Apple Dumplings Are a Balanced Meal

It was a bright sunshiny summer day and the clan of Henning cousins were utilizing it to it's full potential. Kelsey, Kerry, and Joanna were playing in the shade of one apple tree while Scott, Luke, Benjamin and Samuel were playing in the branches of another. The tree the boys were in was forked at the trunk and bigger than most of the trees in the orchard. It's size and shape provided a good canvass for the boys as they exercised the imaginations. On that particular day, they were on a ship. Each boy was armed with a sword that they had constructed under the careful supervision of their grandfather in his back room workshop. Of course, Richard, being the teaser that he was, told everyone that their swords were actually crosses. This was an occasional source of conflict for the boys as they were unable to consistently discern the difference between a good-humored tease and a genuine disagreement.

As the children passed the time in their various childish endeavors, the adults were busy preparing the garage for dinner. Richard and Mary lived in a house trailer that was not well suited for large family gatherings so more often than not, these gatherings took place in the garage. Dale and Jonathan went to the big gray bank barn and carried the homemade picnic tables out for transport. Caleb stood by with his grandfather as his dad and uncle loaded two picnic tables into the back of Richards green Ford Ranger. Dale and Jonathan climbed into the bed of the truck to steady the load while Caleb joined Richard in the cab. They drove back to the garage and unloaded the tables before heading back for a couple more.

The tables hardly had time to settle into their spots on the concrete floor before Christa and Rebecca got to work preparing them for use. They covered the painted wood surfaces with table cloths and set out Styrofoam plates and bowls alongside a tray of silverware. Mary carried out a relish tray full of carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet pickles, and candied dills. She set it down and returned to the house for another tray with similar contents. A light breeze blew through the garage bringing some relief from the warmth of the summer day. The table cloths rippled in response to the gentle teasing of the summer wind.

“Okay,” Christa declared. “We're pretty much ready to eat. Would one of you call the kids?”

Jonathan walked to the open garage door and called for the children to come. They eagerly obliged. The boys deposited their weaponry in a pile outside the door and found a seat at the table. The girls didn't have any weaponry to contribute to the stash so they were seated first. The each held their bowl before them eagerly awaiting the main course. Mary, Christa, and Rebecca triumphantly marched into the garage, each carrying a silver nine by thirteen pan. They each sat their pan down on one of the tables and took their seats. 

The contents of the pans were dished out into the outstretched bowls in generous steaming portions. The children placed their bowls in front of them and waited impatiently for everyone to be served. Then they waited a little longer for Richard to give thanks to God for the food they were about to eat. (Richard always prayed in King James.) The prayer ended and they waited a little longer for the milk to be passed around. They poured milk over the contents of their bowls and dug in.

“I love apple dumplings,” Samuel exclaimed between mouth fulls. “No one at school believes me when I tell them we get to eat apple dumplings for a whole meal.”

“Well,” Rebecca replied. “Let's not forget about the veggies. You do need to eat some of those.”

Samuel and his cousins shrugged in hesitant compliance as they helped themselves to their preferred vegetables from the relish tray. Second and third helpings were dished out until the pans were empty and the stomachs were full.

“Now that's what I call a meal,” Caleb declared as everybody nodded in agreement.