5 comments about Amish Friends Cookbook.

1. We have Amish friends in Indiana and Pennsylvania and have enjoyed
   many of the dishes that are in the Amish Friends Cookbook. I love
   this book and would recommend it to anyone that loves good cooking.



2. This cookbook is the best one I have ever read or cooked out of. When you open the book and see the Amish pictures you can almost smell the aroma of it all cooking in an Amish kitchen. This is a must have!



3. I collect Penna. Dutch style cookbooks. This one has not disappointed me at all. I grew up outside of Lancaster County and still enjoy Dutch style food. A lot of the recipes in this book I remember my Grandmother making. They are all very tasty and easy to adapt to your own tastes. I highly recommend it if you want to sample some good comfort food that is easy to make with many ingredients you already have.



4. Amish Friends Cookbook
   I love this cookbook! Has wonderful and easy receipes.
   Highly recommend it.



5. Very nice cookbook. The recipes are simple and common foods that I would make. The quotes at the bottom are inspirational.

5 comments about Waiting for Summer's Return (Waiting for Summer's Return Series #1).

1. I have to admit that I've read this "story" before. We all have. The grief-stricken widow finds new hope through a widower and his son. HOWEVER, Kim Sawyer has brushed freshness over the plot and inserted twists that erase predictability. Also her writing style is perfection. Waiting for Summer's Return is high on my recommended list.



2. I enjoyed this book very much. Good book. Look forward to more books by this author.



3. Kim Vogel Sawyer created a believable story of a mother and wife suffering the pangs of grief after the loss of her four children and husband.
   
   Summer Steadman finds herself alone in a small Mennonite community in Gaeddart, Kansas during the fall of 1894. So deep in mourning that she finds food repugnant, she has allowed her body to become weakened. Her soul has become as emaciated as her body. No longer sure that God loves her or anyone else, Summer's only real wish is to join her family in death. It seems God has other plans for her, though.
   
   Peter Ollenburger, a local gristmill owner, is in need of a teacher for his son, Thomas. Since the young boy is housebound after an accident resulting in broken ribs and can't ride his horse to school, he is falling behind in his studies. Peter's wife, Elsa, would be the logical choice to be his teacher, but she died six years earlier. Peter needs someone to live on his property and give the boy his lessons until he is fully recovered. After learning that Summer Steadman has lost her family to illness and has need of a position, he proposes that she come live in his home as Thomas's teacher. When objections to the impropriety of the situation are brought to his attention, Peter agrees that Summer could live in his shariah rather than in the house with the family. Wanting only to be close to the graves of her family, Summer accepts Peter's proposition and moves to his property.
   
   What awaits the reader of Waiting for Summer's Return is a journey of relationship renewals. Summer and Peter both travel the path toward new knowledge of people and God. The trip is filled with bumps and ruts much like the road to the town of Gaeddart. As Thomas grows to know his temporary teacher, his affection for her grows to become the love of a child for a mother. Neither Summer nor Peter had planned on this complication. What are they to do? How will God orchestrate the symphony of their lives?
   
   Kim Vogel Sawyer's writing is a joy to read. Her characters catch the reader's heart. It is hard to put the book down in order to carry on with life. Waiting for Summer's Return is one of those books you will want to keep reading to the point where the dishes will stack up in the sink and the laundry will go unwashed because you have to read just one more chapter. And that chapter leads to another and then another. Go ahead read those chapters. The dishes and the laundry will be there when you finish the book.



4. Set on the early 1900's mid-western prairie, "Waiting for Summer's Return" is masterfully written. A glimpse into the old Mennonite way of life, a sprinkling of German, a handful of elegantly crafted characters, and Sawyer's attention to detail makes for delightful historical fiction.
   With delicate skill, Sawyer lays out the clear plan of salvation and a God-ordained prescription for coping with and overcoming withering grief. However, do not be deceived by the book's weighty topics. "Waiting for Summer's Return" is well-rounded with an enchanting plot complete with touches of gentle humor that break the tension at just the right moments.
   This is one of the better books, I have read recently. Recommended.



5. Wow! I couldn't beleive how much I truly enjoyed this book. The love story between Summer and Peter was a bittersweet event. Summer, who lost her whole family to disease, and Peter, widow and father of a young son, must learn to love again and let someone new into their lives. Wonderful is all I have to say - a MUST READ!

