Son Joseph and Grace had a nice day for their wedding day. The temperature was cooler, making it nice for the cooks.

The food was delicious! The menu consisted of bread, butter, jam, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, green beans, lettuce salad, and barbecue chicken. Dessert was ice cream, pecan, blueberry, and lemon pies, a fruit mixture, and candy bars, and of course wedding cake at the 7 o’clock meal.

Daughter Elizabeth, Tim, and four children, daughter Susan, Ervin, and six children, and daughter Lovina and Daniel were our overnight guests Thursday and Friday evening.

It helped that they were close so the men could go help grill the chicken early in the morning.

I made biscuits and gravy for breakfast on the wedding morning. Then on Saturday morning after the wedding I made biscuits, gravy, and scrambled eggs.

Thursday evening they were all here for supper. One of the cooks brought a casserole for us to have for supper. Niece Susan also brought one, so that made a very easy supper. Ervin’s mother Esther sent a bowl of sugar cookies home with me. Another cook sent her pies and pumpkin roll home with me too. All this food made an easy supper. Daughter Loretta, Dustin, and sons also joined us for supper on the night before the wedding.

On Saturday we all went back over to Dustin’s to watch Joseph and Grace open up their many nice gifts.

Joseph and Grace are enjoying a week at a cabin by the lake for their honeymoon. May God grant them many happy, healthy years together.

The house seems so empty without Joseph (and Lovina) at home anymore. With only five people to cook for, I really need to downsize my meals.

Joseph called home yesterday and said they are having a great and fun honeymoon. He deserves a break after working so hard to get ready for Lovina and Daniel’s wedding and his own.

Joseph hasn’t even started packing his belongings yet. He has his two horses and colt here yet too. He doesn’t seem too eager to start with that. Probably after they are back from their honeymoon.

Today (September 10) is granddaughter Abigail’s birthday. She is eight years old. I remember the excitement of being grandparents for the first time. Abigail is a sweet, lovable little girl and has brought a lot of joy to our life these past eight years.

On a sadder note, a family we know in another community will be having a funeral for their eight-year-old son, who died unexpectedly. We wish our most deepest sympathy to the family. May God help them through this grief as they mourn for their loved one. This little boy’s sister lives in our church district. She is married to son-in-law Tim’s nephew. The father of this boy was an old neighbor to me and grew up in the same church district as I did years ago. The boy’s mother is a niece to sister Leah and Paul.

This morning, neighbor Susan dropped off quite a few buckets of tomatoes for daughter Loretta and Dustin. Her daughters had extra to spare and found out that Loretta is going to have to buy some. That was very kind of them.

I have some tomatoes that I need to can yet, but I will wait until tomorrow and do it all at once with Loretta’s.

I will share a lemon pie recipe that is similar to the one served at the wedding.

God bless you all!

Lemon Supreme Pie
1 (9-inch) pie crust, baked

Filling
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
4–5 drops yellow food color (optional)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Bottom and Topping
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add butter, lemon zest, and food color (if desired). Gently stir in lemon juice. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in whipped topping and lemon juice. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for a garnish. Spread remaining mixture into crust. Top with lemon filling, and garnish with the remaining cream cheese mixture. Chill overnight.

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  LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.