by Risner, Fay
Emma leveled a serious look at Adam. “All recht, I thought that is where the furniture would go. Is building this house what you were doing when everyone kept telling me you were busy?”
Adam nodded and motioned toward the living room door.
Emma walked into the next room. “You build this house by yourself?”
Adam wrote,“I had help from John, Jim and most of the men in the community.”
Emma stopped to read again. “Is this where Daed, Dawdi and the boys went when he said they had to make Samuel Nicely's hay and to the salebarn?”
Adam nodded.
“No wonder Hallie and Mammi did not mind that Daed and Dawdi lied. As I recall now, Noah even gave me a hard time for not being more trusting of you.”
He wrote, “It was hard to get the house built by myself in time for the wedding after the tornado destroyed so many places. In between helping rebuild storm damaged buildings, the men pitched in to help me.”
“This is a wonderful surprise, but did you have to keep it from me for so long? Why did you let me worry that something was wrong with you? You knew I was upset.”
Adam wrote, “I wanted it to be a surprise. A nice one I thought. I was ready to show you the house that Sunday when I asked you to go for a ride with me, but after you talked to me the way you did, I could not tell you about the house. I had to know you trusted me to do the recht things with blind faith, because you loved me. If you did not trust me now, you never would.”
“That is what Bishop Bontrager told me. Tonight, Hallie said she was not going to let me go with you until she knew where we were going.”
Adam's head went backward in surprise.
“Do not worry. Hallie gave Daed a hard time so he told her last night, but he made her promise not to tell me. All Hallie said tonight was I should trust you to do the recht thing. I gave her advice some thought, sitting on my bed in my old room for one last time.” She paused, and Adam wavered his hand.
“I decided I loved you enough to marry you, Adam Keim. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even though I did not know what was ahead of me tonight. I had enough curiosity stored up in me to kill a cat, but I had to trust you.
Curiosity about so many things. Why you avoided me for weeks, and where we were going to live. I decided to do it your way and wait for you to show me and love where we lived even if it was in your horse barn. I realized I did not have a choice when your eyebrow kept going up if I spoke up.”
Adam's chin came up, and his serious eyes never wavered from hers. They stared at each other for a moment so still it was as though time stopped.
Adam lifted an eyebrow, wanting Emma to go on. Amazed at her new found wisdom, she said, “After all my doubts, I was just thinking that life with you is worth living. I am stronger and wiser after being a doubting Thomas. Denki, for putting up with me and teaching me to trust you.”
Emma held her arms out to Adam. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. She whispered in his ear, “I now know I can and will love you forever.”
Amish Wedding Recipes
Stuffing for an Amish Wedding
9 gallon toasted bread (15 big bread loaves)
1 ½ gallon potatoes, diced
1 ½ quart celery, chopped
1 ½ quart carrots, chopped
a little brown sugar
2 tbsp pepper
salt to taste
poultry seasoning
1 quart fresh parsley, chopped
1 quart onions, chopped
3 ½ gallons milk
2 quarts chicken pickings
Put stuffing in rectangular pans like cake pans or aluminum pans.
Bake at 335 for 40 to 45 minutes
Date Dessert
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup boiling water
Put dates in boiling water and let soak.
Mix together
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Margarine
Add soaked dates to the mixture and stir well.
Pour into 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
Mix brown sugar and 1 ½ cup boiling water and 1 TB. Margarine. Pour over batter in pan. Bake 305 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes. Serve cold with cool whip.
Pecan Pie
Makes one pie
1 cup sugar
¼ cup Karo syrup
2 tsp. Margarine
¾ cup pecans
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
Beat eggs well. Add sugar, salt, Karo syrup and margarine. Mix well. Put pecans in unbaked pie shell. Pour egg mixture over pecans.
Bake one hour at 350 degrees.
Takes 12 batches for a wedding.
Pumpkin Pie
Makes one pie
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin
3 eggs separated and (beat egg whites)
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Blend sugar, cinnamon, salt and pumpkin; stir in egg yolks, add milk and mix well; add beaten egg whites last. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake in hot oven 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes or longer until done.
Emma's favorite butchering day cake.
Lard Cake
1&1/2 c. heavy cream
2&1/4 c. sour milk
2 heaping t. baking soda
3 eggs
3 or 4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
3 t. sugar and sugar for rolling
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream, sour milk, baking soda, eggs and flour. The consistency should be similar to a pie dough, so add a little more flour if needed. Add salt and sugar. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut up in any shape as big as you wish, or into 2-by-4-inch pieces. Cut a 21/2-inch slit in the center of each cake. Make sure the slit goes completely through the cake. Then drop the cakes into a kettle of hot melted lard about two inches deep. Roll in a pan of sugar while still warm.
Amish Wedding Fried Chicken
Keep in mind this recipe for Amish chicken is intended for serving at an Amish wedding meal. So, it's made in extra large quantities and is enough for an Amish wedding dinner and supper.
