The Amish Cook By LOVINA EICHER 6:00 a.m. We get up a little later than we do on some days since my husband Joe is off from work. He is on another 3-day work week at the factory so he is home, times are slow and the factory has slowed its work. Meanwhile, I get the children up and they get dressed. Daughter Elizabeth, 14, and I, prepare breakfast for us all. 6:35 a.m. We sit down to eat breakfast. Our menu is simple this morning: grilled cheese sandwiches, scrambled eggs, cookies, milk, and apple cider. We really enjoy the fresh cider we buy from an Amish family nearby. 7 a.m. Breakfast is over and the children are out playing ball tag before heading off for school. It looks like it will be another beautiful day. We have had a nice week so far with temperatures rising into the middle 70s.

8:30 a.m Dishes are washed and put away. Joe is outside digging the remaining carrots up in the garden. I picked some seeds from the marigold flowers so I can reuse them next year. I also picked some from other kinds off flowers but can't remember what kind they are. I am not sure if they will work like the marigolds do but I will find out.

9:30 a.m. Joe is hauling manure into the garden while Lovina and Kevin are outside playing. Elizabeth is doing her daily school work while I do some mending.

12:40 p.m. I have a friend's boys here this afternoon. They are identical twins and four years old. I prepared a lunch of sandwiches and macaroni and cheese for us all. The children want me to make faces on their bologna. They giggle when they see the funny faces on the bologna. Joe doesn't take time to come eat. He said he had enough breakfast to last him until supper time. He is so eager to get to the garden while there is still such nice weather.

1:30 p.m. All four children are outside playing in the sand. Elizabeth is finished with her schoolwork for today so she stirred together two batches of chocolate chip cookies and one batch of sugar cookies. I made frosting for the cookies and washed the dishes while Elizabeth baked them.

3:30 p.m. Children come home from school, they are excited to see that Elizabeth has baked cookies. Elizabeth ended up with around 240 cookies which I am sure will not last too long. Everyone enjoys a snack of cookies and milk.

4:30 p.m. My friend comes to pick up her boys. The twins and Lovina and Kevin look tired. They had a long day playing together. Children all have homework. Susan and Verena can do their own but Benjamin and Loretta still need some help. Also Joseph has to have help sounding out letters. Elizabeth and I helped them get their work done.

5:30 p.m. Homework is done and the girls and I are making breakfast pizza for supper. Joe is still tilling the garden. The boys are doing the outside chores. Kevin, age 3, looks tired but he still comes in wanting a bucket to help gather eggs. He is always so proud to bring me the eggs that he picks up.

6:30 p.m. We all sit down to eat supper. Joe is almost finished tilling so he plans to go outside and finish up after eating even though it is dark already.

7:45 p.m. Joe is done with the garden. No more gardening until 2009! Dishes are washed and put away. Everyone is cleaning up for bed.

8:15 p.m. Elizabeth is reading a book to everyone. The book is called "His Protecting Hand", it is about an Amish pioneer girl who braved the trials and hardships of pioneer days in North Dakota. Elizabeth is a lot better at reading out loud through the sad parts than I would be.

9 p.m. Time for bed. I usually like the children to go to bed at 8:30, but they begged to let Elizabeth read a few extra chapters to them.

Here is the recipe for "breakfast pizza".

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1uncooked homemade pizza dough (optional, you can use a premade store-bought pizza crust or package of cresent rolls)

1 cup peeled and shredded potatoes

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Brown the sausage and drain well. Set aside to cool. Roll out dough and line a pizza pan or baking sheet with it. Spopon sausage over crust. Sprinkle the potatoes and cheeses over the top. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, and seasonings. Pour over the potatoes and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

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