Hunger invades me as I recall my mother in her kitchen preparing a huge vat of chicken stock in her pressure cooker. Left-over chicken bones, vegetables, even onion skins, were tossed into the concoction to produce the fabulous stock she often froze for future use. Nothing beats homemade chicken stock, but I admit mine often comes out of a box from the grocery store. I buy the organic variety without added sugar, but it can’t hold a candle to my mother’s. I dice up a plethora of veggies (Mom would sauté them but I usually don’t bother), toss in sliced left-over chicken, season with salt to taste, heat until the vegetables are cooked, and voila: my husband’s favorite meal. Especially today, when he’s battling a cold. Doesn’t chicken soup cure about everything?
In most of Mom’s cooking extravaganzas, she started from scratch. Her home-canned peaches from our tree were to die for as were her dolmades, wrapped in leaves from my parent’s grape vine.
Adventurous as my mother was, she did not make her own pasta nor bread, something that many of you might do. And she served Campbell’s tomato soup with toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch for us kids.
When visiting, our son is welcome to cook in our kitchen.
What comes to mind when you hear the term Starting from Scratch? These days, is it the same as homemade? I think of the Amish who grow many of their own crops and can their produce up for winter. I love their pickled beets, applesauce, and chow-chow. Yum! These tasty treats remind me of sitting at an Old Order Amish friend’s table for dinner after bowing our heads in silent prayer.
What a delight to find these Amish-made jams and jellies for sale at the side of the road.
All this talking about food is making me hungry. What is your favorite food item to prepare from scratch? At this moment popcorn sounds good.
A charming Amish-made apron from Lancaster County, and a towel and dish-rag.
Leave a comment to enter to win this charming Amish-made apron, towel, and washrag from Lancaster County, plus a signed copy of A Letter from Lancaster County, or one book from The Legacy of Lancaster County Trilogy: either Leaving Lancaster, Pennsylvania Patchwork, or Forever Amish. Winner has three days to respond. USA and Canada only.
PS: On a serious note, if you preorder a copy of Starting from Scratch from an online vendor, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, or Christianbooks.com, you will qualify for an extra entry in an upcoming giveaway.
Important: Please save your receipt! If you use the preorder as an extra entry and win the fabulous prize (still a secret), you will be asked to produce a copy of the receipt.
Would love the chance to win. Thank you for the giveaway.
Thanks for popping by to enter the giveaway, Deana!
Kate
Yes I would like to enter your give away. I love your books.keep up the good work. God bless you.
I almost always cook from scratch. I love to make up my own recipes.
Your recipes sounded intriguing, Debi. Very creative. Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I still cook from scratch. I also like to make-up my recipes. Love experimenting and even trying others recipes. Then I start experimenting and making them mine. If I can’t improve theirs then I ditch mine & use my friend’s or some recommended recipe. I love to experiment.
You sound like a marvelous cook, Pat. And adventuresome. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway. Good luck!
Kate
My Mama taught me how to cook from scratch many years ago and I still cook that way now ! I would to win. Thanks so much for the giveway
Your Mama gave you a gift few others could, Molly. How great that you continue her tradition. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I love to bake from scratch.Would love to win the items. I’m going to pre-order the book.
Pre-ordering the book would be a gift to me, Karen. Please be sure to save the receipt. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
My mom taught me to cook and bake when I had to stand on a chair to help. I still cook and bake from scratch just in smaller amounts. I raise a garden and can many things . Blessings
What a dear image you’ve left with me of you standing on the chair next to your mom, Lucy. Very impressive that you raise a garden and can your produce. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Thanks for the really nice giveaway!
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Sandra!
Kate
I love to bake rollsa and bread from scratch. I don’t do as much now being empty nester.
I am not familiar with rollsa, but I adore the fragrance of bread straight from the oven, Donita. When the kids fly the coop, there is certainly less cooking to be done. And less junk food in demand,. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I cook fram scratch most of the time as thats how my mom did things growing up. I would love to win this giveaway thanks!
I’m sure your mother would be (or is) please that you continue her tradition of cooking from scratch. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I cook from scratch. I love to make up my own dishes. But never write them down. So, IF they taste really good, I honestly can’t share it.
I love homemade items and I love the Amish goods. I crochet and bead.
Would LOVE to win the homemade items. I always wear aprons!
Gods Blessings.
