“We were born into a family of all boys, and our older brothers were already working with Dat at the nursery,” Jonathan explained as he returned to the kitchen. “When Cyrus was about eight, our mamm had twins, and then another set of them came along a couple years later. She gave us a choice of either minding the babies or manning the kitchen.”
A smile eased over Laura’s face as she put the biscuits in a basket. “Isn’t that interesting?” she teased. “I had no idea you two were such happy homemakers!”
Gloria laughed. “Jah, the girls who marry you fellows will be really lucky,” she blurted. And then she had a second, less presumptuous thought. “Then again, maybe you’ll get promoted at Sam and Simon’s nursery. Maybe you’ll be like most men and turn over all the kitchen work to your wives.”
Cyrus shook salt and pepper over the eggs as they cooked, considering his response. “Do you think I’m like most men, Gloria?” he asked softly.
Had she hurt his feelings? Offended him? Gloria stood closer to him, impressed with the way his eggs were looking. “Well, no. Not at all,” she admitted.
“Cyrus and I have talked a lot this week,” Jonathan said, slipping his arm around Laura’s shoulders. “We’ve decided that because each partner in a relationship contributes abilities that the other one doesn’t, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to the concept of men’s work and women’s work.”
“For example,” Cyrus continued, stirring shredded cheese into the eggs, “my brother and I work hard and we’re putting money away, but we’re not yet able to provide you girls with homes. When we went to declare our intentions—and our predicament—to your parents, figuring to get on their gut sides because we’d be living with them for a while—”
“We were gratified to receive their blessings right off,” Jonathan put in. “And after Christine said she was providing Laura with a plot of land, and Bishop Monroe offered us a house as a wedding gift—”
“Preacher Marlin and Frances made the same offer for you, Gloria—whenever the time’s right,” Cyrus said as he took the skillet from the burner. His grin shone like the sun. “They like us! And they want us to stay at Promise Lodge and make their daughters happy. So—when the time’s right—maybe we guys can take on some of the cooking and household chores, jah? Seems like a small trade-off, considering that you can provide us with homes.”
Gloria was stunned. “I—I had no idea—”
“I figured it might work that way, after Mamm gave Phoebe a plot of land,” Laura admitted. “But I didn’t want to hold property over your head as an obligation, Jonathan—and I did not want you to marry me because of my land!”
“I loved you long before I knew about that, sweet Laura.”
Gloria sighed, in awe of the eloquent simplicity—the sincerity—of Jonathan’s declaration. Cyrus might’ve been the bolder of the Helmuth brothers, but he wasn’t ahead in everything. He’d come to love her by a different path, stumbling and falling over a five-hundred-dollar bet before picking himself up to move forward again. He’d made his share of dumb mistakes, just as she had.
“How about we eat our breakfast before it gets cold?” Cyrus suggested. “You ladies need to fortify yourselves before your next surprises arrive.”
All during their meal, Gloria wondered what could possibly be more surprising than learning that Mamm and Marlin would give her a plot of land and a house when she was ready to marry. As founders of Promise Lodge, the Bender sisters and Amos had given such gifts to their children, but she hadn’t expected that trend to continue with newer residents’ kids.
“Don’t the eggs suit you, sweetie?” Cyrus murmured beside her. “You’ve hardly eaten a bite of your breakfast, after I slaved over a hot stove cooking for you.”
His teasing tone brought Gloria out of her thoughts— and she saw that her friends had cleaned their plates. “You’ve given me a lot to think about,” she admitted.
“Gut,” he said. “I don’t want you to ever assume you’ve got me all figured out.”
“Hah—gut luck with that!” Jonathan teased from across the table. “I’ve known you for twenty years and I’m still at a loss.”
Cyrus sat up straighter, as though rising to a dare his brother had thrown at him. “Actions speak louder than words, brother—and who challenged you to find a girlfriend in the first place?” he asked as he stood up. “Let me show you how this is done.”
Why’s he going toward the storage closet? Gloria wondered as Cyrus crossed the room. After he opened the double doors where the Kuhns stored dishes used for weddings and other large gatherings, he lifted a large, wrapped bundle from the floor. Where had that come from?
Cyrus’s smile dazzled her as he approached the table with the bundle. It was large, shaped like a tube, so he stood it on end beside her. “For you, Gloria,” he said softly. “If I’m lucky—if I ask the right question when you’re ready to answer it—you’ll share this with me someday.”
Her heart pounded as she slipped a finger beneath the tape that held the wrapping paper in place. The gift was cushy and tightly rolled, and when an edge of deep red and green fabric was revealed—
“It’s your quilt, Gloria!” Laura cried out. “Oh, I was hoping you’d get it!”
Tears suddenly filled her eyes and Gloria stood up to throw her arms around Cyrus. “I—I don’t know what to—how to thank you,” she murmured in a rush.
