Noodles and Traditions

We had the best Sunday dinner ever today. The whole family has been dreaming about it all week ever since the thought of making it went into effect. Now Chicken Noodle Soup may not sound very fantastic and amazing, but in my book it is. This is tradition folks! I love that word. Whenever it is said I can see my dad doing his Tevia impression, and belting out that song from Fiddler On the Roof. It is his all time favorite movie. In his minds eye he is Tevia. He only had 2 daughters, but he had a rough time letting us leave his nest just like Tevia did. I know you can all see Rod belting out that song. He should have starred in Fiddler:) He would have been a star!

Now these noodles are truly tradition. The first gal I know who made them was my great granny on my moms side. Her name was Viola Telford, but we always just called her Grandma Great. My mom has an old photo of her and her sisters up somewhere near Morgan making these noodles al fresco (outside). It is a great pic. They're all in there dresses and aprons rolling and cutting noodles for another great family meal together. Grandma Great then passed this tradition onto my grandma Barker and what a treat that has been.

My grandma Barker lived next door to me my whole life, and I realize now that I took that for granted. She was a quiet lady, who was always home. Every once in awhile she wasn't so quiet though. I remember swimming in our pool one lazy summer evening and we heard the loudest sneeze ever. It was grandma Barker out on her swing in her yard two houses away. We kids yelled back, "Bless you grandma!" and in response she yelled back, "Thank you kids!" We still get the giggles thinking about that night. How could you not love this woman. With the few choice swear words she taught us, and the noodle making tradition to pass on, she is a gem!

I would catch the school bus at her house when I was in elementary. The cousins and I would leave our homes early enough so that we could play outside together until the bus came. If it was a cold morning we would go inside my grandmas home while my grandpa would keep a lookout for the bus. Grandma always had a box of Twigs to share, and plenty of popsicles in the summertime. We lived at her house most of our childhood. We played in her trees, peed peas with her, (shelled peas) and loved to eat her noodles. I don't remember her cooking anything else really, but her chicken noodle soup was amazing. I remember going over to grandmas house to do her hair with my mom and there would be noodle sheets all over the kitchen. She'd roll out the dough balls super thin and then let them dry everywhere. Every surface was covered in newspaper with the noodle sheets on top drying. After the noodle sheets were almost dry she would cut them into strips and then cut super duper extra thin noodles out of the strips. Almost shavings. The noodles were then put in a huge pot of chicken broth and served piping hot. On the table, was placed big bowls of chopped up green onions, shredded chicken, and bug juice. That is what we call Soy Sauce. You know when you squish a bug. The guts are the same color as Soy Sauce therefore its nickname. It sound a bit gross, but you know you've ripped off your fair share of grasshopper legs! Don't deny it:). You would then place your own toppings in your bowl of noodles and slurp in up like a ziggy piggy. It was divine!

Grandma Barker wasn't the warm fuzzy kind of granny who would squeal and hug the guts out of you, but she loved you in her own way. She never gave big gifts for birthdays or Christmas, but she never forgot your birthday either. I think I was her favorite (OK so Hollie really was but that's ok) because every birthday she would call me and tell me to come over for a little something. At her house sitting on the counter would be big brown grocery bag filled with noodle especially for me!! I know it took her hours to make those noodles, but Grandma knew they were my favorite thing in the world. Just shows she really did love me best! I would take them home and my mom would fix a big pot of Chicken Noodle soup for me. I loved it. I loved Grandma Barker.

The tradition continues. I only remember my mom making noodles from scratch once or twice because it took so much time, but really it was because my mom's wrists were never the same after all that cutting. It's a wrist wrecker that's for sure. But my mom found a great replacement. Kluski Noodle at the grocery store are a great substitute for homemade when you just don't have the time or wrist power. My mom would add her special twist to the mix. She would make the soup and then we'd bake homemade blueberry muffins to go along side of the soup. That's my mom's addition to the tradition. She would always serve the soup in her best china bowls, and everyone loved that meal. You could ask any one of my siblings today and I'll bet Chicken Noodle Soup was one of their favorite meals too.

A few years after I got married I called Grandma Barker and she passed the recipe down to me.

Now Hollie was lucky. She actually got the demonstration from Grandma. Therefore she should be the master noodle maker now. I've made these noodles a few times since then, and each time it brings back floods of memories. I spent all morning Tues. making the noodles (it burned a lot of calories as an added benefit!) and we finally had them for dinner tonight. This isn't a meal you want to rush, therefore that is why it was served on Sunday not Tues. The rest of the week was just too crazy, or someone was coming for dinner and there is NO WAY I was going to share these noodles with anyone. It has to be those who know the time and tradition that goes into this meal and someone you truly love. My kids and James are those lucky eaters today. We made huckleberry muffins to go along with the soup tonight and might I say it was all I expected it to be. It brings a smile to my heart and happy thoughts in my head, and yummy sounds from my mouth. That's what food can do to us! So thanks to Great Grandma, Grandma Barker, Mom and now me. I'll teach Emma one of these days so she can pass it on to her family. What a traditions to have. The best kind I might add.

Grandmas Noodles

3 c. flour

7 eggs

2 t. salt

Mix all the ingredients together and form into 5 balls. Let the dough rest a few minutes. Roll each ball into a thin sheet. Let sit until almost dry. When dry cut into 2 1/2 in. strips and then cut into super thin noodles. Let dry. When ready to cook, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook 5 mins. Drain noodles and add to chicken broth. Serve with shredded chicken, green onions, and bug juice. (soy sauce) Serve with blueberry muffins.