Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight
There are seventeen days left until daughter Lovina and Daniel’s wedding day. Although we are getting a lot accomplished, there is still a lot to be done.
I sewed my dress, cape, and apron and also daughter Verena’s for the wedding. I still have Lovina’s wedding dress to sew. It keeps getting pushed off to another day.
Today, sisters Verena and Emma; nieces Elizabeth and Emma and Crystal; and daughters Elizabeth, Susan and Loretta are all planning to come help. I have a list of things to do. We will make more noodles for the wedding. I need around 40 pounds, and we already made half of that another day. We also need to make rhubarb juice to put in cans for future use. I have strawberries here that need to be put into jam for the wedding as well. And then we will wash more windows if we have time.
On Saturday, daughters Elizabeth and Susan cleaned the living room and dining room windows and washed the screens. The basement and back porch windows need to be cleaned yet and the bathroom and kitchen windows. Our house has over 40 windows, so it takes time to clean all of them.
Last night, daughter Verena’s special friend Daniel Ray went with her to pick up her new glasses at the eye doctor. After they were back, Daniel Ray and Verena cleaned half of the windows in the pole barn where we plan to have 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 to Daniel, Dustin, and Grace)—poured 31 yards of concrete in the new pole barn. A tree that had been dead for a while was cut down and the wood hauled away. Also, the garden was weeded and tilled. Grace (Joesph’s special friend) and my daughters cleaned windows or helped get lunch ready. 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 made 50 the day before so we could just heat them up on Saturday morning. The men wanted to wait to eat until the concrete was poured. The trucks were here at 7 a.m. and they had it all poured in a few hours. A few of the men had to stay out there finishing it off while the others could do other jobs around here. What would we do without family? We sure appreciate their help with preparing for this wedding.
Yesterday, Daniel had the day off from the factory, so he and Lovina went over to his place. He mowed while she worked on getting the house prepared. She has moved a lot of her belongings over there already. It’s always sad to see another of the children’s belongings move out of our house, but life goes on. I wish them a very happy and healthy life together with God always being their guide. Daniel and Lovina have plans to take a week after the wedding and stay at a lake house. After all the work, they can relax and enjoy their married life.
Tomorrow afternoon, we plan to leave for Kentucky for nephew Issac and Susan’s wedding. Issac is Joe’s sister Salome and Morris’s son, and Susan is my cousin David’s daughter. We should get to see some family at the wedding. I have been asked to be a cook and so have daughters Elizabeth and Susan, but they won’t be able to go to the wedding. Sister Emma is also a cook, and son Joseph and Grace are table waiters. We have a driver taking 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 will leave tomorrow late afternoon and plan to head home and be back Friday night, Lord willing.
I left sister-in-law Sarah Irene a voicemail letting her know that her and the family are in our thoughts. I was glad to hear back from her. They are doing as well as can be expected. Albert is missed so much. May God help comfort them. Rest in peace dear brother. God’s blessings to all!
I am so excited to have the copy of my newest cookbook The Cherished Table in my hands. All the hard work the girls and I put in it is now worth it! I will share a recipe from the new book.
Barbecue Beef Sandwiches
3 pounds beef bottom round 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 roasting pan. Cook at 350oF for 2 to 3 hours, or until beef is tender. (I put mine in the oven, but it can also be cooked in a crock pot over high heat.) Seve on sandwich buns. This is similar to pulled pork sandwiches, except with beef.
Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, 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 can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.
