Amish Easter recipes to try out during Gloria’s time off 

Gloria is taking the week off to spend with her new baby, so we wanted to share some favorite Amish Easter recipes for the upcoming holiday, which falls on April 1 this year.

Like Christmas, the Amish are decidedly low key about Easter. However, one way they will mark the occasion is through special feast foods like glazed ham, potatoes, or a hearty Easter morning breakfast casserole. Here are five favorite recipes that often make the Amish Easter menu:

BROWN SUGAR GLAZED HAM

1 (5-7 pound) ham, fully cooked (bone-in)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1-2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Score ham about half-inch deep with a sharp knife. Place ham on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 to 2-1/2  hours ( 20 minutes per lb). Combine brown sugar, mustard and enough vinegar to make a thick paste. During the last hour of baking, brush glaze on ham every 15 minutes. Yield: 10-14 servings.

AMISH BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

8 slices bread, cubed

1 pound sausage, fried and drained

6 eggs

2 cups of milk

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 pound of grated cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

Put bread in the bottom of a casserole dish. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add milk, onion, salt, and mustard. Sprinkle sausage and cheese over the bread. Slice margarine over the cheese and pour the egg mixture over all.

Bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

 HAM & POTATO SKILLET

1 pound sliced ham

1 tablespoon margarine

1 tablespoon brown sugar

101/2 ounces cream of mushroom soup

2/3 cup evaporated milk (small can)

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup onion (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 cups potatoes (thinly sliced)

1 cup carrots (sliced raw)

In 10 inch skillet brown ham in oleo and brown sugar. Remove ham, pour off fat (usually not necessary). Mix in same skillet, the soup, milk, water, onion, salt and pepper. Stir in three cups thinly sliced potatoes and carrots. Cover, cook over low heat stirring now and then, until veggies are tender, about 35 minutes. Lift veggies from the bottom so they don’t stick. Place whole ham slice or cut in serving size pieces and place on top of veggies. Cover and cook about 10 minutes more.

AMISH AU GRATIN POTATOES

4 medium russet potatoes (unpeeled)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1 1/2 cup milk or fat free half and half (or 1 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup milk)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoon bread crumbs

another 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

a dash of paprika

tiny pats of butter to dot top

Generously spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. If not using frozen hashbrowns, then cook four medium russet potatoes (unpeeled) till almost soft or use leftover baked potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch slices (or shred) and layer in greased dish. In saucepan over low heat (or microwave), combine one cup shredded cheddar cheese with 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup finely diced onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, and 1 1/2 cup milk or fat free half and half (or one cup sour cream with half cup milk) till just mixed. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL! Fold this sauce over the potatoes. Sprinkle two tablespoons bread crumbs, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar, and a dash of paprika on the top and dot with butter. Let set one hour, then bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

EASY AMISH POTATO ROLLS

2 eggs

1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter

1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed*

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

3/4 cup water (potato water, if possible)

4 1/4 cups (18 ounces) unbleached All-Purpose Flour

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured surface, and knead it for six to eight minutes, or until it’s smooth and shiny. Or knead it in a mixer, using the dough hook. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, turn to coat, cover the container with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise till it’s doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.

To make rolls, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Place the 16 dough balls onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet or sheets, leaving about two inches between them. Or place the 15 dough balls into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan, spacing them evenly in five rolls of three balls each. Cover the pan(s) with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours, till they’re quite puffy; the rolls in the 9 x 13-inch pan should be touching (or almost touching) one another.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, carefully turn them out of the pan — the pull-apart rolls will come out all in one piece — and brush them with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 15 or 16 rolls.