Isaac & Dyani’s wedding took place in the heart of Amish/Mennonite country in Northern Indiana.
There are many small communities with an abundance of bakeries, family-style restaurants, craft and quilt stores, and farmers markets. Our first evening we drove about 5 miles over to Middlebury, to a Amish-style restaurant called the Das Dutchman Essenhaus.
It definitely catered to the tourists in the area, but it was late and it was open, and we were hungry and ready for some great homestyle cooking. And then the platers began to arrive.
Crisp and juicy fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes with rich gravy, tender homemade egg noodles, a flavorful stuffing, corn swimming in butter, and freshly baked bread. Everything was amazingly delicious, and when we were stuffed to the gills, we were each brought a slice of pie to top it off. So. Crazy. Good. But even if we had run all the way back to our hotel, we would not have burned off enough calories to even make a dent in what was consumed!
But we’re on vacation, right?! So the next morning John, Justin, and I drove off in search of a couple of bakeries, to see what the local offerings entailed. We stopped at the Rise ‘n Roll Bakery just a couple miles down the road. This place was definitely hopping, both with locals and tourists alike. We waited in the long line, straining our necks forward checking out the case ahead. There was a selection of amazingly fresh donuts, including apple fritters, chocolate glazed, and powdered sugar. I had read in a local magazine that their Caramel Cinnamon donuts were extraordinary, so a couple of those went into our bag.
Oh gosh. Oh my gosh. This officially is the best donut I have ever consumed. The donut was lighter and softer and air. Look! In the picture it looks like I am crushing it, but I am holding it as lightly as possible! It was coated in a caramel glaze, and then covered in cinnamon-sugar. So fantastic. It disappeared quickly, even while trying to enjoy each tasty bite. Justin and John enjoyed their apple fritter and powdered sugar donuts, but this was the clear winner.
We walked around Shipshewana (where our hotel was located) for awhile in the afternoon, checking out the little shops. We happened across JoJo’s Pretzel’s, and seeing a fresh batched being pulled from the oven, we stepped into line. Sorry. No picture. They were that good. Gone in 60 seconds. Honestly, I was very tempted to get another one, but the long line won out.
On the way back to the hotel, we came across a little Hawaiian Shave Ice stand. Shave Ice! The Shave Ice we had a few years ago in Honolulu is firmly planted in our memories, and we decided to give this little stand a shot. And it held up pretty well, with the shaved ice soaking in the sugary sweet syrups, rather than gushing through like a typical sno-cone. Granted, it wasn’t quite as good as what we had in Hawaii, but we decided that everything tastes better in Hawaii, and we certainly couldn’t fault this little stand for making the most of Northern Indiana.
And now we are back home. Eating cereal for dinner to make up for the calorie explosion that was the weekend. But what a tasty tasty calorie explosion it was!