Mary
I always wear aprons too, Mary. How do chefs/cooks get away without them? I can relate to your not writing down your dishes. You sound like you have all sorts of talents. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
My Mama and Daddy always cooked from scratch. Mama never could tell me exact measurements for any recipe. She would say “A little bit of this and a little bit of that.” 🙂
Both your parents sound like super cooks, Melissa. A little bit of this and a little bit of that works out just fine for me … most of the time. Thanks for writing your fun comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Peanut butter cookies
If I cooked peanut butter cookies I would no doubt eat them all, Christine. They sound great. Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I try to cook healthy meals I do a lot of canning so know wants in our food.
How wonderful that you do a lot of canning, Ronda. Eating healthy diminishes so many health concerns. When I gave up consuming humongous amounts of sugar (quite a few years ago) at first I was miserable, but now I’m able to live with it. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I love that apron. I collect them. I make bread every other day from scratch and most of our meals are from scratch. It’s my favorite. I love cooking/baking.
What fun that you collect aprons, Terressa. and also that you bake bread every other day and prepare most of your meals from scratch. Thanks for leaving your comment and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I would love to win a quilt! I always wanted one but with 3 little ones ,I can’t afford one ,my little ones come first before my wants and needs
I’m afraid I have no quilts to offer as a prize at this moment, Hope. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I Love making homemade biscuits from scratch they are delicious Thank you so much for this awesome giveaway I Love The Amish Books!
I’m sure your homemade biscuits are delicious, Sarah. Especially when just out of the oven. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Molasses Stack Cake
Because I have never tried Molasses Stack Cake, I googled it, Mary. Looks delicious. And I do love the taste of molasses. Thanks for leaving your tantalizing comment and entering the giveaway.
Kate
I cook as much as I can from scratch. Tonight homemade chicken soup and cornbread. Nice warm food on a cold winters night. Its going back down to 15 degrees tonight. I was really ambitious and made banana oatmeal cookies too.
Your meal sounds perfect for below freezing weather, Carol. Plus, you’ve warmed up your kitchen. And I’ll bet it smells scrumptious. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
My mother’s kitchen was hers and hers alone. She didn’t like others under her foot when she was cooking or baking. It was a very rare Saturday when I was able to make potato salad. I loved Christmas time with all the baking she did. I loved her stollen, and I always had to have a taste of the marzipan when she put it in there. I wish that my mother had of taught me the fine art of cooking from scratch. Since I am now bedridden, my hubby does the cooking, and since I can only have certain foods, he has become the cook. I have Celiacs disease and it’s fun trying to find foods that I can eat.
First, may I say how sorry I am that you are bedridden, Tina. How wonderful that you are married to a man who will take on the cooking duties. Nobody loves bread more than I do, but after a DNA test 3 excellent doctors told me to avoid gluten, which I do. And sugar. I’ve found there are many foods out there for me to eat. Especially when you cook from scratch. Thanks for your comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Awesome prize pack. I read Letter from Lancaster County and really enjoyed. Do you send emails to people when they win?
I’m so glad you enjoyed my book, Vivian. Yes, I do send an email to the winner and I also announce it on my Facebook Author page. I have yet to not track down a winner. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Most of my cooking is from scratch. Though I have Hamburger Helper, for what I call my ” My brain is not working tonight!” I still doctor the mixes up! What a lovely giveaway, thank you for the chance to win.
We all have nights when our brain isn’t working, Babs. Thanks for leaving your comment and entering giveaway!
Kate
My sisters make homemade vegetable cheese chowder and popovers. We love it during the winter and all year round. We would love to win.
Aren’t you fortunate to have sisters who make homemade vegetable chowder and popovers, Nora? Sounds delicious all year round. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
My mom always cooked from scratch and that’s the way she taught me,I make my own biscuits, was thinking today I might make some chicken dumplings tomorrow. My mom was the best cook.
One of the benefits of having a mother who was a fabulous cook is that your taste buds get an education, Melissa. Much easier to become an excellent cook yourself if you grow up eating delicious food. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I make homemade chicken stew that’s wonderful, if I do have to say so. Lol! Cook that chicken and add good chunks of potatoes and mixed veggies and diced tomatoes and let it simmer for a while. Oh then I cook good crunchy cornbread to go in it.
Your chicken stew does sound wonderful, Brenda. And nutritious too. you make me want to cook cornbread today, if I have time. Thanks for your lovely comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I just finished the trilogy! WOW! talk about twists and turns! WELL DONE!