5 comments about The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook.

1. I ordered this for my landlady, she said she hasn't cooked from it yet, but she loves it, we both looked through it when it arrived and we loved the little notes from Beverly Lewis, the recipes look delicious and very down to earth, my husband loves to watch the food channel but so much of it is too fancy and strange ingredients, that stinks! I will probably buy this sometime for myself. It is a lovely cookbook, and I recommend it to anyone who likes Beverly Lewis, Cooking, or collecting cookbooks, it is a must have. Go for it you'll not regret it. Have fun in your kitchen.



2. I'm really enjoying the cookbook. The recipes are simple and taste great. I made the breakfast pumpkin bread and everyone that has tried it really likes it.



3. I have this from the library and now I have to buy it--my entire family loves these meals, they are finally all pleased with my suppers! (The kids are 11, 9, 8 and 6). We have loved almost every single recipe. The only note I would add is that there is a LOT of sugar in them, which can be decreased by about 25%, and the dishes turn out even better tasting. I actually bought some Chocolate Crunch Surprise from an Amish-run store in Missouri a few years back--what a treat it was to make it today at home--it is awesome! We also love Bird's Nest, Baked Oatmeal, Perfect Pumpkin Bread, Chicken Mushroom Bake, Cabbage Patch Stew, Ginger Ale Fruit Salad, Grandma Buchwalter's Tuna Salad, and Chicken and Waffles. We didn't like the Hearty Vegetable Soup, and the waffles were too sweet (the only waffle recipe I've ever seen with lots of sugar in it). Also, the homemade mayo recipe does NOT call for Miracle Whip--it's a for real homemade mayo recipe. The recipes come from the author's grandmother's recipe box, and she lived from 1886-1954, so they're authentic, as far as historical, but from Old Order Mennonites. This cookbook has restored my love of cooking, and we're eating so well now!! And if you ever want to make your own Amish Friendship Bread--the starter recipe and all is right here!



4. Not much out of the way from a lot of other cookbooks but has some good standards and lots of nice little quotes.



5. This cookbook is great and has simple recipes and they do not take up your time. The recipes are not for large family. You can make it as it calls for or you can double it. I like this. These are great recipes. Way to go Beverly Lewis. I also like how she gives tips for some the recipes.

5 comments about More-With-Less Cookbook.

1. I have just ordered my second copy of this excellent book as mine (that I have bought back in 1991) is torn, stained and well-used and loved. This book is full of recipes that are simple, delicious, filling and can be adjusted according to the size of your family (I have five children and have to adjust my recipes accordingly). The author writes about being more frugal and how today's diet is high in sugar and wasteful things. I have learned much about re-using leftovers and planning my weekly menus with the ideas in this book. With today's rising food and fuel prices, this book would be an invaluable resource if you're looking to save money and seek more recipes using leftovers.



2. I am reading the best cookbook I have ever read. It is called The More-With-Less Cookbook, by Doris Jantzen Longacre. The first fifty pages are about food politics, how the food industry developed into its current state, and why what North Americans eat effects the entire world and causes other people to go hungry. This book cuts to the core of these issues better than any book I've ever read, even Fast Food Nation or Diet for a Small Planet. So even if you don't read any of the recipes, it still is worth reading the first fifty pages.
   this book has helped me to look at food in a new way. It has reiterated what both of my nutrition teachers have preached, as well, which is: Don't trust the government and certainly don't trust health claims by food manufacturers. They don't have your best interests at heart.
   
   The author of this book was a Mennonite missionary, and wrote this as a church cookbook in the '70's. It became so wildly popular that a publisher picked it up, but even still it is obviously written with a Mennonite community in mind. However, I found the ethics that the author espoused to be absolutely universal- all Golden Rule type stuff. Also, she quotes a Muslim, expresses admiration for Southeast Asian Buddhists, and advocates on behalf of birth control, so I think she must have been a pretty hip lady.
   
   Plus it has spiral binding! All cookbooks should be bound this way. So it shall be when I am in charge.
   
   Anyway, if you stumble across this book in the library, snap it up. It's awesome.