His arms tightened around her. “Will you marry me, after we court for a while?” he whispered. “By the time your other amaryllis blooms, maybe you’ll be ready to commit to an answer—”
“Yes, Cyrus!” Gloria sang out. Her heart had known the answer ever since the full moon had illuminated her feelings, so she felt no hesitation whatsoever. “We’ll be engaged, we’ll figure out where to live, and we’ll plan for happiness! Rosetta’s got that right, you know.”
“She does,” Cyrus murmured before his lips moved over hers. “Her strategy’s already working, too, because I’ve never been happier, Gloria. I—I love you so much!”
As she gazed into Cyrus’s shining eyes, Gloria savored the words she’d longed to hear from just the right man. And they sounded every bit as sweet and romantic as she’d imagined. “I love you, too, Cyrus,” she murmured.
“So, Jonathan,” Cyrus teased, “now that I’ve shown you how it’s done—ah. Guess they figured it out for themselves.”
Gloria giggled. Laura had already opened the three-dimensional banner she’d chosen in Nora’s shop, and she and Jonathan were too lost in a deep kiss to realize they were being watched.
“Let’s look at this gorgeous quilt,” she whispered, grasping the bundle in her arms. “We can spread it out on the table over there.”
“Jah, I’d like to see what you chose,” Cyrus remarked. He quickly pushed two tables together so the quilt wouldn’t drag on the floor. “I trusted Nora not to steer me wrong, but I didn’t get a chance to look at it when we were in her shop.”
Gloria stopped unrolling the soft, bulky quilt. “You—you bought it sight unseen?” she whispered. “You must’ve spent a fortune on this piece.”
“It’s what you wanted,” Cyrus replied with a shrug. “When I called Nora and asked her to send it, she assured me it was well made—said it would last a lifetime. That’s a worthwhile investment in our future, the way I see it.”
He smiled as she unrolled the rest of the quilt so the red, fuchsia, and orange flowers in the center were fully visible. “Wow, I’ve never seen a quilt like this,” he said. “It reminds me of you, Gloria. Bold and bright, and unlike anyone else. I can’t wait to see it on our bed, in our home.”
On our bed, in our home. What a picture his words created in her mind!
As Gloria hugged Cyrus again, brilliant rays of the sunrise beamed through the window and bathed them in glorious light. It was God’s blessing upon them, and she knew His light would shine on them and their life at Promise Lodge forever.
From the Promise Lodge Kitchen
T
he ladies of Promise Lodge are always whipping up good things to eat, and here are the recipes from most of the dishes they concocted in this story! These are down-home foods Amish women feed their families, along with some dishes that I’ve concocted in my own kitchen—because you know what? Amish cooking isn’t elaborate. Plain cooks make an astounding number of suppers from whatever’s in their pantry and their freezers. They also use convenience foods like Velveeta cheese, cake mixes, and canned soups to feed their large families for less money and investment of their time.
These recipes are also posted on my website,
www.CharlotteHubbard.com.
If you don’t find a recipe you want,
please email me via my website to request it—
and to let me know how you liked it!
~Charlotte
Amish Pumpkin Crunch
Here’s a wonderful fall dish that bakes up like a pumpkin pie on the bottom with a layer of streusel-like cake on the top—and your house smells fabulous while it’s baking! Serve it warm as a dessert or even as a brunch dish, or serve it chilled.
1 15-oz. can solid-pack pumpkin
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9x13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and spices. Pour this mixture into the pan, then spread the dry cake mix evenly over the top of it. Sprinkle the pecans over the top of the cake mix, and drizzle the melted butter evenly over everything. Bake 55-60 minutes or until top is golden brown and the center is set. Serves 12. To serve warm, allow the crunch to set about 20 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.
Annabelle’s Homemade Barbeque Sauce
Here’s a tangy sauce made from simple ingredients—and without the high-fructose corn syrup found in commercially bottled BBQ sauce. I especially like to use this sauce with pulled pork or chicken I’ve cooked in the slow cooker, or in place of taco sauce for nachos. It adds a whole new dimension of zing as a pizza sauce, as well!
1 cup ketchup
¾ cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 T. maple syrup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. each celery seed and salt
1 T. each garlic powder and dried onion
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or a little longer to make a thicker sauce. Stir occasionally. Makes about 2 cups. Store in the refrigerator—keeps for several days.
Date-Raisin Spice Bars
Nothing’s easier than a bar recipe that you stir up in a pan and bake! This recipe is from my mother-in-law’s collection, and I doubled the spices to make these moist, fruity bars a truly memorable treat!
