July 1st (yesterday) was my daughter Loretta's 24th birthday. I wish her many more years of happiness and health. Loretta is busy with her two boys. Denzel turned 2 on July 10th, and Byron will turn 1 on August 7th. On Sunday, Joe and I drove to the park with Dustin, Loretta, and the boys. Byron sat in the back seat with Loretta and me, but he kept fussing until he was able to sit in the front seat with Joe, Dustin, and Denzel. Then he looked back at Loretta and me, grinning as if to say, “Haha, I like it better this way.” Byron likes to watch the horses run. Denzel holds the reins to steer their horse Spirit. Spirit is a gentle horse and rides safely. Of course, Dustin is very careful with the traffic on the road.
Our family enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park on Sunday to celebrate my daughter Verena's best friend Daniel's birthday (June 29th). We hiked the walking trails and just relaxed and chatted.
Our daughters, Lovina and Daniel, joined us at the park. They just got back from their honeymoon, spending a week after their wedding in a cabin by the lake. They are enjoying married life.
Last night they came again to collect their belongings and wedding gifts. Thank you to everyone who sent gifts, cards, etc. to help them start their new life. They were very happy. Lovina made vegetable soup for them here and they had dinner together. It is always hard when the kids leave again. My motherly heart hates change. I'm glad they're happy, but I feel lonely with one less person in the house.
At least, not like losing a loved one. Sarah Eileen (my sister-in-law) attended the wedding with some of her family. She really missed her brother Albert. She hid her sadness well and did her best to make it a joyful day for the newlyweds. I know her heart hurts and she misses her dear husband. Her 59th birthday was on June 28th, her first birthday without her dear husband by her side.
Daniel and Lovina had a great day to get married, even though it was a very hot week, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees F. The cooks did a fantastic job preparing the food in the heat.
Our son-in-law, Daniel's brother, and my sister Emma's son-in-law and son started grilling the chickens at about 5:00 a.m. They grilled 300 pounds for lunch and another 100 in the afternoon for dinner. We had 480 pounds of chicken here, but only grilled 400 pounds. We had a lot left over. They grilled the chicken well and it tasted really good. They had 9 or 10 grills running and they were done by the time the wedding started at 9:00 a.m. It was a 90 degree day, so it was a very hot job.
The menu for the wedding meal was bread, strawberry butter, mashed potatoes, gravy, buttered noodles, dressing, barbecued chicken, mixed vegetables, lettuce salad, pecan, rhubarb custard, strawberry pie, caramel pudding, fresh fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes), coffee. The cake was cut during the meal at 7pm and decorated by the bride and groom.
Daniel and Verena and Dustin and Loretta were witnesses. There were 14 table couples and 12 special helpers (handling guest books, presents, etc.). The remaining nephews and nieces who were too young to help (3 and under) were called day brighteners, and the girls wore yellow dresses. The boys wore grey pants and yellow shirts. The special helpers wore light green. The table servers wore coral, the cooks burgundy, the family members green, and the mother dark green. The bride wore dark teal and the witnesses light teal. Lovina had a wall hanging made using all the colors she chose. So sweet!
I chose my sister Emma and niece Elizabeth to be the chefs for my wedding and once again they did an amazing job making everything run smoothly.
The Wednesday and Thursday before the wedding were busy days. Over 20 women came each day, baking over 80 pies and 30 loaves of bread, dicing carrots, celery, and onions, washing and slicing strawberries for the pies, cutting rhubarb for the pies, etc. We had good help these two days and everything was done by lunchtime. Casseroles, salads, and desserts were brought each day by the women who came to help. At the wedding on Friday, we had over 50 cooks help with the cooking. We really appreciate their help. We also want to give a special thank you to the cooks who took an extra day of prep beforehand and took time out of both days to help us. They are truly appreciated. And a special thank you to Sister Emma, my niece Elizabeth, and my friend Ruth, who were here all through it. Sister Verena came along with Emma each day, and Ruth provided transportation to and from the wedding. If we missed something, Ruth had to go and get it. God bless us!
Pie crust
Makes six 9-inch pie crusts
6 cups flour
2t baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups lard
2 eggs
2/3 cup water
2t vinegar
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the lard to the flour mixture to form breadcrumbs. It's best for the breadcrumbs to be quite moist – add a bit more lard to achieve this. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, water, and vinegar and pour over the breadcrumbs. Mix with a fork until the mixture forms a thick consistency – be careful not to overmix.
Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Press each ball into a disk and roll on a floured surface until 1/8-inch thick. Place the dough into a 9-inch pie plate and trim the edges. If using prebaked dough, bake at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Lovina's Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, an Old Order Amish author, cook, wife, and mother of eight children. Readers can send a letter to Eicher at Lovina's Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a stamped self-addressed envelope for return mail) or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and Eicher will send your message for reading. Eicher does not personally respond to emails.
