The Amish Cook by LOVINA EICHER Today we are enjoying cooler weather giving us relief from the recent 90 degree heat. My husband Joe and the three boys just left to go fishing on a nearby lake. The lake also has a beach area for swimming so they might swim also. Brother-in-law Jacob and his boys are going too. Three-year-old Kevin was determined to go along fishing and thought he had to have his life jacket on before he left. Last year he was scared to go out on the water. I am hoping he has gotten over his fear of water. Joe, meanwhile, is enjoying a one week vacation from the factory. He hopes to get a lot of fishing done this week. It sure is relaxing to have a slower pace around here with Joe off work. Friday evening daughter Elizabeth invited 14 of her friends for a graduation dinner to celebrate the end of her school years.

Sister Emma, Jacob, and family came to help us prepare the food. Joe and Jacob grilled 100 pounds of chicken and we also made a 20 quart kettle of chili soup over the open fire.

It was nice to cook all the food outside as it was another hot day. Not everyone was able to come so we had a lot of food left, although we did still have a nice-sized group here. Along with barbecued chicken and chili soup we had macaroni salad, lettuce salad, a mixture of watermelon, muskmelon and grapes, cake and ice cream, punch, pop and coffee. Some played volleyball and the rest just visited with one another.

On Saturday we did laundry and cleaned up the house from the evening before and prepared for an overnight journey. Around 5:30 p.m. Jacob's and our family started out for the 2 hour journey to Albert and Sarah Irene's house. I think from our house it would be around 22 or 23 miles. Jacob's would have about 3 to 4 miles farther than us. Daughter Elizabeth, 15, drove Jacob's two-seated open wagon with some of our children and Jacob's children. We took our covered buggy and Jacob's took theirs, so we had three buggies in all making the trip. We were lucky to not have any rain going or coming home with the children on the open wagon. We all spent the night at Albert's and had a good breakfast of biscuits, sausage gravy, egg casserole, potatoes, cereal, coffee, and milk. For supper, we had grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, lettuce, salad, cake, ice, cream, and fruit.

Sunday was Sarah Irene's 44th birthday. Albert Jr. had some of his friends over for the night so Albert's had a full house. This was the first time we had seen where they lived since they moved in November. They have a nice, new house. They also have a walk-out basement and a wrap-around porch. This house is a lot bigger than their other house was so I am sure they are enjoying the extra space.

Sunday at 6 p.m we started back for our two hour journey home. Lovina and Kevin slept most of the way home while the rest of us just enjoyed the ride in the beautiful weather. We arrived home shortly after 8 p.m. Everyone was tired but we enjoyed the weekend at Albert's.

This is a great recipe to try on some of the fresh lettuce from the garden!

Swiss Dressing

4 slices of bacon, cut into pieces and crumbled

1 tablespoon flour

Pinch of salt

1 /3 cup sugar

1 /2 cup water

1 /3 cup vinegar

4 fresh green onions, chopped

Two boiled eggs, diced

Fresh lettuce leaves from the garden or 1 head of store-bought lettuce

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet to a paper towel lined plate, but reserve the grease in the skillet. Brown the flour and salt in hot bacon grease over medium heat. Have the sugar, vinegar, and water stirred together and ready to pour into the flour when nice and brown. Be careful so it doesn't bubble over. Keep stirring the mixture. Cook a minute or so until it thickens. When the dressing is cooled off you may want to add a bit of cream or milk if it is too thick. Pour over lettuce leaves that have been torn into bite-sized pieces. Add bacon, eggs, and onions and toss lettuce.

Amish Cook Friend Club

The Amish Cook Friend Club still needs 80 to 100 new members. Readers can join The Amish Cook Friend Club at any one of the following levels: · $25 Basic: Thank-you letter and a "Lovina Eicher" name card;·$50 Gold: Thank-you letter, name card and quarterly newsletter, The Amish Cook Extra. · $75 Editor's Circle: Thank-you letter, name card, and single sheet 2010 wall calendar with picture. Membership dues can be sent to: Oasis Newsfeatures, P.O. BOX 2144, Middletown, OH 45042 or you can enroll online at amishcookonline.com.