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Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Amish Friendship Bread

This is so much more than a recipe is is a way of life and thinking that escapes the modern way-of-life today. In our hi-tech world almost everything comes prepackaged and designed for instant gratification. So where does a recipe that takes ten days to make fit in? Maybe it's a touch stone to our past - to those days not so very long ago when everything we did took time and where a bread that took 10 days to make was not as extraordinary as it seems today.

When you've made your bread, you can give your friends a sample and the starter that made it! Then your friends can make their own and pass it along to their friends. This is why the bread is called "friendship bread". When you pass the starter on to a friend, make sure they understand that they will need to follow the instructions beginning at day one then will use the Amish Friendship Bread Recipe (with the oil, eggs, vanilla, etc.) on Day 10.


Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)

Day 2 - 4 stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - 9 - stir

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you will need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread.

Other Variations:

One thing that is terrific about Amish Friendship Bread is that there is so many variations of the final bread, you can keep on reinventing it every 10 days! Here are some options you may want to choose:

Lemon Amish Friendship Bread

Supstitue Lemon Extract for the vanilla. To the basic recipe and 1 box of lemon puding and an additinal 1/2 cup of milk. Omit the cinnamon and nuts.


Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Amish Friendship Bread

Omit the cinnamon from the basic recipe and add 1 (5.1 oz) box of instand chocolate pudding, and additional 1/2 cup milk, 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake for 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours.

Our Family Friday Tradition - Homemade Fish Fry

Although we would love to be able to attend church fish fry on a weekly basis, it does not fit in our family budget to make it a commonplace event in our lives. Living on one budget, the $40.00 a week bill is hard thing to make happen.

We use to live next to a wonderful Catholic family who had six grown children. Along with all of the grandchildren, a weekly visit to a fish fry would cost them hundreds of dollars each week. So, their family would get together before lent and make hundreds of perogies for the freezer and host their own family fish fries, moving it house to house each week. Then, they would go to Church for the Stations of the Cross. I always admired them, they are a close family, one that I hope ours would be like in years to come as my children grow.

A few years ago I decided to start my own family fish fry tradition. I get out the deep fryer, first I cut tortia's in triangles and deep fried them, then dusted them with cinnamon and sugar for dessert. I have a french fry cutter and make homemade deep fried french fries that the kids just love. After I get those out of the fryer, I deep fry a couple pieces of fish. I get the fish from Gordon Food Services, a box that lasts us all of lent only cost me $18.99. We did this last night, and afterwords, went to church. Yes, it is a lot of work for mom, but I think well worth it! I hope in years to come, as the children get older, I will have other hands pitching in to help.

I am a little behind this year, I did not get a chance to make the homemade pergoies, so yesterday I just used store bought ones. Next week I will post a picture of our Friday homemade fish fry, as well as recipe's for the perogies, lazy-mans lasagna, and noodles and cabbage. You can change your menu around every week, I promise this is a tradition that your entire family will soon look forward to!

Lenten Sermon

This was forwarded by a Byzantine Catholic Priest, Fr. Michael Hayduk:

This sermon was written by Fr. John Parker, Rector of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Mount Pleasant, SC. It is modeled on the well-known and beloved Paschal homily of St. John Chrysostom. My thanks to Archpriest Martin Canavan for sharing it with us. May this holy season bring all of us closer to Christ and each other; renewal by the power and action of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins so that we may rise in newness of life with Him on the third day. (MH)

If anyone be devout and love God,
Let him commence this radiant fast with joy!
If anyone be a wise servant,
Let him, rejoicing, enter into the school of repentance.

We who have wallowed long in sin,
Let us now begin our return.
If anyone has strayed from the first hour,
Let him today repent with zeal.
If anyone has sinned from the third hour,
Let him with gratitude embrace the fast.
If anyone has fled God from the sixth hour,
Let him have no misgivings about his prompt return;
Because he shall in nowise be turned away therefore.
If anyone has indulged the flesh since the ninth hour,
Let him draw near, fearing God alone and trusting in His mercy.
And if anyone has turned away only at the eleventh hour,
Let him also not hesitate to turn back with haste.

