Weddings at Promise Lodge

by Charlotte Hubbard

  Rosetta smiled at the next paragraph, because she’d read it a dozen times.

  If you can be patient, dear Rosetta, I’m hoping to acquire the café that’s up for sale on the square in Cloverdale. A lot of folks there miss Maria’s bakery—and she has more friends there, anyway—so I’ll convince her that moving back is the best thing for her business and her personal life. Please don’t get the idea I’m buying this building for her as a gift because I love her! I believe you’ll be happier if she moves on, and I bet we can find a new use for the bakery building at Promise Lodge.

  Rosetta was willing to buy the building and appliances Maria would leave at Promise Lodge so Truman wouldn’t be paying for Maria’s future out of his own pocket. She had no doubt that Laura and Phoebe—or even Allen or the Helmuths’ cousins—could find a way to adapt the building for their own use.

  I will always love you, Rosetta. If you’ll give me the chance, I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you and I belong together forever. Can’t wait to gaze at you from the newehocker benches during your sister’s wedding . . . can’t wait to stand with you before Bishop Monroe someday soon and exchange our own vows. With all my love, Truman.

  Rosetta let out a long, gratified sigh. It was such a relief to know she wouldn’t be doubting Maria’s intentions anymore. It was even better to know that Truman’s love for her had never wavered despite her fearful doubts about his feelings for Maria.

  She tucked the letter and card into the yellow envelope with a smile. Today’s the first day of the rest of our lives, Truman, she thought as she went downstairs to wait for her sister. I’m ready to make the most of it.

  * * *

  As Christine sat on the front pew bench beside her two sisters, her body vibrated with nervous excitement. It was a thrill to be sitting in Monroe’s new home—soon to be her home—for this wedding, instead of in the meeting room at the lodge. She listened patiently during the church service as Preacher Marlin and Preacher Eli spoke about God’s eternal promise to lead His people in love, and about the sanctity and responsibilities of marriage. She recalled hearing similar sermons when she’d exchanged vows with Willis Hershberger so many years ago . . . when she’d been too young to fully understand the words until death do us part.

  She gazed around the front room, which had been expanded by the removal of some portable interior walls and was filled with her friends and family. Monroe’s deep green eyes held hers. He looked very handsome—if a little nervous—in his best black trousers and vest, wearing a new white shirt she’d sewn for him. Preacher Amos and Truman sat on either side of him as his side-sitters. Christine still had to pinch herself to believe that when all the pew benches had been removed and the interior walls were put back into place, she would be sharing this beautiful, spacious home with the most caring, handsome man she’d ever met. It seemed that all the love she’d poured into her marriage with Willis had only been the preparation for this day, this holy relationship Monroe had asked her to share.

  After the final hymn of the church service, Bishop Ralph rose from the preacher’s bench, smiling at her and at Monroe. “It’s an honor to be conducting this ceremony for Bishop Monroe Burkholder and Christine Hershberger,” he began in a resonant voice, “and we’re happy all you folks could join us for this blessed occasion. Now that I’m acquainted with the residents of Promise Lodge and their livelihoods, I can’t imagine a finer place for this couple to begin their new life together.”

  Bishop Ralph’s sermon reminded everyone that the marriage between a man and a woman was akin to Christ’s taking the church as His bride—a love that had withstood the test of centuries. Christine folded her hands in her lap so she wouldn’t fidget with her white organdy apron or her celestial blue wedding dress. She exchanged glances with Mattie and Rosetta, grateful for the love only sisters could share—a love that burned brighter on the special days of their lives. As Bishop Ralph brought his remarks to a close and nodded at her, Christine’s heart fluttered like hummingbird wings.

  Monroe rose from his bench, and Christine did, too, barely able to breathe. He looked at her with intense devotion, and she hoped her expression moved him as deeply. When he clasped her hand and they faced Bishop Ralph, Christine felt like a young girl again, lightheaded with joy.

  As the age-old phrases were spoken, Christine was aware of repeating them effortlessly, without fear or hesitation, even though she felt as though she were floating above the scene, watching rather than participating. Monroe’s mellow voice rang confidently as he followed Bishop Ralph’s lead in a ceremony he’d performed dozens of times, yet she sensed his responses came from the deepest part of his heart and soul. Bishop Ralph pronounced them husband and wife, and for brief, shimmering seconds, Christine felt so caught up in Monroe’s loving gaze that everyone around them ceased to exist.

  “Christine, I love you so much I can’t find words,” Monroe whispered. Before she could reply, he pulled her close for a kiss that stirred her soul.

  “Oh, Monroe,” she murmured when their lips parted, “you’ve made me the happiest woman on earth.”

