Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight
It is a foggy Monday morning but the sun is peeking through. It looks like it will be another nice sunny day. We have been having spring-like days with temperatures in the 50s. I’m sure winter isn’t over for us yet, but we will enjoy these days while they last. After all of the cold and snow we have had, it does give a person “Spring fever”!
Along with the snow melting with the ground still frozen it makes a lot more mud around. Our ground is sandy and that sticks to shoes and gets dragged in the house. Although shoes can be taken off at the door, it is hard for those ones depending on mobility scooters. Their wheels pick up sand or mud and it’s harder to keep their wheels from dragging in dirt. We have vinyl floors so it’s pretty easy to clean up. I decided to wait to do my weekly cleaning until today after I wash the laundry. With a lot of activity around here this weekend I think it would have had to be cleaned again today anyways. A few women are bringing in coffee break tomorrow morning for daughters Verena, Loretta, Lovina, and I. This way everything will be cleaner.
Daughter Verena has been very sick for over a week. She finally went to the doctor on Friday and found out it was bronchitis. The antibiotics seem to be helping and she is on the road to recovery.
Yesterday our church service was held at our neighbors. It was baptismal services for two young souls that accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. What a blessing!
Of course there were a lot of visitors in honor of their baptism. The big pole barn was filled to capacity. Even though some left before lunch there were still seventeen tables of people that were served lunch. It was a very good church lunch consisting of homemade wheat and white bread, ham, cheese, pickles, red beets, hot peppers, peanut butter spread, strawberry jam, butter, coffee, tea, and a variety of cookies.
I made cookies that were passed around to the young children during the service. Since Valentine’s Day was the day before I made heart shaped cookies with pink frosting on them. I was holding Loretta and Dustin’s little one-year-old Kylie when the cookies, crackers, and pretzels were passed out during the service. Kylie took her little fingers and picked off the frosting. Haha! Two-year-old Byron could see the cookies from where we were seated and he kept asking for a cookie. When he finally saw the snack container getting passed around he was all smiles and he finally had his cookie.
Friday night was our “Family Night” we have once a month. It was held by daughter Lovina and Daniel. I was supposed to take a casserole but decided to take mashed potatoes and gravy instead. Daughter Elizabeth and Tim were asked to bring the meat or sandwiches. They brought meatballs which went well with mashed potatoes and gravy. It takes ten pounds of potatoes for our family to make mashed potatoes. It is nice when all the food is done when it comes and we can just sit around and visit. There were many different games being played including Rook, Sorry, Aggravation, Phase 10 and Marble Chase. Marble Chase is a cross between Sorry and Aggravation. It’s played on a homemade board and uses marbles and cards instead of dice. There was a lot of laughter and a little family friendly rivalry. Daughter Elizabeth brought a cake for Andrea and had her blow out candles. She turned four on Saturday, February 14th.
Granddaughter Abigail was a happy and excited girl when she saw the books that were sent to her from many kind readers. She didn’t expect it at all. She wants to thank everyone personally if she has the address. If not, then she says thank you to everyone. She received several sets of Boxcar Children books which she will share with her siblings and cousins. She also received a set of Little House on the Prairie and a set of Anne of Green Gables. How thoughtful of you all.
God’s blessings!
HAMBURGER VEGETABLE SOUP
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced or shredded cabbage
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup rice or barley
1 cup tomato or V8 juice
4 cups water
4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil (1 tablespoon fresh basil can be substituted)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (1-1/2 teaspoon fresh can be substituted)
Fry hamburger with onions and garlic until no longer pink; drain fat. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for one hour. Serves 6.
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.
Contact: [email protected] or 708-466-0471
