It is Tuesday morning, and the sun is trying to peep through. Hopefully we will see the sun today. We have had a few days of not much sun, so our battery pack hooked up to our solar panels is draining fast. During the night the water quit working, as the pump couldn’t kick in with the battery so low. And of course our gas jugs were all empty.

When my husband Joe’s driver came to take him to work, Joe went to the gas station and brought home a jug of gas. He filled the generator and hooked it up to charge the battery. Since it was so low I’m waiting to wash dishes until the battery has charged a little more.

We get so dependent on an easier lifestyle than we lived over 20 years ago before our move to Michigan. Flushable toilets and running water weren’t anything we had to worry about. Our freezers and refrigerators also run off solar, and we didn’t have that either. I must admit that I would miss not having these “extras.” I will never forget all those years of going out to the well to pump water for drinking. We had a cistern under our breezeway floor! At first we didn’t have a cistern pump, so Joe would use a five-gallon bucket to dip water up and fill several clean garbage cans with water to bathe and to wash laundry. This was softer water than the hard water from the well. All this water had to be heated first. I would really miss my hot and cold running water and our tubs and showers. We have lived here for over 20 years, and with Elizabeth (our oldest) being 9 years old at the time of our move, not many of our children remember “those times.” The three oldest remember the most.

Sunday morning Joe and I were debating whether we should take our pony Stormy and the open pony buggy to church since it wasn’t that far. It was raining lightly, and I told Joe that years ago we wouldn’t have had a choice to take a covered buggy. We used an umbrella and braved all kinds of weather. We did take Stormy, and it turned out to be nice with no rain after all for our ride there and back.

Grandson Denzel, 2, drove home from church with us. There is something about a pony ride that he loves!

Daughter Loretta and Dustin and son Byron and daughter Elizabeth, Tim, and four children and Daniel Ray (daughter Verena’s special friend) were our afternoon guests. Elizabeth and Tim went to church in another church district and decided to stop in on their way home. Daniel Ray popped popcorn for all of us.

Abigail, 8, and Timothy (T.J.), 5, wanted me to play a game of Uno with them. They thought it was funny to try to play the “Skip” card on Grandma.

Sons Benjamin and Kevin left Friday night for Indiana and spent the weekend at a friend’s house. I was thinking the house would really seem empty, but not for long. Son Joseph and Grace and daughter Lovina and Daniel showed up for supper. Also Daniel Ray. Joseph grilled chicken while I made a noodle soup. Along with sliced cheese, crackers, and chocolate chip cookies, it completed our meal.

Earlier in the day I had baked over 125 chocolate chip cookies, as I had to take some to church on Sunday. It is so nice to be able to bake in my house again.

Joseph and Grace and Daniel and Lovina ended up staying for the night. They could sleep in their “old” bedrooms. It felt good to have them sleeping under “our roof” again.

The next morning I made breakfast for them before they left. I made our usual Saturday breakfast of fried eggs and potatoes, bacon, cheese, toast, and hot peppers. And of course coffee and chocolate chip cookies.

Until next week . . . God bless!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

For the filling mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the noodle mixture:
12 ounces egg noodles
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
8 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and onion, breaking up the beef into crumbles, and cook until there is no pink left and the onion has softened, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While the filling is simmering, cook and drain the egg noodles per the package directions. In a large bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until well combined. Add the noodles to the bowl and stir so the noodles are coated. Place half the noodles in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the filling. Top with half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining noodles, filling, and cheese. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until it is warmed through and the cheese has melted.

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.