Clever Divas

Hello everyone.  I promised recipes from different parts of North America as I make my way from Florida to Alaska.

While in SW Missouri, other than dodging a tornado about 2 miles from our RV park, I really enjoyed some of the areas Amish shops where they sell quilts and all kinds of wonderful jellies and jams.  Here is a recipe I have made several times.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Amish Whoopie Pies                                                                         

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour milk
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup hot water
1. Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt.
3. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour milk.
4. Add the vanilla and dissolve soda in hot water and add last. Mix well.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
6. Make sandwiches from 2 cookies filled with the Whoopie Pie Filling.

FILLING:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Dash salt

1 cup milk

3/4 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine flour and salt. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; cook and stir over medium-high heat until thick, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool. 
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add chilled milk mixture; beat for 7 minutes or until fluffy. Spread filling on half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen

Later we moved on to Cheyenne, Wyoming and spent a couple of days on a bison ranch.  The restaurant there serves buffalo meat.  For dinner I had Bison Short Ribs.  They were really good and since buffalo aren’t allowed to be loaded with hormones and the fact that their meat is leaner than regular beef, it is supposed to be better for you.  I don’t know if all that’s true, but I do know it was very good.  A lot of grocery stores carry ground bison.  Here’s a recipe for bison burgers.