3. Over the last 10 years as the global food market has opened up, I've enjoyed access to international ingredients and new cooking styles but have sometimes forgotten that a meal doesn't have to be unusual to be good. More with Less is simple without being pedestrian. It includes international recipes that don't require running to a specialty market. More with Less touches on nutritional and environmental issues as well as eating as a spiritual act. The author calls for "low-cost, low-fat, low-sugar and less expensive proteins." There are eye-opening dietary tables, cost breakdowns and equivalents. It's a very handy and comforting book. I'll be reaching for it again and again.



4. When I visited a friend she recommended this cookbook to me. She told me that no matter her circumstances, she feels like she always can come up with a meal with this book. Since we are feeling the pinch of rising prices and less money, I bought the book. What she said is correct. You can make some tasty, substantial meals with pretty much what you have on hand.
   
   The author compiled recipes from frugal people, many of whom were missionaries that had to learn to "make do" what local fare. The recipes are simple, easy to understand and fix, and satisfying.



5. This cookbook is so much more than recipes. It's an approach to food that's gentle, kind, thoughtful and practical. The recipes are great, nothing to out there, just good food my family will love. The ideology behind this book is nothing less than inspirational. Highly recommended for those interested in taking care of our bodies, our families and the entire planet.

5 comments about Bygones: Sommerfeld Trilogy #1 (Truly Yours Romance Club #10).

1. Can I admit that this book sat on my shelf for six months. I wanted to read it, but I was afraid I would be unable to get into a story about the collision of old and new with the Mennonite thread. Yet from the moment I picked up this book till I finished it the next day, I could not get away from this story. The characters and plot were amazingly gripping.
   
   This book is real with characters that I could relate to. From Henry who has loved Marie for years, to her father whose stubbornness may undo him, to Beth who can't wait to get out of town. And the clash of Mennonite expectations with the 21st Century made me long for that simplicity - though I do like my electricity, thank you very much.
   
   This is a book that will touch you long after you've stopped reading it, whether you're the prodigal longing to come home or on the other side waiting to see if the prodigal is truly changed.



2. I liked this book.I think she is a very good writer and will enjoy reading more of her books.Nadia Rehmani author of Sharper Than A Two Edged Sword.-my true story



3. It's been over two decades since Marie Koeppler married Jep Quinn. Jep's world offered the young Mennonite girl an exciting new life - until his death left her a very young widow and a single mother.
   
   Shunned by her Old Order Mennonite family and friends, Marie makes a life for herself and her daughter in the "outside" world. In the twenty-three years since she left Sommerfeld, Kansas, she has all but forgotten her roots. But then her old Mennonite beau shows up with shocking news: A beloved aunt has died, leaving her house and café to Marie's daughter, Beth. The stipulation: Beth must live three months in Sommerfeld in order to claim the inheritance.
   
   When Marie reluctantly accompanies her daughter back to her childhood home, she's unprepared for the onslaught of emotions and memories that await her there. Before long, she's yearning for and finding the faith she lost so long ago, and - much to her daughter's dismay - reclaiming old habits, lifestyles, and maybe even an old love.
   
   But then someone starts stealing from the Mennonites, and suspicion falls at the outsiders' door. Even Henry, who never quite healed from Marie's abandonment of their budding relationship so long ago, turns an accusing eye on her and Beth.
   
   Sommerfeld is a community built on strict biblical principles and rigid tenets. It's populated by good people with preconceived and often misplaced suspicions of outsiders. Marie despairs of proving her innocence, and her sincerity in returning to the Mennonite faith. Can she and Henry overcome the obstacles and rekindle the embers of love? Can they all find a way to let bygones be bygones?
   
   Kim Vogel Sawyer's Bygones is a fascinating look into the Mennonite world, seamlessly woven into a fascinating, completely believable storyline. It's a well-written tale of faith and hope, of forgiveness and love, and of human frailty and strength, all portrayed in characters so real they move and breathe. Definitely a winner!



