Fearless Females - Prompt 7

In honor of National Women's History Month, I will be following the blogging prompts from The Accidental Genealogist blog. The prompts are interesting and I am truly enjoying this.  Here is day 7.

March 7 — Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

My mother never used a recipe to cook.  When she cooked she changed the recipe according to what she had in the kitchen.   I know some things were always the same.  

When I would ask her about making something she said, just put a little of this or put in enough until it looks right.  

My older sisters cooked when they were growing up because there were so many younger children and they learned to help at a young age.  My little sister and I weren't really taught to cook.  Mom did most of the cooking and didn't really seem to want help anymore.  

On Sundays, we always had fried chicken, and she made delicious fried chicken.  Mom always made lots of salads, like potato salad, macaroni salad, and bean salad.  My favorite desserts she made were bread pudding and rice pudding.  She made the most delicious peanut butter fudge.

Our holiday traditions included huge family meals.  Since there were eight children, there was always a house full of relatives.  Usually Sunday dinners were like  holidays.  All of the kids came around on Sundays to visit and if they showed up in time to eat dinner.  

My older sister's are excellent cooks and I intend to sit down with them soon and get them to give me some of their recipes.  I'm sure they cook a lot like Mom did by just putting in a little of this or some of that, but maybe I can get them to tell me enough to come up with the recipe. 

 My older sister makes a mashed potato candy at Christmas that is so good.  I have never made it, but have eaten more than my share.

I have been told my many people that my peanut butter fudge is fantastic.  I tend to not measure for it either, so maybe I did learn to cook from my mother.

I am going to share a recipe for Noodles that has been passed down for a few generations.  I had a neighbor that lived across the street from me that made the best noodles I had ever had.  Wilma's noodles are what we call them.  She came over and helped me make them when I was in my twenties.  I have made them for over 30 years now.  My children ask for them for all the holidays.

Wilma's Noodles

3 cups floor

3 whole eggs

3 egg shells of milk

Yellow food color to get the shade of yellow you want.

Chicken broth to cook the noodles

Put the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center.

Put the eggs, milk and food coloring in the well.

Mix the ingredients until you can form into a ball.  If the mix is too dry add a little more milk.  If it is too sticky add a little more flour.

Flour a surface and roll the dough out.  Should be thin.  It is important to roll to the correct thickness.  These are thin noodles.

Cut the dough into workable sections and roll up.  Cut the noodles.  Again make the cuts thin.

After the noodles are cut put them on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.  Move them around occasionally so they dry evenly.  If they start to dry out too much put a damp towel over the noodles.

Cook the noodles in chicken broth until the right consistency.   Salt and pepper to taste.  

You can easily increase the amount of noodles you make by adding to the ingredients.

Dried noodles can be placed in a plastic bag and stored for a couple of weeks.  You can also dry the noodles and put in freezer bags and store in the freezer for a couple of months.

Recipe should feed 4 to 5 people, depending on their appetites.  

Wilma competed in several contests held by the local newspaper and won.  I went with her as her assistant a couple of times.  She has moved near her daughter in an assisted living community.  This recipe belonged to her mother and grandmother before her.