The Amish Cook By LOVINA EICHER It is Monday morning and it is time to start another week. Today also brings the last day of November. So far we have not received more snow than just some flurries. Sons Benjamin, 10, and Joseph, 7, can’t wait until we have that first big snow. Every morning they jump out of bed and look out the window to see if our first snow has arrived. They keep talking about the fun they will have, like hitching our pony, Stormy, to the pony cart and tying the sled behind the cart. The pony will pull them around the field through the snow. Last year that provided hours of fun for them. Everything is always a little bit of a mess when they start pulling out those extra coats, snow-pants, boots, gloves and so forth. The boys are looking forward to the snow a lot more than I am.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving Day with some friends and family over. We set the table using my good China. The girls had fun setting the table and using all the best dishes I have stored away in my cupboard. It was fun for them to use the special dishes and not have to use our everyday dishes. I prepared a 21-pound turkey stuffed with dressing for the Thanksgiving meal. With the food that family and friends brought in we had quite a big menu. Along with turkey and dressing we had mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, potato salad, cheese, hot peppers, vegetables and dip, homemade bread, butter, rhubarb jam, pumpkin roll, sugar cookies, buttermilk and sugar cream pies and cherry cheesecake. We had way too much food but leftovers made for easy meals the next day. The afternoon was spent playing boards games. And before everyone parted ways and headed for home, root beer floats were served. It was an enjoyable day. We do have so much to be thankful for. I hope all you readers had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day too.

My husband Joe has still been trying his luck for another deer. He has seen quite a few but they are keeping their distance from his tent. I think today is the last day of shotgun season but I am not sure because I don’t get as excited about keeping track of the dates as he does

With pumpkin still plentiful, I thought I’d share the recipe for my pumpkin roll with you. Be sure to roll up the “short side”. Fresh pumpkin or canned can be used.

PUMPKIN ROLL

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2/3 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375.In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Then add the sugar, lemon juice, and pumpkin and beat well. Then add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg and beat well until smooth in consistency. Pour pumpkin mixture into a wax paper-lined jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip over the pan onto a powdered sugar-covered dish towel . Be sure to roll the towel and cake together as if rolling up a jelly roll and place in the refrigerator for 45 to 60 minutes or until the towel doesn’t feel warm any longer. When cool , unroll and spread cooled pumpkin mixture with the following filling:

8 ounces softened cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat ingredients until smooth and spread onto cooled cake roll. Reroll and refrigerate at least an hour. After chilled you can slice and serve.