“The Amish Cook” column is celebrating is 26th year this month and it was three years ago this week that Gloria Yoder picked up the pen. Since then we’ve seen her family grow and learned a lot about the New Order Amish and Amish life in general. I want to thank readers for welcoming her into your homes each week.

As the editor and creator of “The Amish Cook” column, I’m more than amazed that it is still going, and it is because of you. If anyone would have told me when I was 18 years old in 1991 that the column would still be chugging along in 2017, I would have thought they were nuts.

But here we are.

Gloria has this mid-summer week off, but her column will return next week and I think there will be a lot of fun, exciting happenings in Flat Rock over the weeks ahead that she’ll be sharing.

For this week, we’ll celebrate Gloria by rerunning her first-ever recipe posted back in July 2014. Enjoy her peanut butter cream pie!

PEANUT BUTTER CRUMB PIE

3 9-inch pie crusts, baked

9 cups milk, scalded

1 1/2 cups flour

4 cups white sugar

Dash salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

9 egg yolks

3 cups cold milk

3 cups whipped cream or whipped topping

CRUMBS

2 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup peanut butter

Mix crumbs mixture until crumbly. Put some crumbs in the bottom of each pie crust. Reserve the rest of the crumbs. Scald milk over medium heat. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg yolks and milk. Mix this together and pour into scalded milk. Heat and stir until thick. When cold, add 3 cups of home-whipped cream or whipped topping. Divide pudding into the baked pie crusts. Spread whipped topping. Top with remaining crumbs and serve.

And here are some other recipes from “The Amish Cook Hall of Fame” over the past three years, recipes of Gloria’s that have rated highest among readers.

This is a wonderful recipe that Gloria prepared once on a visit to her place. We are approaching deer-hunting season and the forests of southern Illinois are thick with plump deer. Deer hunting is an absolutely pasttime among the Amish in this area. Even the Amish women in Flat Rock (generally this is a very gender-segregated activity) take to the forests with their bows or rifles, hoping to bag enough meat for the approaching winter. And if they do, this is a favorite dish. I know many people don’t like the “gamey” taste of venison, so you can use ground sausage, turkey or beef to make these meatballs or you can use a blend of various meats. The real star of this recipe isn’t the meat anyway; it’s the sauce, which carries a hint of tang and a suggestion of sweet, smothering any “gamey” taste.

BARBECUED VENISION MEATBALLS

MEATBALLS

3 pounds ground venison

1 3/4 cups milk

1 cup quick oats

1 cup cracker crumbs

3 eggs

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon onion salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Salt and pepper

BARBECUE SAUCE

2 cups ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke

In a large bowl, combine the ground venison, milk, oats, cracker crumbs, eggs and seasonings. Stir or knead until the meat mixture is well-combined. Shape the meat into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place the balls on cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees F. until no longer pink inside, approx 15-20 minutes. In a Dutch oven, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and liquid smoke. Stir until well-combined and heat over medium, stirring frequently, until near boiling. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until ready to serve.

GLORIA’S GREEN BEANS

1/2 pound bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

1 handful mushrooms cut-up

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1 quart green beans, drained

Any seasonings that strike your fancy (seasoning salt, garlic powder, oregano and lemon pepper are good options)

Cheese of your choice

Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces, fry until almost done (do not drain drippings). Add onions, mushrooms and peppers and sprinkle with seasonings. Fry until onions are tender, then stir in green beans and seasonings to taste. Continue to fry until beans are hot and sprinkle with cheese.

And this amazing recipe for Gloria’s Gluten-Free Birthday Bean Cake!

GLUTEN-FREE BIRTHDAY BEAN CAKE

1 15-ounce can cooked black or pinto beans

5 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon stevia powder (or 1/2 cup of sugar if you’d prefer to use sugar)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 3/4 teaspoons allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

6 tablespoons almond meal

Rise and drain beans. Place beans, 3 eggs, vanilla and salt in a blender. Blender until completely smooth. Beat remaining ingredients together. Add bean mixture to spice mixture. Beat well. Pour into a greased 9-inch by 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. When cooled, frost with your favorite icing.