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup raisins
1 8-oz. pkg. chopped dates
½ tsp. salt
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups flour
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. each vanilla and baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray/grease a 10x15-inch pan. In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, combine shortening, sugar, water, raisins, dates, and the spices. Simmer gently for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients until mixture is well blended. Spread batter in pan and bake about 15 minutes, or until center is set. While bars bake, make the frosting. Place bars on a rack to cool, and frost the bars while still hot. Cool completely before cutting.
Frosting
2½ - 3 cups powdered sugar
2 T. softened butter
¼ cup milk
Dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. of rum or almond flavoring
Posse Stew
Maybe this recipe was first created over a campfire out West? No matter what you call it, this stew goes together quickly from staples in your kitchen and provides a filling meal for all the folks around your table! Great with cornbread or biscuits!
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, diced
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-oz. can chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 15-oz. can hominy, drained
1 15-oz. can corn, drained
1 T. cornstarch
¼ cup water
In a large skillet, cook the beef and onion until all the pink is gone. Drain and return meat mixture to the skillet. Add the vegetables and beans and heat through, then stir the cornstarch into the water and add this to the skillet to thicken the stew. Adjust seasonings and serve. About 4-6 servings.
Kitchen Hint: For more kick, add a 4-oz. can of undrained jalapeños or a packet of dry fajita seasoning. You can also replace the cornstarch/water mix with a small can of tomato paste and add a dash of chili powder or more garlic powder.
Brown Sugar–Cinnamon Bars
Love cinnamon? Here’s another bar recipe that goes from a saucepan to the oven in minutes! Don’t let their plain, unfrosted appearance fool you—these bars are moist and chewy and indescribably delicious!
2 cups flour
2 T. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 cups brown sugar, packed
⅔ cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. melted butter
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch baking pan with foil so that a flap extends on 2 sides, and spray/grease the foil. Combine the flour, 2 T. cinnamon, baking powder, and soda in a small bowl and set aside. In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, cook and stir the brown sugar and butter until butter is melted. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture. Spread the batter in the pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until a pick in the center comes out clean. (Bars will still seem a bit doughy, but don’t overbake!) While bars are still warm, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cool completely. Lift out of the pan with the foil to cut. 24 small bars.
Kitchen Hint: Double this recipe to make in a 9x13-inch pan.
Read on for an excerpt from Charlotte Hubbard’s newest Amish romance, coming soon!
The Maidels of Morning Star
Book 1
Morning Star
by
Charlotte Hubbard
Spring had painted the Missouri countryside with a palette of vibrant greens and gentle pastels only God Himself could create. The pastures were lush with new grass, and the dogwood and redbud trees added splashes of pink, cream, and fuchsia to the untamed landscape. Jo Fussner and her four maidel friends were on their usual afternoon walk on a visiting Sunday, soaking up the midday sunshine. An occasional car passed as they strolled alongside the county highway, but otherwise, Morning Star seemed to be nodding off for its Sunday nap.
As they reached the edge of town, Jo gazed at a dilapidated white stable that sat back from the road, surrounded by a few acres of land. The plank fence around it was also in a sorry state of disrepair. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen horses in the pasture, or any sign of the English folks who owned it. The harsh winter hadn’t done the stable any favors, and Jo thought the place looked sadder than usual as the April breeze riffled some of its loose shingles.
The wooden sign posted on the fence alongside the gate startled her. “Did you know this place was for sale?” Jo blurted. “I haven’t seen this sign before.”
“Me neither,” Molly Helfing replied. She glanced at her rail-thin twin sister, Mariet
ta, who was recovering from chemo treatments. “Last I knew, that Clementi fellow who owned this property died in the nursing home—”
“And his kids have been squabbling over the estate,” Marietta put in. Despite the spring day’s warmth, she pulled her black cloak more closely around her. “I still haven’t figured out how the English can bear to put their parents in places like the Senior Center. It seems so cruel, separating older folks from their families.”
“Jah, Mamm exasperates me, but I could never shut her away in a care facility,” Jo agreed. An idea was spinning in her head—an adventurous, totally impractical idea—as she gazed at the long white stable with its peeling paint and missing boards. Her longtime friends would think she was ferhoodled, yet her imagination was running wild with possibilities.
“The kids must’ve decided to sell the place rather than keep it in the family,” redheaded Regina Miller remarked. “I can’t think it’ll bring much, though, run-down as it is.”
“Anybody who bought it would have to invest a lot of money to make it usable as a stable again. And replacing the slat fence would cost another small fortune,” Lydianne Christner said with a shake of her head. “Folks around town have been hoping the family will just tear this eyesore down—”
“But wouldn’t it make a great place for some shops?” Jo blurted out. “You Helfings could sell your homemade noodles, and Mamm and I would have more space to display our bakery stuff and our summer produce—and we could get other local folks to rent spaces, and—and it’s on the main highway! Think of how much more business we’d attract here than we do at the roadside stands in our yards.”
Light Shines on Promise Lodge Page 27