I LOVE MAKING PIES FROM SCRATCH!
I am delighted to hear you enjoyed reading The Legacy of Lancaster Trilogy, Nancy. Thank you so much for your encouraging comment and for entering the giveaway!
Kate
lOVE YOUR BOOKS. WOULD LOVE TO WIN.
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Gloria, and for your generous compliment!
Kate
I love cooking from scratch! I have a cookbook collection..many amish cookbooks…and I use them as my inspirations, although I rarely follow exactly. I love your blog and look forward to reading my first book by you!
I hope you do get a chance to read one of my books in the very near future, Rachel. The public library is always a good resource if you’re low on funds … or you might be the winner of this giveaway. Wishing you good luck!
Kate
I make most things from scratch. Can’t afford ready made food and it’s not really healthy anyway. Bread, Biscuits, Beef Stew, Enchiladas, soups…all are yummy dishes that I make fairly often. The best tasting thing I’ve ever made was homemade Salsa. I canned it in quart jars(maybe 20 of them) and within about two months all of them were gone. My family loved it!!! Thanks for the giveaway!
It is sad that ready-made food has so many mysterious ingredients in it that one questions it’s nutrition, Anne. Everything you describe sounds fabulous. And apparently your family agrees if they polished off 20 jars of salsa. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I prefer cooking from scratch. Our brothers love my homemade chicken n noodles or been n noodles along with a lot of other dishes. I cook a lot of meals that are freezable, thus when my schedule is busy I have something in the freezer for work lunch and dinner. I can and freeze fresh produce and fruits when in season, along with making my own jam.
Kate, I’m looking forward to reading your book, Starting from Scratch.
You are so clever to freeze your meals ahead of time, Marilyn. I have not had much success with freezing fruits and wonder what your secret is. Thank you, I’m looking forward to your reading Starting from Scratch too! Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
My mom made the best from scratch spaghetti sauce. That was before you could buy it in the stores. I wish I had her recipe now!
My mother also made fabulous spaghetti sauce, Judy. She wouldn’t have thought to buy it in a store—ever. I also wish she’d written down her recipe. Thanks for writing and entering the giveaway!
Kate
I like to make my guys birthday cakes feom scratch. A special recipe chocolate cake. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.
My mother-in-law has a homemade chocolate cake for special occasions too,. Perrianne. I’d better ask her to write down the recipe … There are so many things I didn’t get around to asking my mother, who died young, age 69. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
Thanks for a really nice giveaway!
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Kailey!
Kate
What a wonderful gift set!!! Thank you for sharing so much with your Readers!!!
Thanks for visiting my blog and for writing me words of encouragement, Teresa. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
What a great giveaway, I would ❤️ to win!!
Good luck in the giveaway, Kim!
Kate
What a super giveaway Kate, love reading your books. Have a Blessed Day.
I love making soups from scratch, vegetable, potato, and chicken noodle are some of my favorites.
They sound yummy
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Deb. Wishing you the best of luck!
Kate
I enjoy making cakes from scratch. My favorites are strawberry, and butter pecan. I would love to win the apron. I lost all of mine from Hurricane Harvey.
Yummy, those both cakes sound delish, Donna. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
I always loved baking for the holidays with my girls. They are both grown now with their own family’s. Just no longer seems like there is enough time to do these things.
Baking with her daughters would make wonderful memories you’d never forget. Thanks for leaving your lovely comment and good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
I cook from scratch alot or as we say around here – homemade. One of my favorites to make is chocolate chip cookies. I have a homemade chocolate cake recipe that is very delicious. It was my Mom’s Grandmother’s recipe. We refer to it as the depression cake. My Mom taught me how to cook.
Those homemade chocolate chip cookies sound scrumptious, Carla. What fun that both your mom and grandmother used the same recipe. Good luck in the giveaway!
Kate
Thanks from the chance. Love to read the Amish books. Their cooking idea great
I’m glad to hear you enjoy reading Amish books, Vera. Thanks for entering the giveaway, Good luck!
Kate
Cooking from starch has been since I was kid now living in Tennessee in the country my hardworking husband likes fresh cooking and having a apron from u would make think of the Amish they living are strong people visiting them a couple summers I thought I was in heaven
How wonderful that you have been cooking from scratch since you were a kid, Karen. I’m sure you make many wonderful meals for your hard-working husband. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Kate
This Giveaway has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who entered! Winner will be announced this coming Tuesday.
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