We are having lovely fall weather! The trees are getting prettier each day and are in their autumn splendor. Only our Master Artist could paint such a lovely scene. Before we know it, our yard will be flooded with leaves of every color. We have over a dozen trees in our yard, so we get to rake lots of leaves each fall. I love having trees, though, and they provide lots of shade on hot, humid summer days.

One of our trees, we named “The Marilyn Tree.” It was given to us by my great friend Ruth after my sister Emma and Jacob lost their 8.5-month-old daughter Marilyn in 2010. It has grown quite huge by now. Beside it we planted a “Mose” tree in honor of our son-in-law Mose, who died from an automobile accident on his way to work in December 2020. This tree was also a gift from Ruth. I love having a memory like this and have often told my husband Joe it would be nice to plant some more trees in honor of my three siblings, brother-in-law Jacob, and my parents. Maybe we will get it done sometime. Some of our trees are old, and storms have damaged them, so it would be good to have more started anyway.

Sunday was the first time Joe and I took our 2-year-old horse Jett to church. We had to travel the highway for only half a mile. This was the first time I drove with Jett. He does very well but is a little skittish on unfamiliar roads. The highway has enough of a lane so we could drive on the shoulder so we don’t hold up traffic. Jett stayed calm when the big semis flew past us. I felt extra nervous as we passed the scene of Moses’ accident. Dan’s (Moses’ driver in the accident) wife, Jodi, and family put two crosses there and have made a nice memorial for Dan and Mose at the scene of the accident. There is a sharp curve on the highway. I was glad once we were off the highway. It was really foggy, and the sun was shining through the fog. Thank God we had safe travels there and back. I think I will be more confident on my next ride with Jett. It’s almost as if you need to gain trust in a horse to start being more comfortable. Except for Joe... he loves the challenge of driving a feisty horse. This is the first horse that he has raised that he did not train. He had a young man from our church work with him for almost three weeks, but then he drove him since then.

Daughter Loretta and Dustin, and the family are still in Alabama. We sure do miss them. I called Loretta one day, and plans are for them to head home this weekend. They are thinking of spending a day out at Smoky Mountains before heading for home. Dustin had a birthday on Oct. 8, so he spent it in Alabama. They were also able to visit with Joe’s sister Carol, Pete, and their family in Tennessee. Pete would be Dustin’s Dad’s brother. He is an uncle to Dustin, and Carol is an aunt to Loretta. Three of Joe’s sisters married three of Dustin’s (and Daniel and Grace) uncles, so they share a lot of the same cousins.

October 18th will be son-in-law Tim’s birthday. His boss at the sawmill is taking his employees out to eat and to the Cabela’s store. Tim will take Timothy (TJ), age 6, along. He will love that.

Son Benjamin’s special friend, Joanna, is here today helping me. She helped wash laundry, washed dishes, and is now baking Monster cookies. She is a good worker and I really appreciate her help.

I will share this recipe for Monster cookies this week. It is also in my cookbook “The Cherished Table.” This recipe does not have any flour in it, so it has not been omitted.

Wishing everyone a Happy Fall! God bless!

MONSTER COOKIES

Makes 3 dozen cookies

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 (12-ounce) jar creamy peanut butter

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup mini candy-coated chocolate pieces

½ cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 ½ to 4 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats. In a very large bowl, combine the eggs and both sugars. Mix well. Add peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt; mix well. Stir in the candy-coated chocolate pieces, chocolate chips, baking soda, and oats. Drop the batter by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cookies stand on the baking tray for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

• Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, an Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, “The Cherished Table,” “The Essential Amish Cookbook” and “Amish Family Recipes,” are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, P.O. Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply), or email questionsforlovina@gmail.com and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.