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Birthdays, a baptism and a goodbye to a friend

Canning season is in full swing around here. We are a week into September already. Sept. 10 is granddaughter Abigail’s sixth birthday. Her birth brought us much excitement, as she put Joe and me on the grandparent list.

Every grandchild brings excitement, but that first grandchild makes a change in your life.

Last night, all the family were here for supper. We had mashed potatoes, beef and noodles, cucumber salad, cheese, cookies and canned peaches.

Son Kevin turned 17 on Sept. 2. Daughter Lovina and I made him a horseshoe-shaped cake. We celebrated his birthday a day earlier, as our family gathered here for a farewell supper for our dear friend Jodi.

Jodi, whose husband Dan was killed in the same accident that took the life of daughter Susan’s husband Mose, has moved to Alabama to live with her daughter Krista and family.

We have come to be good friends with Jodi and will really miss her being close by. I understand that she wants to be closer to her daughter, though.

We made a haystack dinner for Jodi and her son James and family. It was nice to spend a night together before she headed south.

Daughter Elizabeth and Tim are glad that church services at their house are now over. It’s always a good feeling to have everything cleaned again. A baptismal service for son Benjamin was held there on Saturday.

After most of the people left, sister Emma’s family and our family helped pack up the dishes in the bench wagon and the men put all the benches back in. The tent was taken down and packed up in the tent trailer to be pulled to the next ones who need it.

Elizabeth and Tim served a good church lunch of homemade wheat and white bread, ham, cheese, peanut butter mixture, pickles, red beets, hot peppers, butter, grape jelly, coffee, iced tea, and a variety of cookies.

It was a nice, sunny day to have services under a tent. The sun warmed up later in the day, making the iced tea sister Emma made taste extra good.

It always seems to make a parent’s heart so thankful when another child takes that precious step in life and accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. May God continue to be Benjamin’s guide as we travel into the unknown future.

Today, Joe stayed home from work as he has several appointments. First, we will go to the doctor’s office to find out the results on some blood tests he took. Then we will head over to the hospital, where he has to take a stress test. Joe has been having some health complications, so we hope to get good results.

I can’t believe the cost of doctor and hospital visits, but like everything else, the prices go up. We will take one day at a time and trust in our Heavenly Father above.

I want to apologize to readers who have written letters to me who didn’t receive an answer yet. I managed to get a few more answered this week. If you have a stamped envelope with your letter, you will get a reply, but I can’t promise when. Also, if you are requesting recipes that I haven’t had in the columns, then I will try to print those in a future column to save time.

I appreciate all the kind, encouraging letters I receive. Daughter Loretta appreciates all the get well and baby cards and gifts she has received. May God bless you for your kind deeds. Until next week, God bless.

Whoopie Pies

This recipe was requested by a reader.

4 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

pinch of salt

2 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sour milk (2 tablespoons vinegar added to sweet milk to make a cup)

1 cup hot water

Cream filling:

1 3/4 cups butter at room temperature

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

10-14 ounces marshmallow creme

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; in a separate bowl, cream eggs, sugar, shortening and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients alternately with sour milk to creamed mixture, then add hot water last. Buttermilk can be substituted for the sour milk.

Drop on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees about eight minutes or until done.

For cream filling, cream butter and powdered sugar; whip until fluffy, then blend in vanilla. Fold in marshmallow creme until combined.

Chill for 20 minutes. Put two cookies together with cream filling in between.

Lovina Eicher is an Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight who lives in southeastern Michigan. Her newest cookbook, “Amish Family Recipes,” is available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at P.O. Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply), or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.

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