For the Lord, who is longsuffering and full of compassion and mercy, will accept the last even as the first.
He restores him who repents at the first hour,
As He does him who turns back at the eleventh.
And He shows mercy upon the last,
And cares for the first;
And to the one He gives,
And upon the other He bestows gifts.
And He both accepts the confession,
And welcomes the intention,
And honors the contrite heart and rejoices in the return.

Wherefore, enter all of you into the holiness of your Lord;
Offer your repentance,
Both the last, and likewise the first.
You rich and poor together, repent, for today we stand outside the closed gates of paradise.
You sober and you heedless, prostrate yourselves before your King!
Return to the Lord today, both you who have sinned with knowledge and those who have done so in ignorance.

Your pantries are full; empty them to the hungry.
The belly enslaves us, let no one be dominated thereby.
Enter all of you into the Great Fast;
Stripped of heavenly wealth by sin, all draw near to God’s rich loving-kindness!
Let no one despair in his sinfulness,
For the Bridegroom comes at midnight.
Weep all of you for your iniquities,
And draw near to the life-giving Cross of our Lord.
Let no one put confidence in the flesh,
For the Devil has deceived us all thereby, and therewith enslaves us to sin.

By turning from God, we are made captives.
We have called good evil and evil good, and put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.
And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:
Woe to those who put darkness for light, and light for darkness!

We are embittered, for we are banned from Eden.
We are embittered, but it is we who have mocked God.
We are embittered, for now we shall surely die.
We are embittered, for we have succumbed to the serpent.
We are embittered, for we are fettered in chains.
We partook of a fruit, and met the deceiver.
We were entrusted with paradise, but we chose Hell.
Our eyes were opened to see the nakedness of sin.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver us!
O Lord, make haste to help us!

This is the acceptable time, let us repent!
This is the day of salvation, let us crucify the passions!
The end is at hand and destruction hangs over us!
The end draws nigh, let us come again to our senses!
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, what first-fruit shall we offer?
Let us delay not, lest we remain dead in the grave, sold under sin!
For God desires not the death of the sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live!
So, let us choose life, and live, for the mercy of God endures forever!
To Him be glory and dominion
Unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lent Begins this Week for Roman & Byzantine Catholics

Lent is coming to both lungs of the church this week, Byzantine Catholics (Byzantine Catholics are in full communion with the Pope) will begin on Monday (Pure Monday), while Roman Catholics will begin their Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday. Pure Monday for the Byzantines is a day of strict fast, all meat and dairy is forbidden, including eggs and all egg and dairy product derivatives.

St. John Chrysostom taught that the real value of fasting actually lies in the interior, that by fasting and penance the faithful withdraw from sin and progress towards greater holiness.

The period of Lent is marked by both interior and exterior fasting and is a time of spiritual renewal. Although The Great Fast actually takes place during the darkest and coldest parts of winter, it should be the the goal of each pentitent that his or her interior light will actually get brighter as a result of his or her lenten practices.



“Turning away from all wickedness means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger, suppressing evil desires and avoiding all gossip, lying and swearing,” said St. Basil the Great of Lent .”To abstain from these things – herein lies the true value of the fast.”

Joel 2:12-14 - “Yet even now," declares the LORD your God, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? (ESV - Reading for the Sixth Hour on Wednesday)

Review of the 2/9/10 Oprah Show - The Domincan Sisters of Mary

I have to say that I was skeptical that I would feel good about the way the story on the Dominican Sisters would be slanted. I am soooo happy to say that the story was well done and the sisters were treated with the utmost respect. The world got a great education on the sisters vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was incredible how they likened what they give up as any bride would, but they are a bride of Christ. They went on to say that any woman who is married does give up a certain amount of freedom of money, possessions, and the like, as do they.

