Children do well on state tests.
The Amish Cook
By Lovina Eicher
Today is the last day of April. It is difficult to believe that 2012 is now one– third over with. It is a rainy Monday here so laundry will be put off until tomorrow.
We will be taking care of my friend Amy’s children, Matthew, 1 1 /2, and Emily 6 months, tomorrow afternoon. Verena and Loretta both have time off from school as a reward for doing well on their state tests.
They chose to take tomorrow off as they enjoy when Matthew and Emily are here. We used to have Matthew here a lot when he was a baby. It is hard to believe how he has grown.
We made rhubarb juice from 16 pounds of rhubarb last week. It made 27 quarts of juice. We are enjoying it but it is going fast.
I hope my rhubarb keeps doing well so I can make a lot more. I put in three 3 ounce boxes of strawberry gelatin instead of one and it makes a lot nicer color and flavor. We like to drink it just like it is without adding anything. I also made several rhubarb-custard pies.
Saturday we spent the day helping Jacob and Emma butcher a beef. The beef had been already been dressed by a local processor so it wasn’t quite as messy of a job as usual.
It just had to be cut up. Steaks were cut up and the hamburger was ground. Beef chunks and some hamburger were processed in the pressure cookers.
Steaks and hamburger were packaged for the freezer. They were really glad for the meat since they didn’t get any beef butchered this past winter.
The saying “many hands make lighter work” proved to be true. It was a cool day so it worked out well to cut up the meat since it is hard work.
Emma told us all to come for breakfast so we could get an earlier start. On her menu were biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, fried potatoes, sliced cheese, sliced tomatoes, hot peppers, homemade bread, butter, rhubarb jam, rhubarb juice, chocolate milk, coffee, and rhubarb-custard pie.
Daughter Elizabeth baked 5 loaves of bread on Friday which came in handy over the weekend. Yesterday we had Jacob and Emma’s families here for dinner.
Joe fired the grill up and made barbecued steaks, pork chops and hot wings. Along with the meat we had mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, mixed vegetables, corn, macaroni salad, sliced cheese, hot peppers, carrot and celery sticks, and vegetable dip, homemade bread, butter, grape jam, cake and chocolate chip pudding, rhubarb pie and ice cream.
Jacob and Emma’s good horse, Big Rose, died over the weekend which was a real loss for them. She was a big, strong horse and very traffic safe.
Emma and Jacob already had a horse named Rose when they bought Big Rose at auction several years ago. They asked the person selling the horse what its name was and he said “Rose.” So they renamed their existing horse Little Rose and the new one Big Rose. But they’d both come when calling for Rose.
A traffic-safe horse is worth a lot especially when you go to town with the buggy. When I go into town I like a horse that does not get impatient waiting at stop lights.
We have brakes on our buggies which helps stop the horse when they want to back up. Sometimes a line of cars is waiting behind you so the brakes are nice.
Our horse, Diamond, will be 18 next month and is a little slow but safe and sound. I trust him when I am in town and also when I am passing big farm equipment.
This is one of Joe’s favorites. He likes it in his lunch. I made some extra so he has it in his lunch this week.
Macaroni Salad
3 cups cooked macaroni
1/2 cup carrots
1 /2 cup celery
1 /2 cup onion
2 tablespoons mustard
1 cup Miracle Whip
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper to suit taste
Mix the macaroni, carrots, celery and onions in a big bowl until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, mix mustard, Miracle Whip vinegar, salt, sugar, milk, and seasonings. Combine with macaroni mixture and toss until thoroughly mixed. Chill and serve.
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