4. This is a great read from a proven excellent writer. I end each book with a desire for the next book to be ready to read. I did have the pleasure of being able to purchase both Bygones and Beginnings from Amazon at the same time. Then Amazon had a prepurchase deal on the final series, Blessings. I have yet to finish it, but know it will be just as great as the other two. I highly recommend all three books, and all others Kim Vogel Sawyer has written. Thank You



5. Marie is a former Mennonite girl who fell in love with a truck driver and left. In the interim, he died shortly, and she gave birth to his little daughter. Excited, Marie took her two week old back home where she was promptly rejected by her father and told to get out of his life, forever.
   She did, keeping in touch with only one friend, her dear Aunt.
   
   The aunt passed, leaving her little home and cafe to Marie's daughter with provisions they live there three months. Almost an impossibility, Marie accompanies her 20 yr old daughter Beth back to the Mennonite communtiy where they stand out in a negative way and make no friends.
   
   Henry, who has remained single for 20 years, torn over his lost love, welcomes them to the community and makes things as easy as possible. One sister accepts them, but Marie's mother and father and several siblings do not.
   
   Beth has a hard time living for three months without television, electricity, or modern conveniences, but Marie feels the pull of familiar days and she is happy. She actually turns back to the faith and culture of her youth. It is only when a mystery crime spree spoils her stay that she knows she must return to Wyoming.
   
   The most painful paragraph is when sweet, loyal Henry believes that Marie is the culprit of the crimes. I am ready for book 2

5 comments about Beginnings: Sommerfeld Trilogy #2 (Truly Yours Romance Club #15).

1. Beth Quinn doesn't regret leaving the city, but she doesn't really fit in with the Old Order Mennonite community of Sommerfeld. However, her mother is here and Beth has opened a stained glass studio. She's starting to make a name for herself, and eventually she catches the attention of Sean McCauley, who orders a stained glass window for his father's business, a construction company specializing in erecting church buildings. Beth is under a lot of stress, trying to finish the window on time and keep up with other orders. To make matters more complicated, her employee Andrew Braun seems to be attracted to her. She is also drawn to Sean McCauley. Soon Beth must make a very serious decision. Beginnings is the story of a young woman who is a new Christian, and isn't sure where she belongs. Books about the Mennonites and Amish are popular now and Kim Vogel Sawyer's stories are among the best. Enticing romance with a strong faith message.



2. This was a good book.I always enjoy these types of books.For Some reason I can realy feel what they feel.Nadia Rehmani



3. Beth Quinn feels like the misfit of Sommerfield, Kansas. She moved there with her mother to claim her inheritance. In the process, she found faith and an unknown talent in stained glass making. Her mother embraced the life of the Old Order Mennonite, married her childhood sweat heart and is pregnant with twins. Beth feels loved but left out. The only place she belongs is in her stained glass studio.
   She dreams of using newfound Christian faith by using the talents God has given her to operate a successful stained glass studio. Enter Andrea Braun, member of the Sommerfield fellowship and Sean McCauley, of McCauley Church Construction. Andrea works beside her in the studio and longs for her success to give him the opportunity to stop farming and follow his love of art. Sean contracts her to do stained glass windows for the churches they build.
   Can Beth forget her painful past and trust these men for who they are and not what she fears they want from her? Or will she be swept away like the tiny glass dust on her studio floor?
   This book will draw you in and keep you reading as you root for all of the characters. And when you close the book you will be eager to read the next one.



4. Wonderful book...the whole series is good. Purchased for a gift and my giftee absolutely loves them. Can't wait for the next one.



5. Book two of Sommerfield Trilogy is the story of Beth. She has opened up a stained glass business in the little Mennonite town, although she, herself has not changed her lifestyle. She has found true peace with God, and attends church, but does not intend to join the church or the culture into which her mother, Marie has returned. Beth tolerates in, but does not embrace it.
   
   Marie is now middle aged, and pregnant with twins, Henry's first children, which will be 20 years younger than Beth, but she is very, very happy with her Mennonite husband and life. Henry dotes over here, and they are both supportive of Beth.
   
   Beth has one employee, Andrew, who really has his hat set for her, but he is Mennonite, and she is not. End of that possibility. He plans to be an artist much to his father's displeasure. Farming has been their way for decades, and Andrew has no interest in farming, but he does respect his father.
   
