Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight

Today grandson Byron (son of daughter Loretta and Dustin) is 3 months old. He weighs 10 pounds, 12 ounces now. He’s a sweet little smiley baby. He’s cooing and an active little boy. Denzel loves his little brother but sometimes looks annoyed to have to share everyone with Byron. He likes to give Byron something to play with, which isn’t always a good thing if it’s somebody’s shoe. Haha!

On Sunday I made a breakfast haystack for brunch. Those joining us were Tim, daughter Elizabeth, Abigail, 7, Timothy (T.J.), 4, Allison, 3, and Andrea, 21 months, daughter Susan, Ervin, Kaitlyn, 7, Jennifer, 5, Isaiah, 5, Ryan, 4, and Curtis, 4, daughter Loretta, Dustin, Denzel, 16 months, and Byron, 3 months, daughter Verena and her special friend Daniel Ray, son Joseph’s special friend Grace, daughter Lovina’s special friend Daniel, and nephews Henry, Jacob, and Steven. 

For the haystack breakfast I made Mystery Biscuits (and crumbled them after baked), sausage, bacon, ham, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, cheese sauce, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, hot peppers, salsa, and gravy. For a haystack, layer everything you like, and add more ingredients to your menu if you prefer. Lastly, pour cheese sauce and gravy over everything. It is a good meal but takes time to make everything. It is easy for children; if they only like biscuits and gravy or scrambled eggs, they can take only that. We also had rhubarb juice, grape juice, V-8 juice, coffee, milk, and cider, as well as ice cream and pumpkin whoopie pies. Some of these recipes will likely be included among over one hundred recipes in my new cookbook The Cherished Table (release date June 2024)! 

Before everyone left we had hot dog and bologna sandwiches, venison snack sticks, chips, pretzels, apples, popcorn, etc. 

It was a beautiful fall day, and the children loved being outside. Their favorite place to play is on the big pile of dirt in our field behind our house. Son-in-law Dustin and his brother Daniel (Lovina’s special friend) run an excavating business besides working construction as well. They are digging a pond for us. We needed dirt to fill in to build a new barn so we decided to have them dig a pond instead of paying for dirt to be hauled in. It will be nice once it’s all done. Our barn is very old, so we need room to store hay, etc. So we decided to build a new one instead of trying to fix up the old one. It seems there is so much work that need to be done and so little time to do it. Our goal was to have this pole barn built before the snow starts flying. 

Son Benjamin is hoping to get the okay from the doctor tomorrow to return to work. He laughs and says we were waiting to build the pole barn until he can help. We will be glad for his help. 

Son-in-law Dustin and son Joseph worked on the stair steps one night and that is another project needing attention. 

Recently one Friday evening, daughter Verena had Daniel Ray’s family and our family at her house for supper. Some of our grandchildren and Daniel Ray’s siblings are in the same school, so they had fun that evening. Dutch Blitz and dice games were played and the evening was enjoyable. Everyone helped bring food so it made it easier for Verena. 

Church services will be set at our house in 6 1/2 weeks, Lord willing, so we are trying to clean as well. My daughters were home one day helping last week. I was so glad for their help. I know they are busy with their own work. I can feel I am not as young as I used to be when getting ready to host church services. I am thankful for my good health and should not complain when my work falls behind. Take one day at a time!

God’s blessings to all!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Filling:

1/2 cup milk

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

3–4 cups powdered sugar

Cream sugar and oil. Add pumpkin and eggs. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and spices. Mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10–12 minutes. 

For filling, mix milk, cream cheese, and vanilla with 3 cups powdered sugar. Add more sugar as needed to reach desired consistency. Spread between two cookies.

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her two cookbooks, 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.

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Contact: [email protected]; 1-800-245-7894

Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

How do you start writing an article about a baby that’s not born yet?
I guess something like this.
This is officially my “baby back-up article,” the one I’m wrote a week ahead — although I ended up having plenty of time. But since you’re reading it, it means Miller Baby #2/Mini-Wheat has been born!
Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you at this point. Fortunately, I have a feeling I’ll at least mention it in the future….
But for now, we wait in anticipation. I’m in no rush; I’m not due until November 7, another two days at the time I’m writing this (but it has come and gone by the time I’m submitting it). Benson was a week late, and so I learned not to watch the calendar with bated breath — I have all sorts of things penciled in as options, unless of course I’m having a baby. Benson was also a traumatic labor, birth, and after-birth, so I’m emotionally in no rush either.
Not that the baby really takes into much account how I’m feeling about things; it’ll come when it comes. If the amount of contractions I’ve been having the past couple days are any indication, it won’t be terribly long, but then again we know babies have a mind of their own. My current goal is to pray for joy instead of anxiety when things really kick into action, and to let my body rest in the meantime.
And what better way to cultivate joy than eat chocolate cake? The birthing center where we hope to deliver actually bakes a cake in celebration of the baby’s arrival, which I love so much — except I don’t love cake. I know, that doesn’t match with what I just said. I’m just picky about my cake. It has to be chocolate, and it can’t be messing around: it really has to be deep dark chocolate.
Which is why one of my favorite cakes is bean cake. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? But don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Chocolate bean cakes tend to be heavy, moist, and super chocolatey, but also oddly healthy, so good news for people who choose to nosh on it at any point in the day from pre-breakfast bite to bedtime snack. Hypothetically, of course.
I had someone ask me last week if I could handle coffee and chocolate now, as she couldn’t for her entire pregnancies. While they were both thoroughly banned for my first trimester, and coffee is a little sketchy still, chocolate has one hundred percent made it back into my life. I would say my consumption has reached excessive levels, but then again, I’m nine months pregnant, so I figure I can do what I want.
Saying I want chocolate bean cake, however, doesn’t mean it’s another one of those odd hormonal cravings. It’s not like I’m dumping a can of pinto beans on a slice of cake and drizzling chocolate sauce on it — in fact, the beans get so blended and incorporated into the cake that you would never know they’re there if I weren’t telling you. They add protein and fiber, yes, but also an unexpected richness and brownie-esque factor.
Having this kind of cake around also brings me a sweet (pun intended) nostalgia, as I haven’t made it much, if at all, since Benson’s birth. I had made a peppermint-spiked batch right before he was born, and coming home from the NICU a week later to find cake in the fridge was a gift to my sore, tired, hungry self.
This time I’m getting a head start on enjoying it, because why wait? I think I’ve made four batches in as many weeks, freezing some each time in preparation for the days to come. Benson also revels in eating cake at random times, and I’m sure we’ll continue as we celebrate the arrival of his little sibling.

Chocolate Brownie Bean Cake

Y ou might want to frost this cake, or you might not. Choose your favorite frosting (almost any flavor will do!), or simply drizzle on melted chocolate or warmed peanut butter.
Prep tips: I’m usually picky about cooking beans from dried instead of using canned, but since they get blended into oblivion here, it really doesn’t matter either way. And let’s be honest, I just had a baby, so I’m going the convenience route for now.

1 ½ cups [1 15-oz can] cooked black beans, drained
4 eggs
½ cup honey
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup almond butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
a splash of vanilla
½ cup sour cream or ricotta ½ cup chopped dark chocolate

Blend up everything except chocolate chips until completely smooth. Transfer to a greased 8” or 9” baking pan, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until center is firmed. Chill completely before slicing or frosting. Pop the whole thing into the freezer, covered with plastic wrap and foil; or slice and freeze in slices in an airtight container or wrapped individually in plastic wrap. Or just eat.