It was wonderful that we got the personal history on the nuns before entering the convent. By the worlds standards, they had sucessful lives. But although they were succesful women in thier own right, the still had that empty spot could be filled by any worldy success or goods, the spot could only be filled by Christ himself. They spoke of the all of the trappings of modern life like the ipods and facebook, and how they actually enjoyed the sense of freedom of being away from it all.

One sister commented of how God does takes care of everything, she was dating a young man who she loved very much and they were engaged to be married. He took her to see his sister when she was going to take her vows to become a nun. It was at the time when she herself actually received her callig. Now, that young man that she was going to marry will become a priest when this woman takes her final vows. One thing I keep on hearing from these woman, God is so good.

When asked how could they could ever be open to a life without sex, one of the sisters likened it to loving chocolate, she because chocolate is good, it does not mean you are going to have it every day, or have any less of a life because you do not indulge in it. They lead a very integrated life where they are actually married to Christ and their sexuality is expressed in their love of and service to others.

It wonderful to see how the sister had fun in their daily activities. You could just feel the love for God in that convent. I came away from this show in awe of these woman, and their simples lives as the brides of Christ. I look to my own life today and see how I want to simplify and pare down my life, so I can focus more on the service to the people in my life, not always having to give service to the things that often take control.

What a great witness!

Dominican Sisters of Mary on Oprah Today!!

Be sure and try to catch Oprah today, Tuesday, February 9th. The show will be featuring The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. These devout Orthodox Sisters having been getting much attention paid to them because of their rapid growth since their humble beginning in 1997, when four nuns responded to John Paul's call for a new evangalization. The Domincan Sisters now have 100 members, and their mother house is already at capacity. At a time when most have an anverage age in their 70's, the average age of a sister here is 26! What a wonderful proclamation to the world that these young nuns will be making today! Let's be sure to pray for their continued success!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Did anyone try out a new recipe this Superbowl Sunday that they deemed a success? We would love to hear from you! This year we made Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts, and they were unbelievable!! Sweet and crunchy, in the beginning I thought I made too much but we actually ran out! Here is the recipe:

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

2 cans whole chestnuts
1 pound bacon

Sauce

3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 mayonnaise
1/2 cup Chile sauce

Wrap 1/2 piece of bacon around a chestnut, secure it with a toothpick. Place the on a cookie sheet, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. At this points, add the sauce and bake 20 more minutes. I kept mine in a crock pot afterwords. Delicious!

Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life

What is the Most Talked About Ad of the 2010 Superbowl?I am sooo happy to say that the most talked about ad this year for Superbowl is a 30 second commercial about the sanctity of life with star Quarterback Tim Tebow and his mom. Check out www.citizenlink.org to watch a short video from Stuart Shepard and Gard Schneeberger about the ad. People are already protesting, let's show our support!! This story is truly inspiring, I can't wait to see it!!

Archbishop Fulton Sheen's Museum Exhibit Opening

Our eparchy is currently hosting an exhibit on the life of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The exhibit opening occured this past Wednesday, February 3rd. There to tell us about Archbishop Sheen's life was Fr. Andrew Apostoli who is heading the the cause of the Archbishop to become a Saint. He gave an outstanding talk, certainly inspiring me to go read the the book "Treasure in Clay", which is the Archbishop's autobiography.

His famous "Life is Worth Living" (1952-1957) had an estimated audience of over thirty million people despite the fact that his show was opposite Milton Berle, aka "Mr. Televesion". His second year on television, the Archbishop earned an Emmy winning despite the tough competition of Lucille Ball and Milton Berle. When Archbishop Sheen gave his acceptance speech, he quipped, "I would like to thank my writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John".

Another quote of his that I took away as a keeper was, "We don't need a voice that's right when everybody else is right; but we need a voice that's right when everybody else is wrong."

