New cookbook review - A Farmer's Daughter

A Farmer’s Daughter: Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen

By Dawn Stoltzfus  

978-0-8007-2091-9

$13.99 

224 pages

Pub Date: October 2012

 

Looking at a book that says “Over 300 mouthwatering recipes!” I’m excited! And when I check it out, this book, is so much more than a cookbook. Reminiscent of the Raised on Sunshine and Raised on Rainbows, Stoltzfus includes little tidbits such as Food For Thought that’s almost a devotional and a challenge at the end of chapters. “How do you prepare for your own day of rest?” she asks at the end of Chapter Four. “I encourage you to incorporate this principle of rest and see what it will do for your soul!” The author also makes plenty of suggestions for additions and substitutes on many recipes - a great time-saver when you're in a hurry and don't have or care for or are allergic to some of the ingredients.

I page through, seeing a few favorites, such as cheddar potato chowder, variations on meatloaf and all kinds of yummy breads. Things to do with tomatoes…tomato toppers with bacon and onions and Worcestershire sauce. Ah – Hubby has a newfound love of rosemary. I think I’ll try the Baked Rosemary Chicken tonight and get back to you. – the next morning: Pretty Good! I had to make a few adjustments as I used plump breasts and cut them open, and had no celery, so used celery seed. But it was great using our own garlic, apples and onion for the main fill. Very easy and tasty.

 

Here's what the dish looked like before I put it in the oven - I even got the professional grease on the page.

And here's the final meal, served with squash from my son's garden and green beans, a tasty meal.

I’m going to love this book! Divided into chapters that are more than just the usual meal portions, Stoltzfus includes whole chapters of season items, “Summer Sandwiches and Winter Soups,” and Spring Salads and Dressings.” And two separate chapters of sweets. A woman after my own heart for sure.

 

About the author:

Dawn Stoltzfus is a wife, a mother of two sweet little boys 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 and sees cooking and entertaining as an opportunity to serve them out of love and joy rather than out of a sense of obligation. Her love for cooking was inspired by her mother and developed as she cooked for her family of six on their active, working dairy farm in Ohio.

 

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