   As Beth's talents are becoming known, a large construction company contacts her to do a large, expensive sample church window for them, on a very, very strict schedule...if they are satisfied, they will sign a large contract for 17 more windows. If she does not finish in time or they are not satisfied, the deal is off. The young business representative, Sean, also has his eye on Beth, and he is not Mennonite. Beth seems to be pretty blind to the feelings of either man, although occasionally she does get a "twinge" of something for both men...nothing serious.
   
   Her mother Marie, has a difficult pregnancy and delivery, and the story of Beth takes a huge turn. Not to spoil the story, I will leave it at that. The important part is that Beth finally finds her own way, and who she really is, and who and what are really important.
   
   Even though this book dragged a bit in places, I already have book three, and expect great things from the final book in the series. Thank you Kim, for another wholesome and believable Christian Fiction novel.

5 comments about When the Morning Comes (Sisters of the Quilt #2).

1. I loved this book every bit as much as the first one in the series. I bought it as soon as it came out and it's a real page-turner. You can't help but think about Hannah and the people left behind in Owl's Perch even when you're finished with it! Love love love this series and am waiting for Ms. Woodsmall's next volume!!!!



2. While I am by no means a professional writer, I know what I like, and I am just blown away by Cindy Woodsmall's books. When The Morning Comes is the 2nd book in her Sisters of the Quilt series, and I snatched it up the day it hit the shelves.
   Ms. Woodsmall's writing grabbed me by the heart, and I cannot seem to put her books down until I am finished with them. She tells a very powerful story, and I for one am waiting impatiently for the last of this series!



3. How very refreshing to come across a writer like Cindy Woodsmall, who is able to create characters and storylines that are totally absorbing to the reader without the addition of smut and profanity. I read her first book in this series, went right out and got the second, and can't wait till the third! In my opinion, her books are right up there with the works of Beverly Lewis. I am now a fan!



4. TALK ABOUT A CLIFF HANGER! Dudette, you can not just leave me hanging like this, I don't know how I'm suppose to make it to September! Ugh!
   
   This book was really great, better than the first, and I really enjoyed that one. There is real issues that are tough on life and hard, but there is goodness. There are more characters to fall in love with in this book and the personalities are so real and so great, that you do not know who to love more as a reader and feel just as confused as the charac...more TALK ABOUT A CLIFF HANGER! Dudette, you can not just leave me hanging like this, I don't know how I'm suppose to make it to September! Ugh!
   
   This book was really great, better than the first, and I really enjoyed that one. There is real issues that are tough on life and hard, but there is goodness. There are more characters to fall in love with in this book and the personalities are so real and so great, that you do not know who to love more as a reader and feel just as confused as the character and then realize the things that you know that she/he doesn't and your heart breaks for them, but you still do not know which would be better! I could not read this book fast enough to find out what happens and each part is really unexpected and fascinating. I earnestly cannot wait for the next book!



5. MY SITER ELLEN TURNED ME ONTO THE AMISH BOOKS BY BEVERLY LEWIS, ONE DAY IN BORDERS DISAPOINTED THE NEW ONE WAS NOT IN STOCK I RAN ACROSS CINDY WOODSMALLS FIRST BOOK SO I DECIDED TO BUY IT. WHAT A GREAT FIND, LOVED BOTH BOOKS. I LIVE IN NJ AND I LOVE GOING TO LANCASTER AREA AND SOME PARTS OF NJ HAVE MANY VENDERS AT FLEA MARKET WHERE THE AMISH LIVE. IF YOU EVER CAN MAKE THE TRIPYOU WILL LOVE IT AND THE WARMTH OF THE PEOPLE ARE WONDERFUL SO READING THE BOOKS ARE A NICE WAY TO SORT OF TAKE ME THERE IN BETWEEN VISIT TO MY FRIEND OVER IN PA.
   THE FIRST BOOK I COULD NOT PUT DOWN AND THIS ONE WAS EXCELLENT AS WELL. IT SHOWS ANOTHER SIDE OF THE AMISH MY HEART BROKE WHEN HER FAMILY DID NOT BELEIVE HER ABOUT THE RAPE. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HER NEXT ONE AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW HER LIKE LEWIS. ENJOY!!!

5 comments about Sarah.

1. I truly enjoyed "SARAH". The in general writing is a "see Spot run" experience, but more important was the realness with which Mr. Eicher expressed the Amish way. I could feel his ownership of these happenings and their impact on an Amish life.
   