  When he kissed her again, applause filled the room and a few of the younger men whistled enthusiastically. They eased apart, and as Monroe slipped his arm around her so they could face their family and friends, Christine felt loved and cherished beyond measure. What a joy it was to see so many happy faces surrounding them, celebrating their union—and to see Phoebe and Laura beaming at them, too. It was a dream come true to be Mrs. Monroe Burkholder.

  “Looks like Truman’s not giving Rosetta a chance to escape,” she murmured as folks filed between the pew benches. Truman had made a beeline behind the bishop to grasp her sister’s hands.

  Monroe smiled. “They’ll get their act together one of these days,” he predicted. “Personally, I’m glad the courting and questioning are behind us so you and I can move on to the good stuff.” His smile intensified as he held her gaze. “Upstairs. First chance we get today. Are we on the same page, sweetheart?”

  Christine’s face flushed, but she’d never felt happier or more desirable. “Same page, same chapter,” she replied. “I can’t wait to fill the book of our life together with all manner of adventures, Monroe, starting with this very moment.”

  From the Promise Lodge Kitchen

  Rosetta Bender, Christine Hershberger, and the Kuhn sisters love to cook—and with so many weddings at Promise Lodge, they’ll be in the kitchen constantly to keep guests and family members fed! In this recipe section, you’ll find 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 meals 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—

  or to let me know how you liked it

  or any of my other recipes!

  ~Charlotte

  Cranberry-Date Bars

  These bars are chock-full of fresh cranberries and chopped dates, a filling that needs no added sugar! And because the crust contains whole grain oats and cornmeal, these bars are as good for breakfast as they are for a dessert. They freeze well, too.

  Filling

  1 12-oz. bag fresh cranberries (thaw, if frozen)

  1 8-oz. box chopped dates

  2 T water

  1 tsp vanilla

  Crust

  2 cups old-fashioned oats

  1½ cups brown sugar, packed

  ½ tsp baking soda

  1 cup melted butter

  1 cup flour

  ¼ cup cornmeal

  Glaze

  2 cups powdered sugar

&n
bsp; 2–3 T orange juice

  1 tsp vanilla

  In a medium saucepan, simmer the cranberries, dates, and water until the cranberries pop. When thickened, remove from heat and add the vanilla.

  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Stir all the crust ingredients together until well moistened. Press half the mixture into a sprayed 9” x 13” pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and spread the filling over the crust, then dot the filling with clumps of the remaining crust. Bake another 25–30 minutes, until the bars feel almost firm in the center. Cool on a rack. Mix glaze and drizzle over the top.

  Kitchen Hint: You can replace half of the flour with whole wheat or white whole wheat flour.

  Rosetta’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Soft, chewy, and full of chips and nuts, these cookies are irresistible!

  1¼ cups brown sugar, packed

  ¾ cup butter-flavored shortening (not butter)

  2 T milk

  1 T vanilla

  1 egg

  1¾ cups flour

  ¾ tsp baking soda

  1 12-oz bag dark chocolate chips

  1 11-oz bag butterscotch chips

  1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

  Preheat oven to 375°. For best results, cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cream the brown sugar, shortening, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Combine the flour and baking soda in a separate bowl and mix into the creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in the chips and nuts. Drop onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake 8–10 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to brown. Cool the cookies on the pan for a few minutes and then finish cooling them on a rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Freezes well.

  Cream Cheese Cake Mix Cookies

  Recipes abound for cookies that begin with cake mixes, but the cream cheese adds a new dimension of YUM. There are as many variations of this recipe as there are cake mixes! The cookies bake up soft and chewy, and your favorite chips, nuts, and other add-ins make them uniquely yours.

  1 box cake mix, any flavor

  8 oz cream cheese, softened

  ¼ cup butter, room temperature

  1 egg

  1 tsp vanilla or other extract

  2 cups baking chips, nuts, coconut, raisins, etc.

  Preheat oven to 350° and either spray cookie sheets or cover them with parchment paper. Place cake mix, cream cheese, butter, egg, and extract (which should enhance your cake mix flavor) in a large mixing bowl and beat until batter is smooth. Stir in the chips, etc., of your choice. Drop by large spoonsful onto baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake about 12 minutes, or until bottoms start to brown (center will still be a bit soft). Cool on a wire rack. Makes 3 dozen. Freezes well.

  Cheesy Egg Muffins

  An easy make-ahead breakfast entrée that’s high in protein and can be customized with the veggies you add! You can squeeze it between English muffin halves for a sandwich.

  1 dozen eggs

  1 tsp salt or sea salt

  Pepper, dill weed, parsley, to taste

  1 cup fresh or frozen spinach

  1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

  ¼ cup chopped onion or sliced green onion

  2 cups shredded cheese (your favorite kind),

  more for topping

  Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray each cup of a 12-muffin pan. Crack the eggs into a large liquid measuring cup and whisk with salt and other seasonings. Divide the spinach, mushrooms, onions, and cheese between the 12 muffin cups and then carefully pour egg mixture over the vegetables, leaving a ¼” space at the top. Stir with a fork so egg mixture is distributed around the vegetables. Top with extra cheese if desired.

  Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until pick comes out clean from the centers. Muffins will sink a bit—let them rest a few minutes in the tins. Use a rubber spatula to remove the muffins to a platter. Eat immediately or cool and transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Keep in the refrigerator up to a week, or freeze for a month.

  Kitchen Hint: You can substitute other vegetables for the spinach, mushrooms, or onion. Keep the amount the same so they’ll fit into the muffin cups.

  Ruby’s Special Chocolate Cake

  When it comes to desserts, busy Plain cooks are happy to start with a box mix and “doctor it up.” This formula is especially good with a chocolate cake mix, but it works for any flavor you choose! Makes a 9” x 13” cake, two 9” round layers, or 24 cupcakes.

  1 cake mix, following the directions except:

  Replace the water with the same amount of milk

  Replace the oil with melted butter—and double the

  amount (½ cup becomes 1 cup)

  Add an extra egg

  (For instance, the cake I make has 4 large eggs,

  ⅔ cup melted butter, and 1 cup milk.)

  Pour the batter into sprayed pan(s) and bake according to package directions!

  Mocha Buttercream Frosting

  This recipe is nothing short of fabulous! It frosts/decorates a 9” x 13” layer, top and sides, and the frosting is dense and rich. I use Ghirardelli chocolate, but any brand of 100% cacao that’s unsweetened will work well.

  2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder

  2 T boiling water

  1 4-oz 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate baking

  bar, melted

  ⅔ cup butter, softened

  4–4½ cups powdered sugar

  ¼ cup milk

  1 tsp vanilla extract

  dash of salt

  Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water, then stir into the melted chocolate. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft. Gradually add 4 cups of the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture until well blended. For decorating, you want the frosting to form peaks/ridges that hold their shape, so you might want to add that other ½ cup of powdered sugar.

  Sweet & Sour Four-Bean Salad

  This is one of my mom’s recipes, and I always looked forward to family gatherings when she served it. Amish cooks (and Mom and I) use a pint jar of home-canned green and wax beans for each can in the recipe. A great way to get your veggies—and it keeps several days in the fridge.

  ⅓ cup canola or salad oil

  1 tsp each salt and celery seed

  Black pepper to taste

  ⅔ cup white vinegar

  ¾ cup sugar

  1 onion, chopped

  1 red or green bell pepper, diced

  1 15-oz can yellow wax beans

  1 15-oz can green beans

  1 15-oz can red kidney beans

  1 15-oz can garbanzo beans

  1 15-oz can whole kernel corn (optional)

  In a large bowl, mix the oil, seasonings, vinegar, and sugar. Add the onion and bell pepper. Drain the canned vegetables and stir into the dressing, coating well. Refrigerate, stirring after several hours. Best made the day ahead. Makes about half a gallon of salad.

  Chocolate Beet Bread

  You’ll think you’re eating chocolate cake for breakfast—yet you’re also eating whole grain flour and beets and antioxidant-rich cocoa! Best served warm, so the chocolate chips are gooey (I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips).

  1½ cups + 2 T all-purpose flour, divided

  1½ cups whole wheat flour

  1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  ¾ cup sugar

  2½ tsp baking powder

  ½ tsp each salt and nutmeg

  2 15-oz. cans sliced beets

  1 cup buttermilk

  3 large eggs

  ½ cup olive oil

  2 T orange zest

  1 T vanilla

  1 cup dark chocolate chips

  Preheat oven to 350°. Thoroughly spray a Bundt pan. In a large bowl, mix the flours (reserving the 2 T for later), cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Drain the beets and puree them in a food processer or grinder. Place the beet puree in a medium bowl with the buttermilk, eggs, olive oil, zest, and vanilla—blend well, and gently
pour into the flour mixture. Toss the chips with the 2 T flour and stir into the batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake about 40–50 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate.

  Yield: 12–16 servings.

  Don’t miss Charlotte Hubbard’s next Amish romance,

  out in October 2017!

  A Simple Wish

  The Amish residents of Willow Ridge share their talents at the Simple Gifts crafts shop—and share the blessings of faith, hard work, and love with their community—even when family secrets bring unexpected challenges . . .

  Making rugs for Simple Gifts has taught Loretta Riehl that an unassuming pattern can reveal surprising depth. People, too, have a way of defying first impressions. Drew Detweiler came to Willow Ridge under a cloud, but the handsome craftsman has gained the community’s respect for his upholstery skills and commitment to making amends for his mistakes. As her new brother-in-law’s twin, he’s joining the family for dinners and Sunday visits at the Riehl house, and Loretta can’t deny enjoying his attentions.