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| Photo by Donna Cosmato Courtesy of Public Domain Pictures |
I would watch, spellbound, as she sifted flour and mounded it on the table, then made a hollow and added eggs, a little oil, a pinch of salt. My awkward child-hands would help beat the eggs, gradually mixing them with the flour, and then I would watch as she started kneading the dough, working it for a while before stepping back and letting me take a turn--pushing and folding, pushing and folding for what seemed like years but was probably no more than ten minutes. My arms would ache--a good ache--and I'd ask Grandma to take over, knowing that soon it would be time for my favorite part of noodle making: cutting the dough with the little pasty wheel.
Grandma would flour the table, then roll out the dough before handing me the wheel. She'd watch as I cut, letting me know if my noodles were too thick or too thin. Sometimes they were just right! When I'd finish cutting, she'd help me pick up the noodles and hang them over the backs of her toweled-covered orange kitchen chairs to dry. Later there would be homemade chicken soup simmering on the stove, and those noodles would always be the best part.
Grandma died on September 16, 2010. She was 95 years old. My kids didn't really have the chance to get to know her, but I hope that one day I can show them what she taught me and tell them just how special their great-grandma was.
Do you have any beloved memories of time you shared with someone who's no longer living?
oh what a wonderful story and memory--it made me think of how my sisters and i would make biscuits with my grandmother--thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my story brought back some fond memories for you! :)
DeleteOh I love this. I remember making and frosting sugar cookies every Christmas with my aunt. Today is her birthday. She passed away last June. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share about her :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling me about her! It's so important to keep people's memories alive. :)
DeleteWell they saw great minds run together:) I enjoyed your post and thanks for leaving a comment on mine. Happy A-Z.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :)
Deletebig family gatherings at grandma's...ah sweet memories! i miss those big home cooked meals! thanks for reminding me =)
ReplyDeleteI miss them, too. :)
DeleteMy mother is that kind of grandmother to my children. They're building priceless memories together.
ReplyDeleteLucy
That's wonderful! They'll have so many stories to share with their own children someday.
DeleteIt's so wonderful to have those memories. You can share them with the children.
ReplyDeleteI definitely plan on that--just waiting for them to get a little bit older. :)
DeleteAww, me and my grandma used to make noodles like this. I remember the noodles hanging all over the kitchen and dining room, drying. At this point, she's still alive, and she'll be coming into town next week, so it will be great to see her.
ReplyDeleteSuch great memories! Have fun when you see her. :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful memory! Thanks for sharing it with us (a lovely way to honor your grandma). My grandma taught me to make strawberry jam...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could bring back some good memories for others as well. :)
DeleteMy grandma made homemade chicken and noodles, too. I never got to watch her make the noodles, though, because by the time we would arrive the noodles were loosely spread all over the counters on her thin white towels and getting pretty dry. The chicken and noodles were so thick it was the consistency of a stew. She made it thick because her son loved to ladle it over his mashed potatoes...and so we all did! Was delicious! Even when the older she got the thicker the noodles got--LOL! They were still delicious. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love that! When I lived in Nebraska, I found that people often served chicken and noodles that way--over potatoes. I make it like that myself from time to time. So good!
DeleteNothing tastes better than homemade noodles. Not that I grew up with them. Cooking was not something my mom was able to ever master. We had a cook and she was fantastic, but she was skilled in New Orleans cuisine. My first experience with homemade noodles was with a girlfriend as a young bride. We had a ball and nothing compares to a freshly made noodle!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and following! I look forward to many more visits and fun!
Hugs~
Homemade noodles are the best! (The New Orleans food sounds great, too!)
DeleteThanks for stopping by. :)
My grandma used to make homemade noodles too. Yum! We are gluten free now, so it is on my list of things to learn how to do GF. (GF noodles are expensive!) Fun blog! Thanks for stopping by and happy 2nd half of the A-Z!
ReplyDelete~AJ @ frodofrog.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by! Good luck with the gluten-free noodles. :)
Deletelovely post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteI miss my grandmother's pies. She's in a nursing facility now, hours away from us, but when I was a kid there was ALWAYS home made pie at her house. Dessert was served at lunch and dinner.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful memory!
DeleteWonderful memories! My dad used to be in charge of the Christmas turkey - he made a very tasty dressing and he brought all the kids in the house in as his helpers - chopping up veggies and tearing up bread. He also made pies for Christmas dinner and we would watch him with big eyes. he would use the extra dough to make little cinnamon pies - special times!
ReplyDeleteFood can really conjure up memories. :)
DeleteI see you were able to change your Blogger name!
I love homemade noodles! Done correctly, there is a distinct taste of love within them. When it comes to making the noodles too big, you don't have to worry about it if you are consistent, especially with spaghetti, Yum Yum.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There's a lot of love in the time it takes to make them. Grandma was always concerned that all the noodles be a uniform thickness so they'd be cooked through at the same time. She never made spaghetti, but I agree with you--long strands or short, it is delicious! :)
DeleteI've never had homemade noodles. I can picture them hanging over the backs of chairs -- what a cool thing to do! This is a wonderful post full of great memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wendy!
DeleteTakes me right back to the days when I'd be in my great grandma's kitchen helping her make pies or cinnamon rolls or bread or.....fill in the blank.
ReplyDeleteMy mom makes homemade noodles. She probably learned from grandma.
My granddaughter is almost 2 and she has been helping me in the kitchen since she could sit up. I hope I am creating memories that will last a lifetime!
I'm sure you are! I was young when Grandma taught me, and all these years later, I still remember.
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