   I look forward to "SARAH'S SON". Thankyou Mr. Eicher
   
   Greatfylly, Peggy



2. I agree with the other comment about it now being on par with Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis novels. I doubt I will read other books by this author.



3. I agree that this book did not hold my interest! It went from one plot to another. I will not be reading any more of this authors books.



4. This is an excellent book. I really enjoyed reading this first book by a new (to me) author, Jerry Eicher.



5. this was a good book,written by a man but very good,close to brunstteter, nadia rehmani-author of sharper than a two edged sword-one woman's walk into islam and out.have a good day,

5 comments about Blessings: Sommerfeld Trilogy #3 (Truly Yours Romance Club #19).

1. A return to Sommerfield is like visiting old friends. And, if this is your first trip there, you will find yourself longing to stay.
   
   Trina Miller loves her Old Order Mennonite heritage and her small hometown. She also has a deep love for animals and has always had an affinity for caring for them. After sitting up all night with an ailing horse and the local veterinarian affirming her expert care of the animal, Trina wonders if a career in veterinary medicine could be possible.
   
   Her community has never allowed women to work or anyone to attend college. As she struggles with the rules of the community and the desires she is convinced God placed within her heart, she also faces heartbreak.
   
   Graham Ortmann and Trina love each other and desire to be married. However, Graham cannot support her desire to have a career. After all, shouldn't a woman's only desire be that of wife and mother? Is there room in his faith for a change in his tradition?
   
   Join Graham and Trina in their journey of faith and love and discernment of the plan of God. When tragedy strikes will it work to bring them together or tear them apart?
   
   Kim Vogel Sawyer closes the Sommerfield Trilogy with a powerful story of faith and true love. You will love the characters and a part of you will long for the simple life and faith of the townspeople. You may, like me, wish to visit Sommerfield again. And, if you haven't read the other two books, read this one and go out and get the others.



2. Beth and her husband are married and settled down, two year old twins light up Marie's home, and now Trina has an overpowering desire to become a veterinarian. Of course, this is frowned upon in the Mennonite community to which she belongs. Even the man she loves and plans to marry is against her decision. Can she succeed without them, or does she even want to?
   
   She has to fight and claw her way each time she tries to advance her dream. Beth allows her to use her computer to begin, but when her family finds out, the dream is cut off--again.
   
   Trina's father is so dyed in the wool Mennonite, he refuses to accept change, and certainly not having his daughter go away to college.
   
   In spite of her fiance coming over to her side and the support of her mother and the religious leaders, Trina's dream is again shattered as an automobile accident seriously injures her husband to be.
   
   Will she ever find her dream, or should she be content just to count her many blessings? A beautiful ending of this series. Thank you Kim.



3. I really enjoyed all 3 books in this series. They really keep you interested.



4. BlessingsTrina wants to be a vet. She is Mennonite and does not have even a high school education. Her dreams threaten to break up her relationship with her boyfriend/future husband, her immediate family, and her fellowship (congregation). Can she convince them that becoming a vet will help the community?
   Coincidently, I read this after reading Dear to Me by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Both deal with young women who want to be vets. Brunstetter writes of the Amish. Sawyer writes of the Mennonites. Besides that point, the books are completely different, especially the endings. If you have read one, go ahead and read the other.
   I have read all of Sawyer's other books: Blessings, Bygones, and Beginnings. This is by far her best. I used to think of her as second to Brunstetter, the obvious benchmark in this niche. Sawyer has come into her own place. All of her books stand alone, but go buy them all. Sawyer is an author to watch!



5. Trina Muller loves animals, and wants to be a veterinarin, but that would mean going way to college. Her parents and her church would never approve such a move. And she knows for sure Graham Ortman, the man she loves and wants to marry would never understand. She is working with Dr. Groening, the local vet, which only fans the flames of her desire to work with animals. Graham is furious with her. Doesn't she know that a woman's highest calling is to be a wife and a mother? How can she go against the teachings of the Old Order Mennonite? A strong story of love and commitment, of two young people trying to live their faith and still follow what they believe is God's plan for their lives.

No comments about When the Soul Mends (Sisters of the Quilt, Book 3).