To anyone out there that is an EWTN junkie, you will know what I mean when I say the highlight of my day was meeting Fr. Andrew Apostoli. It is truly a meeting that has left me a changed person. What a holy, humble man he is. He is so on fire about teaching the message of Fatima, he also recommend the movie that has been released about Fatima, "The Thirteenth Hour" which is available from Ignatious Press. We still need to pray for the conversion of Russia, as well as keep the first Saturday of each month.

Another interesting tidbit, Fr. Andrew Apostoli was actually ordained by Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Prayer to Obtain a Favor Through the Intercession of the Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and by the working of the Holy Spirit. If it be according to You Will, glorify Your servant , Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession (mention your request). I make this prayer confidently through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

If you would like to obtain prayer cards or for information about Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, or to report any spiritual favors granted through his intercession, you can head over to: http://www.archbishopsheencause.org/.

Family Super Bowl Party

I have to say, I am not the biggest fan of football. But, I do enjoy creating traditions and memories of what we do as a family. So with three men in the house, having s Super Bowl Party is a simply a must! This week, I am making my lists and checking them twice: wings, pulled pork, nacho's & cheese, brownies in the shape of footballs. . . In short, we will be feasting on everything that is not good for us this day. I have picked up through the years at discount & party stores different parafanlia like bowls and serving dished in the shape of footballs. Today is a family day of fun, no "real" meals, everything is kid and dad friendly, a day to throw the old diet out the window and just have some family fun!

Getting Ready for Lent - Part 1

Has anyone out there started to prepare for Lent? It soon coming upon us, wouldn't it be great to make this the best Lenten Season of our lives? I am praying that God will send forth many Graces this year. I want to be transformed, and for my family to have a deeper desire to be close to God, as well as the desire to love and serve others.

Lent is a forty day period which is marked by fasting, both from foods as well as festivities, and by doing other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up during the season of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Usually, people break the fast on Sundays (the day of the resurrection).

Every year, I try to get a new book on the life of a Saint for each member of my family to read during the season of reflection. There also some wonder books written specially to read during the Season of Lent.

I encourage you to begin thinking about the Season of Lent. Things that bear consideration, what will you be eating (or not eating)?, what will your prayer life be like, what will you be reading, what about almsgiving, or your service to others? Let's make this Lenten Season indeed a very special one, one in which we will be blessed by many graces. Let's rise above just giving up candy for 40 days, and make is truly a season of repentance. I have a great quote regarding detachment to the world and love and service to others:

Faith and love which are gifts of the Holy Spirit are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went. Besides this, the Holy Spirit gives man the power to resist the delusions of the world so that although he makes use of earthly good, yet he uses them as a temporary visitor, without attaching his heart to them. But a man who has not got the Holy Spirit, despite all his learning and prudence, is always more or less a slave and worshipper of the world.

St. Innocent of Irkutsk, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven.

New York City, N.Y., Jan 29, 2010 / 04:28 pm (CNA).- After the U.S. Postal Service announcement that they are featuring Mother Teresa on an upcoming stamp, the atheist group Freedom from Religion has urged its supporters to boycott the stamp on the grounds that it violates postal regulations. The group is also encouraging a letter writing campaign site Mother Theresa's "dark side".

Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts commented on Thursday that “Mother Teresa is not being honored because of her religion, she's being honored for her work with the poor".

The stamp is reported to be released on August 26, which would have been Mother Teresa's 100th birthday. Mother Theresa won the Nobel Peace Price in 1979.

"Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years," the Postal Service said in a press release. "Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to work on behalf of the world’s poorest populations."

“Her contribution to the world as a humanitarian speaks for itself and is unprecedented.”

Gosh, I have say, did anyone boycott the Rev. Martin Luter King, or Malcom X because they were religious figures? Let us pray for those who are opposing this stamp, and let us all learn from the life of Mother Teresa.