THE AMISH COOK
BY LOVINA EICHER
On June 14 our oldest child Elizabeth will turn 17. We were still living with my parents at the time she was born. It was nice having my mother there to give advice on how to care for a little newborn for the first time. And I still had 3 sisters living at home, too, so Elizabeth never lacked for attention those first couples of years. When Elizabeth was just 3 or 4 months old, we moved into a trailer house across the driveway but it was close enough that she saw grandma, grandpa, and her aunts almost daily. My husband Joe would help my father with milking the cows and doing the chores morning and evening. Mother and I would do a lot of our chores together while my sisters were at work during the day. Now those are just memories and it is hard to believe how fast time has gone by.
Elizabeth has moved into her new bedroom and is excited about it. It feels like we have accomplished something to have another bedroom finished.
On Thursday sister Emma and family assisted me with my work, there‘s just so much to do still with church services being held here this coming Sunday. After lunch sisters Susan and Verena also came to help. The walls and ceilings in our bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen were all washed off. Some of the windows and furniture were also cleaned. Emma’s husband, Jacob, came here after work and helped Joe with his outside chores. Jacob and Emma and family stayed for an early supper before heading for home. Joe grilled some chicken and I cooked some potatoes to go along with it. A lot of jobs were marked off my list that day. We appreciated all the help. And, once again, on Saturday Jacob and Emma’s family came to help and also Elizabeth’s friend Timothy. Manure was hauled, the pasture field was mowed, plus a lot of odd and end jobs that Joe needed done. Here in the house we did a very huge laundry, more windows were washed and the upstairs bedrooms were all cleaned.
We had told everyone to come for breakfast We had a breakfast casserole which I will share the recipe for at the end of the column. We really like this casserole. Our noon dinner consisted of mashed potatoes, beef and gravy, macaroni and cheese, corn, fresh peas, radishes, green onions, and lettuce out of the garden. We have had a few hot peppers, green peppers, and a cherry tomato out of our garden so far. Also the strawberries are really ripe. All these goodies have been just enough for a taste and makes us hungry for more. That time will be here before we know it. I would like to go to a u-pick strawberry field since I don’t get enough from our patch. Our family loves strawberries but they are not my specialty in growing. The children enjoy my homemade strawberry freezer jam, strawberries on ice cream and strawberry pie.
Yesterday, Sunday, Jacob and Emma told us to get away from home for awhile and come for dinner. So we all headed over there using different means of transportation. Daughter Susan and some of the children took Tiger, our new miniature horse to Emma’s. That was the first time Tiger had done such a long trip (4 miles each way). He did really well and gave Susan a lot more confidence in his ability to share the road with cars. I took the horse and buggy with Verena and Kevin, while Joe and the rest of the children rode their bicycles. This was the longest bike ride ever for Lovina.
Emma’s had fixed a good meal consisting of mashed potatoes, gravy, grilled pork steak, ham, and we also took along some t-bone steak to put on the grill. Also on the menu: radishes, green onions, rhubarb, dessert, ice cream cones, fresh lemonade, and iced tea that was made from Emma’s garden herbs.
Daughter Verena is still on crutches She was seen last week by a rheumatologist and also a sports doctor. They think her foot needs therapy. It comes from an injury three years ago when she sprained her foot really bad. It was painful for a long time and doctors said she should have hadtherapy on it back then. They said the therapy should allow for a 100 percent recovery. This week we will find out how often she needs to go for therapy. They want to get her off the crutches as soon as possible. Her foot is still numb so she does not have pain in it. Verena soaks it in warm water and massages it several times a day. She is determined to get back to walking on her own.
This is the breakfast casserole I mentioned earlier. I make my own homemade biscuits and gravy for this and use eggs, potatoes, and pork from our own supply. You could, though, use canned biscuits, gravy and store-bought ingredients to make it. If you make your own homemade gravy or use store-bought, you want the gravy to be on the thinner side.
ALL-IN-ONE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
12 biscuits
2 dozen scrambled eggs
Potatoes or 1 32-ounce package of frozen hashed browns
2 pounds of bacon, fried and crumbled
2 cups Cheddar cheese
1 gallon of sausage gravy
Bake biscuits and break into bite sized pieces. Put into bottom of a greased roaster Next, layer potatoes, eggs, bacon, and cheese on top of the biscuits. Take a spoon and make holes in the casserole so gravy can run down into the rest of the ingredients. Pour gravy over the top. Bake at 350 until thoroughly heated, about 30 minutes. Optional: you can add green peppers, onions, and mushrooms whatever you wish can be added.