We suggest that if you would like to try it, you may want to consider scaling back the amounts or even just use the basic idea - unless, of course, you have a large family, are having a big party, or just want a huge amount!
Ingredients:
140 lb. boneless chicken breast pieces
140 lb. boneless thighs
Breading Mix:
3 3/4 lb. Bisquick
1 1/4 lb. flaky crust flour
2 c. seasoning salt
1 Tbsp. Paprika
2 lb. Emma’s chicken coating
Makes 3 batches. Fry in butter and canola oil.
Pour 2 c. water in large roaster. Line roaster with wire rack or tin foil. Fill with fried chicken. Bake at 275° for 2 hours.
Amish Fried Chicken
Option two
Gravy
1 c. butter, browned
2 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. Lemon pepper
2 qt. Water
2 qt. chicken broth
2 pkg. gravy mix
5 slices Velveeta cheese
Make 4 batches for amount of chicken. Mix browned butter with flour. Add lemon pepper, water and chicken broth. Add gravy mix. Make according to directions on package. Add cheese. Melt into gravy and layer this with fried chicken pieces before you put them in the oven. Bake at 350° for 2 hours. This makes very moist chicken
AMISH WEDDING NOTHINGS
1 egg
3/4 cup cream
Pinch of salt
2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
Vegetable shortening or lard (for deep frying)
Powdered sugar (for sprinkling)
Beat the egg a
nd stir in the cream, salt and enough flour to make a stiff, elastic dough. Divide the dough into 6 or 7 balls. Roll each ball flat and very thin (1/16-inch).Cut three 2-inch slits, one above the other, through the middle of each piece.
Heat shortening in a large kettle over high heat. When the shortening reaches 365 degrees F or a piece of dough tossed in sizzles, put one piece of dough at a time into the kettle. Turn each piece over with two forks when you see a slight golden color. Take out and put on a plate covered with paper towels to drain.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Stack all of the Nothings on one plate and serve.
For any of you readers that have started with Doubting Thomas in the Nurse Hal Among The Amish series, I thought you might like to have a peek at the very first book in the series.
A Promise Is A Promise
Excerpt from chapter one
Hal parked by the house. Without barking, Patches raced to meet her. She could tell he had missed her. The dog jumped upon her and licked her face. He bounced off Hal and did a dance, turning in circles. The curtains fluttered on the window. Emma burst from the house. Her face held a grateful expression. The girl’s black skirt whipped around her legs as she rushed down the walk. Hal held out her arms and Emma rushed into them for a hug.
“I’ve done a lot of thinking about your father and what you said, Emma. I don’t want to live the rest of my life alone when I could be a part of a wonderful family like yours. I’d like to talk to John,” Hal said in a hushed voice.
“I am so glad,” Emma said.
“Don’t get your hopes up yet. He may be so hurt because I turned him down that he won’t want anything to do with me,” Hal warned her.
“Just try to talk to him,” pleaded Emma.
.“Where is he?”
“Fixing the hog pen fence last I noticed. The pigs got out again last night. I will go with you,” Emma said.
Patches trailed at Hal’s heels, unusually quiet as if he sensed impending doom. The north wind was freezing. A gust whipped at Hal’s coat tail. She pulled her coat tighter together to ward off the winter chill. A rhythmical hammering came from close by. Just knowing that she was near John Lapp made the top of Hal’s head light as her blood pressure shot up.
As Emma wrapped her coat around herself, she called, “Daed, where are you?”
“In the pig pen.” John stood up, with his hammer poised in his hand. He didn’t move. With no expression at all on his face, John Lapp watched Hal and Emma came toward him. John keep his gaze level and indecipherable. His face was stony except for a quiver along his jar. He didn’t look like he cared that Hal came to see him. He just waited.
Finally when she thought she had walked far enough with Hal, Emma stopped.
Hal walk on alone. When she was close enough to hear the pigs grunt and squeal as they chased after each other to keep warm, she knew her voice would carry on the wind without talking too loud. “Hello, John. Fixing the fence?”
“Yes,” he said. His voice was tight and raspy. John dropped his hammer over the fence and climbed out of the pen. He stuck his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes on her face as he walked toward her. When he was within a few feet of her, he stopped as if he had no desire to get any closer.
Hal started. “Could we talk?”
John looked into her eyes. “I fear there is nothing left to say, but you are here for some reason so talk if you want.”
Hal hadn’t expected this meeting to be easy. At this range the hurt in his eyes was evident now as he studied her. Panic welled up in her. She was wasting her time. Hal’s hands turned into tight fists at her sides. She tilted her head upward toward the gray, winter sky to avoid his eyes. She prayed she would say the right things to make John listen to her with an open mind. Thinking she might never find another chance at happiness, she took a deep breath and hoped the excess oxygen would help her collect her thoughts.
