If you’re like me, you enjoy trying new recipes. I especially like fixing something different for supper. Since both my husband and I are eating gluten-free, sometimes it can be a challenge to fix things like pizza. However, in this tasty recipe, found in my Amish Cooking Class Cookbook, we can enjoy eating pizza without using any flour. Here are the directions for making Heidi Troyer’s German Pizza:

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, browned 2 tablespoons butter
1/2 half medium onion, chopped 6 raw potatoes, shredded
1/2 green pepper, diced 3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided 1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Directions:
In 12-inch skilled, brown beef with onion, green pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Remove beef mixture from skillet; drain skillet and melt butter. Spread potatoes over butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Top with beef mixture. Combine eggs and milk, and pour over all. Cook, covered on medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Top with cheese, cover, and heat until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges or squares to serve.

Do you have a favorite supper-time recipe to share?

Shortly before Christmas last year, my husband and I wanted to do something special to help someone we knew of but didn’t know personally. However, we wanted to do it secretly, without that person knowing who had given them the gift.

Even though we will probably never know their response, or how much they may have appreciated the deed, it blessed us to be able to do something for someone in secret.

In Matthew 6, verse 3 (NIV), it speaks of giving in secret: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.”

Have you ever done something to help someone without them knowing it was you? How did it make you feel? Have you ever received help or a gift from someone secretly? How did you respond to it?

Amish parents feel it’s important to teach their children about God. An Amish child begins attending church with his family from the time he or she is a baby. At home, families have a time of devotions, so the children have plenty of exposure to the Bible and God’s teachings. Prayers are said, and Scripture is read in every Amish schoolhouse. Amish parents feel accountable to the Lord for the spiritual upbringing of their children.

Amish parents have an obligation to teach their children the importance of respecting others. I have visited many Amish homes and Amish schools, and have observed the children, and how they related to both adults and children. An Amish child is taught by his parents, as well as the school teacher, to be polite and have respect. While Amish children are not perfect, and they sometimes have disagreements with their siblings and peers, they are expected to behave in an orderly manner. Amish children are also taught that the Bible says we are to love one another.

Amish parents teach their children responsibility. As soon as an Amish child is old enough to understand and carry out directions, they are given small chores to do. As they grow older, their responsibilities increase, so by the time they graduate from the eighth grade, they are able to learn a trade and get a job. Many non-Amish businesses hire Amish employees because they know the Amish are hard workers, who will be honest and dependable.

Amish parents teach their children obedience. From an early age, Amish children are taught to respect and obey their elders. An Amish child is normally quiet and well-behaved in public. I have witnessed many times, while out shopping or in a restaurant, that Amish children do not run around hollering or hiding from their parents, as I’ve seen some “English” children do when they are not taught obedience.

Amish parents teach their children the importance of their heritage. Amish roots come from the Anabaptist faith, and Amish parents know the importance of teaching their children about the martyrs of old, who kept true to their faith, despite persecution. Reminders of their heritage are preached regularly in Amish church services, which take place bi-weekly in church members’ homes, barns, or some other outbuilding large enough to accommodate a large group. Many of the hymns that are sung during the 3-hour services are reminders of what their Anabaptist ancestors went through in or to preserve their faith.

Is there something special about your heritage that your children or grandchildren are being taught?