THE AMISH COOK
BY GLORIA YODER
Dear Friends Far and Near,
Our big day was rapidly coming to a close, we just finished eating a tasty supper. We both immensely enjoyed our wedding day,yet it felt good to have everything winding down a bit. It seemed everywhere we turned there were friends who congratulated us, wished us God's blessings, and thanked us for the invitation.
It was 7:30 p.m and people had begun to disperse. The time had finally come for us to leave for our new home as well. Together we headed out to the buggy and helped one another hitch up the horse named Diamond.
Diamond pulling Gloria and Daniel away from the wedding.
Just before leaving we were disappointed to discover that there wasn't any battery on the buggy to use for the buggy lights on the way home. That meant thatDaniel had to go in search of a battery before we could leave. The five minutes he spent looking for it seemed to stretch endlessly so I waited at the buggy. At last the battery was located and we were on our way.
As Diamond clipped down the road in the gathering darkness, I tried to let reality soak in that we were no longer just dating, but are actually husband-and-wife, heading for our new home. Before long we had covered the 3 ½ miles to the farm we were renting
After unhitching Diamond and putting him in his stall for the night we headed for the house. Earlier that week we had fun moving some of our belongings into it. Since we had planned to only live there for a short time, we didn't move in much more than the basics. We wanted to have just enough to make it look homey.
The following day we went back to my parents shop where the wedding had been held the day before. Everything seemed so quiet and laid-back in comparison to the day before when our 400 guests filled the room.
Since our shop is practical for accommodating large weddings we've had the opportunity to host quite a few during my youth years. Clean up the day following the weddings never was a favorite of mine. Now this time it was my turn to do the fun part ! Daniel and I helped one another take our "Eck" apart. Remember the German word Eck? It means "corner" and is used to describe what we call the corner and the bridal table. The flowers, dishes, mottos etc. were put away and packed in boxes. In the meantime both of our families did an excellent job in pitching in and helping with cleanup. Borrowed items such as tables, benches, and dishes needed to be returned as well. Several of the men worked on moving the shop equipment back to where it belonged in setting everything up again.
Later in the afternoon Daniel and I had lots of fun sorting through our gifts. It was interesting to go through everything again. We certainly were richly blessed with gifts. The gifts helped out tremendously in getting started in a new home.
At 5 PM Daniel and I left for home. I felt awful to leave mom with the work that still awaited her. I told her how bad I felt to not be able to help her with cleanup. "I'll be fine "she assured me. "You're now Daniel's wife and your primary responsibility is to care for him. Don't worry about us, we will be fine. I want you to go home with him and be able to enjoy yourself without fretting about me."
Bless her dear heart! She is a wonderful mother to me and it meant more than words can say to have both of our parents support in our marriage. You're probably wondering whether the Amish go on a honeymoon or not? The answer, of course, would depend on who you ask. Daniel and I didn't go on a trip right after our wedding. We preferred to first get settled in our new home, then later that summer we had the opportunity of going on a two-week trip to Alaska.
Two weeks after our wedding we invited my parents and siblings to our house for supper. I was so excited to be able to host them at my house. I had lots of fun extending the table and setting it with our new dishes while Daniel fired up our brand-new grill. The grill was given to us as a wedding present. He's a grilling pro, so he was the one to grill the hamburgers for supper. How about joining us tonight as we grill world famous burgers ? After trying this recipe you'll be sure to add it to your list of favorites.
- SAUCE:
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- BURGERS
- 1½ pound beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup oatmeal
- ¼ cup sauce
- ¼ teaspoon onion salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Mix burger ingredients well and shape into patties.
- Use sauce to baste while grilling.
- Cook on each side until desired donness.
- Moist and tasty, serves 6!
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