Hal was determined to be emotionally tough. She thought she would state her case and wait for John’s answer. Now she found she couldn’t control the urge to cry. Her eyes misted over and tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t take the slight tremble out of her voice. “I’ve given a lot of thought to us, John. I’ve missed you and the children so very much. Your family spoiled me in many ways. One thing I’ve learned has been I don’t want to live the rest of my life alone.”
Hal stopped to take another deep breath and focused on a pillow like cloud floating above John’s head. She didn’t want to watch his unemotional face if he wasn’t going to talk to her. She definitely didn’t want to look into his agony filled, chocolate brown eyes. “I admit my pride got in the way when you proposed to me. As much as I wanted to be a part of your family, I expected you to share with me the family secret that has made all of you so unhappy. I wasn’t sure I could be a part of this family if you didn’t let me help you. When you didn’t mention the secret that day in the sleigh, I thought you didn’t trust me,” she said honestly.
Hal wiped her eyes on her coat sleeve. She dared to take a look at John. He was watching her closely, but now she saw sympathetic warmth pooling in his dark eyes. It was a totally Amish, I feel sorry for you look. She completely lost it. “Oh, John. Stop looking at me with those eyes!”
In four steps, John was in front of her. He brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. With the back of his hands, he pushed her hair away from her face and tucked the strands back behind her ears. “You don’t want me to look at you?”
“You’re making me crazy.”
“Is that good or bad?” John asked softly.
“Just let me finish what I have to say,” Hal pleaded.
John put his hands down by his sides. He continued to watch her face. “Go on.”
“I’ve had a lot of lonely time to think about the day you proposed. It doesn’t matter to me anymore what happened in your past. I wasn’t a part of your life back then. I’m asking you to forgive me for making you, me and the children miserable all this time.” John’s eyes narrowly focused on her. She couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. “That’s what I came to tell you. I was wrong to tell you I wouldn’t marry you.”
What made her feel as if her heart was about to break was the question he asked, “Why did you not come right out and ask me to tell you the secret that day? You have always been so direct before. It never dawned on me what was the matter with you. The more you became a part of my family, the less time we spent thinking about the secret. Being with you was what mattered to me and the children. Did you not feel that, Hal?”
“I did. I saw Emma feeling better, Noah coming out of his shell and Daniel enjoying my company. The children were turning more to me. I must admit, I wasn’t sure where I stood with you. Your proposal surprised me, because it came out of the blue. Perhaps that’s part of why I didn’t give much thought to what I said,” Hal excused.
John swallowed hard and said in a ragged voice, “All I could think was that you did not care enough about me to marry me. If I had only known what you were thinking. Can you understand I would have told you the whole story rather than risk losing you?”
Standing behind Hal, Emma sobbed loudly. Emma’s upset. That’s a bad sign, Hal thought. Emma must think my plea isn’t going well with her father. Hal didn’t want to bring up her promise to Emma, but it was the only thing she had left in her defense. “John, I couldn’t ask you to tell me. I made a promise not to ask about the secret. I couldn’t break that promise. At one time, I wanted to know the secret. I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with you. Lately, I’ve had plenty of time to think. I’ve come to grips with this new and strange feeling called love that I didn’t understand. Suddenly, I find nothing matters to me but your understanding and love. I don’t have to know what happened if that is the way you want it. I can live without knowing. I don’t intend to ask you now or ever again if you will have me for your wife.”
“Oh my!” Emma cried out as she stepped up beside Hal. “This has all been my fault
. I’m so sorry, Hallie.”
“What is your fault?” John darted a concerned look at his upset daughter.
Ignoring her father, Emma fought to get control of her emotions as she pleaded with Hal, “Please forgive me.”
“Sh! You don’t have to say anything,” Hal said, trying to stop her.
“What did Emma do?” John asked Hal, a baffled look on his face.
Emma and Hal concentrated on each other and ignored him.
Emma said to Hal, “Yes, I do. I had no idea that your promise to me was what has kept us apart. I release you from the promise. I would never want to do anything to keep you from being a part of our family.”
“Don’t you see? Knowing the secret isn’t important to me any more. Being a part of your family is what is important. Us all being together is what is important,” Hal insisted.
“Would you two talk to me? I’m right here,” snapped John. Putting a hand on Emma and Hal’s shoulders, he turned them to face him to get their attention.
“I’m so sorry, Daed.” Emma agonized, wringing her hands. Her gray green eyes filled with the haunted sadness Hal remembered when they first met. “I could see the boys were getting so close to Hallie. It was only a matter of time before one of them confided in her. It is such a terrible secret, it weighed on Noah and Daniel. But I was afraid for Hallie to find out. If she did, she might leave us. I didn’t want that so I told her to quit talking to the boys about Mom. She made a promise me that she would.” Emma choked as she said, “Daed tell Hallie our awful secret. Tell her for all of us. Remember the verse in Corinthians. Just like Hallie, God keeps his promises. He will not allow us to be tested beyond our power to remain firm. When we are put to the test, he will give us the strength to endure and provide us with a way out. I’m going to the house to pray that Hallie still loves us enough to stay with us when she knows the awful truth.”