, tomato sauce, parsley and the salt and pepper and simmer until vegetables are soft. Remove the ham bone, trim off any meat, cut it up and add to soup. Many Pennsylvania Dutch cooks cut up hard boiled eggs and add them to the soup. ”

“ Drop these into the soup, also the chopped, hard-boiled eggs. Boil for 15 minutes longer.
CORN SOUP WITH RIVELS 3 cups fresh or canned corn 2 qts. water 1 cup rich milk 11⁄3 cups flour 1 egg 3 tblsp. butter 11⁄2 tsp. salt parsley
Cook corn in water for 10 minutes. Make a batter by mixing egg, flour and milk together. Pour this batter through a colander, letting it drop into the boiling corn. Add butter and salt. Cook slowly in a covered pan for 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. Soup should be eaten immediately after rivels are cooked. ”

“ Add cubed potatoes, grated carrot and diced hard-cooked eggs. Blend and serve hot.
HOT SLAW
Shred cabbage finely. Boil in slightly salted water until tender. Drain. Serve hot thoroughly mixed with warm cooked salad dressing made as follows:
1⁄2 teaspoon mustard 11⁄2 teaspoons salt 11⁄2 teaspoons sugar 11⁄2 tablespoons flour 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper 1 beaten egg 1 cup milk 4 tablespoons vinegar 11⁄2 tablespoons butter
Mix mustard, salt, sugar, flour, paprika and pepper. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add milk and vinegar. Cook over hot water, stirring frequently until thick. Add butter. ”

“ Drain and wipe dry. Dip slices in beaten egg and roll in fine bread or cracker crumbs. Fry in hot fat (or deep fat) until well browned on both sides. Serve with catsup or tomato sauce.
SWEET AND SOUR BEETS 3 cups beets, diced 1 cup beet water 1 tblsp. sugar 1⁄4 cup vinegar 2 tsp. butter 1 tblsp. corn starch
Cut off beet tops leaving 2 inches of the stems. Clean well, place in pot and cover with boiling water. Cook until tender, slip off the outer skins and dice. Strain and save 1 cup of the water in which beets were cooked. Add sugar, vinegar and butter. ”