The Amish Cook: Freshening up the house, sharing tomato pie recipe

Should it be so complicated to decide who sleeps where? I’m not sure.

Well, my younger children don’t like sleeping alone, but neither does it go the best to have too-crowded quarters.

Some time ago, Austin moved downstairs into what used to be our “date room,” where Daniel and I would have our weekly 30-minute dates. The children were young, and time together as a couple was limited in a very real way. These windows allowed us to catch up on how things were going and discuss questions I had about the children. I recall that last date with him; it was one of those times where we went over our 30 minutes. I sat at his feet to simply listen to his perspectives on life, his hopes and his concerns.

The room was eventually turned into a Daniel memory corner. It was where I placed a basket with my favorite books on being a helpmeet, the wedding book where I had carefully recorded details of our wedding day and even some roses he gave me.

When Austin needed a room in the basement, reality spoke of moving on. I felt stumped. What would I do with everything in that little room? Then one day, Austin and I, with the help of my cousin, cut down an 8-foot section of a pine tree to be used in his room as an evergreen to set his array of songbirds on. (Fake ones, that is.)

I was impressed as I saw him thrive in working with nature. I told him he could have the two-tier shelf Daniel had made from a huge tree stump and slabs of wood; it would be perfect for a nature collection. The corner cabinet in his room was one Daniel had given me for my birthday. I decided it would be moved into my office. And yes, I would brush-paint it since it was an older piece that needed a face-lift.

With that, I got sparked: why, the office was in need of painting. Why not tackle it? Then while we were at it, why not do the entrance along with it? It needed it, and those old shelves made of flakeboard were like over the hill. And so it went from one thing to the next.

Last week, I had lots of fun painting away, especially when I thought about how much I had dreaded that painting, knowing it really needed to be done one day. This time, as I worked on the project, something was just a bit different. Instead of thinking about what I wanted to get done, I focused more on savoring the moments as they came, even when it was just walking from the garage to the house with another can of paint. I did not expect this little change, making the most of each step, even with things I didn’t care to be doing.

And now Austin has his own little room with his treasures in the basement, and Hosanna, who is already 10 years old, loves her nook downstairs where she sleeps. Today, we moved more items downstairs, including her butterfly wall decor and such, to make it feel more homey since she moved down there. Julia gets along well in her room with the canopy log bed.

A mattress in the main area of the basement is where the younger boys and I will sometimes crash out for the night if it gets too sticky upstairs with the humidity. As you can imagine, the size of it isn’t quite the same as mine — but that’s OK; we are making more memories this way.

Now, for a yummy summertime dish, let’s go with a tomato pie recipe from Daniel’s brother Samuel’s wife. Enjoy!

Homemade Summer Tomato Pie

Crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sour cream

Topping/filling for the pie

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded cheese

1 small can of mushrooms (optional)

8 strips bacon, crumbled and fried

1 tablespoon chopped green pepper

1 tablespoon onion, chopped

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Stir in sour cream. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Press in the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan.

In another bowl, combine everything except the tomatoes. Layer half of the tomatoes on the crust and top with half of the mayo mixture. Repeat layers. For a different twist, sprinkle with a bit of basil, oregano, chives or brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serves six.

If desired, use your own biscuit recipe or Bisquick instead of the crust recipe

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