There are still 17 days until the wedding day of daughter Lovina and Daniel. Although we have achieved a lot, there is still much to be done.
I sewed my dress, cape and apron as well as daughter Verena’s for the wedding. I still have to sew Lovina’s wedding dress. It keeps getting postponed to another day.
Today the sisters Verena and Emma; nieces Elizabeth and Emma and Crystal; and daughters Elizabeth, Susan and Loretta all plan to come and help. I have a list of things I need to do. We will make more noodles for the wedding. I need about £40, and we’ve already made half of that on another day. We also need to make rhubarb juice, which we can put in cans for future use. I have strawberries here that also need to be put into jam before the wedding. And then we’ll wash more windows when we have time.
On Saturday, daughters Elizabeth and Susan cleaned the windows in the living room and dining room and washed the screens. The basement and back porch windows still need to be cleaned as well as the bathroom and kitchen windows. Our house has more than 40 windows, so it takes time to clean them all.
Last night, daughter Verena’s special friend Daniel Ray went with her to pick up her new glasses from the ophthalmologist. After returning, Daniel Ray and Verena cleaned half the windows in the pole barn where we planned to hold wedding services.
Last Saturday the men in our family – my husband Joe; sons Benjamin and Joseph; sons-in-law Tim, Ervin and Dustin; and special friends Daniel, Daniel Ray and Clint (a brother of Daniel, Dustin and Grace) – poured 31 meters of concrete into the new pole barn. A tree that had been dead for some time was cut down and the wood removed. The garden was also weeded and cultivated. Grace (Joseph’s special friend) and my daughters cleaned the windows or helped prepare lunch. We had a haystack for lunch, along with pumpkin bars, pudding cake, watermelon, ice cream and more.
For breakfast we had breakfast burritos. Verena and Lovina had made 50 the day before, so we could just heat them up on Saturday morning. The men wanted to wait until the concrete had been poured before eating. The trucks were here at 7am and everything was dumped within a few hours. A few men had to stay outside to finish it, while the others could do other jobs around here. What would we do without family? We certainly appreciate their help in preparing this wedding.
Yesterday Daniel had the day off from the factory, so he and Lovina went to his house. He mowed while she worked on getting the house ready. She has already moved much of her belongings there. It’s always sad to see one of our children’s belongings leave our home, but life goes on. I wish them a very happy and healthy life, with God always being their guide. Daniel and Lovina plan to stay at a lake house for a week after the wedding. After all the work, they can relax and enjoy their married life.
Tomorrow afternoon we want to leave for Kentucky for cousin Issac and Susan’s wedding. Issac is Joe’s sister Salome and Morris’ son, and Susan is my cousin David’s daughter. We should see some family at the wedding. I have been asked to be a chef and so have my daughters Elizabeth and Susan, but they cannot go to the wedding. Sister Emma is also a cook and sons Joseph and Grace are table waiters. We have a driver who takes us with his 15 passenger van. Those planning to go are sisters Verena and Emma and sons Jacob and Steven, Joe and I, sons Benjamin, Kevin, Joseph (and Grace), daughter Verena (and Daniel Ray). We are leaving tomorrow late afternoon and plan to go home and be back Friday evening, Lord willing.
I left sister-in-law Sarah Irene a voicemail to let her know she and the family are in our thoughts. I was happy to hear from her. They are doing as well as can be expected. Albert is greatly missed. May God help comfort them. Rest in peace dear brother. God’s blessings to all!
I’m so excited to hold the copy of my latest cookbook The Cherished Table in my hands. All the hard work the girls and I put in is now worth it! I’m sharing a recipe from the new book.
Barbecue beef sandwiches3 pounds round beef base roast 3 green peppers, seeded and chopped 2 cups chopped onions 1 clove garlic 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Combine all ingredients in a large Dutch oven or Dutch oven. Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is done. (I put mine in the oven, but it can also be cooked in a slow cooker over high heat.) Serve on sandwich rolls. This is similar to pulled pork sandwiches, except with beef.
Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, chef, wife and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, The Cherished Table, The Essential Amish Cookbook and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers may write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a response); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed along for her to read. She doesn’t respond to emails personally.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Amish Kitchen: Lovina shares a recipe from her new cookbook
