SUPPER CLUB - Friday, Nov 25th

[purrfect-lady]

Good Morning!

Did everyone get enough to eat yesterday? We had so many leftovers. I lined them all up in the kitchen, put out containers and baggies and had everyone who wanted any to file through and take what they wanted. And we still have more than we can eat ourselves! Good thing Al & Tina are still with us. They will help make a dent in all that food.

CHICKIE - thanks for your recipe! I thought I might make some today, but looks like I only have about half the ingredients. And I'd have to figure out my food processor. I haven't used it in years! lol! Maybe it's time. So what did you do with the noodles? Just butter and serve? Put in a dish? I LOVE homemade noodles.

TINA - how did your day go with all the family? How many did you have? How are mom and dad? And what's the status on their house moving?

JANA - do you have football shaped eyes this morning? lol! Were you happy with the winners? don't tell Irish, but I rooted against the Steelers. Seahawk fans are no fans of Steelers, even when Seahawks aren't in the game!

BECCA - so glad some family came by yesterday. Sometimes in smaller groups it's easier to visit. We are so familiar with wildfires here but never at holiday time! I pray for rain for you daily.

VELDA - your gathering sounds so nice. Two years ago when we were camped at Georgetown at Christmas a big group of us (22) got together on Christmas Eve at one big campsite, had a bonfire, a potluck, and white elephant gifts. We had lights strung in the trees, played Christmas music, and tables were filled with food. It was so much fun! I think there may have even been a bottle of wine opened. ;o)

CAROL - glad you are at least 90%. Will be cheering for you when you are 100%. I think of my mom when I bake bread, too. (ha! even I couldn't keep a straight face when I said "I bake bread". Don't do it very often!) She took blue ribbons for her baking. When I was little, my 3 teen-aged brothers and all their friends would come home from school starved. Mom made 6 loaves of bread every day, hid one for lunches, and one for supper, and the boys all ate the rest, hot, slathered with homemade butter. and shared with us little girls. What a fragrant memory you just conjured up for me!

This morning we will hit the farm store to buy dog/cat food that is on sale. Then over to Jim's to hopefully FINISH the wood splitting. Then this afternoon Al & Tina will start making ready to leave on Saturday. It takes a while when you've been parked for weeks. Plus, they have to load a big desk we are giving them.

I don't think I mentioned that we had another death in our family. My oldest brother's 52 yr old adopted daughter died the day before Jim's memorial. She has been estranged from all the family for 37 years, living in CA, and was in very poor health. But Gene (my DB) says he and his wife feel like they are living in a mix-master right now, having just lost our brother. My SIL is 80 and in poor health so I don't think they will travel from Fairbanks to L.A. for a 1/2 hour service. I'm sure hoping we're not going by that Rule of Three! I can't spare any more relatives!

Tonite for supper - same song, second verse! But it was a good song!

[FarmChick]

Good morning! The noodles were cooked in turkey broth, then when I got to the turkey, I put turkey meat bits in with the noodles and some more drippings... nothing low cal here! Just homestyle love! I eat mine separate, but most people eat them over mashed potatoes (starch overload!!!). They are just a side dish. I was busy eating dressing with pico!

You can chop finely, but the food processor is my friend!

Mary--your bread tales are much like around here. DH's late wife would "hide" boxes of chocolate chip cookies in the freezer for "another day", but there were never any there! The three boys and even all their friends knew where the stash was even if she wasn't baking. She found neighborhood kids in the stash when the sons weren't home. I know she never minded. She was the queen of cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies. On baking days she was the most popular mom in the township! I had a chocolate chip cookie freezer stash when the grandkids were still around, and they found it. Times stay the same... only the cooks get older...

My grandma was the bread baker. She made rolls from "sponge" she kept in the refrigerator in a Mason jar. It wasn't sourdough, but fresh "sponge". I wish I had paid more attention and had some of it... Her rolls were to die for, and indeed... she always provided her rolls for funeral dinners. (I hope that's not too much black humor...)

My mom's homemade noodle recipe is: 1 cup flour to one egg plus a half eggshell of water and a pinch of salt. I made up six eggs. Roll out on a floured board, let dry for a few hours covered with a tea towel, then cut in thin strips. You can freeze in plastic bags or cook in chicken/turkey stock with diced celery and onions. Add butter if you don't have enough fat in the turkey stock. I usually saute my onions and celery in butter until they are tender. Yes, half an egg shell of water. I'm guessing maybe 1 to 1-1/2 Tablespoons of water??? I remember Grandma as well as Mom measuring with the half eggshell.

The grands love the noodles, so that's usually one of my dishes to take for dinners. DS1 has a couple of chickens in the freezer that he wants me to get and make into chicken and noodles. I need to do that!!! Gotta keep the natives happy!!!

Mary--so sorry to hear of your family's continued loss... Hearts are with you in spirit!

I'm thinking I'll get back in my sewing room today. I have pizza for dinner... no turkey. I have a little dish of dressing I made and didn't take to dinner yesterday... I'll save it for me for a snack! Thankfully DH isn't much for the dressing and he doesn't care... or the cranberries!

I don't think I'll do any Black Friday shopping. I've looked at a few "deals" but haven't hit "place your order"... maybe Cyber Monday... I am not going to town!

[Quilter7]

Good Morning Everyone!
I am so glad I am getting your bread baking memories! In 1960 we lived in a very small town in Nevada about 100 miles from St. George, Utah. My Mom stayed home for the first time in several years. She made bread and pecan rolls. She also made pudding. The milk was not homogenized and we children wouldn't drink it, so she made pudding so we would consume milk.

Chickie - My DH finds everything in the freezer too! I think I told you when I was in the hospital he went to get dinner out of the freezer and found the four containers of Pumpkin Ice Cream I had stashed away. He ate the whole container over the next several days and felt guilty! I said he had earned it!

Becca - I wish rain would end those fires! Is there any containment on them by the firefighters? Are they using airplanes for water drops?

Velda - It is so nice when people gather together at the holidays.

Tina - How was your day?

Irish - Hope you are well and just enjoying your company.

Maryz - Sorry to hear of another loss in your family.

Dinner for us was just DH and I. I made a pumpkin pie in the morning. We had purchased a small turkey breast and it came with a pouch of gravy starter. Directions said to add 3/4 cup water instead, I put a little wine on the burned on drippings in the bottom of the pan and added chicken broth to make the 3/4 cup. It was wonderful. DH said it was the best Thanksgiving ever! (He ate the gravy and usually he doesn't even like gravy!)

Tonight we will have hot turkey sandwiches.
Carol

[auntjana]

Good morning!

Carol -Mesquite? Love bread making stories! Milk too! My kids learned to drink raw milk up at the grandparents who lived next door to a dairy. They loved it! I have a few cow stories too.

Chickie - that cranberry salsa looked good. Aaron loves heat, so he may try it.

Mary - the weather here next week is iffy, so watch the storms as you head south. We are to get several snow storms next week. The proverbial they have been right so far.

Just got a phone call from my SIL who lives in New York state. She is here visiting her children and grandchildren. Michael is happy to hear from her and she can come and sort out some of the things left from their parents estate. It's all here in the basement and i would love to have it gone and out of the way. The other two siblings already took anything of value abd left mostly the junk for DH and his sister. They were so nice! OK - no more being snarky.

Dinner will be tacos.

Michael swears i look like a football today! Felt bad for the Colts and the rookie QB, but the Lions won, and well, so did Dallas, not my favorite either. But then again, anyone who will be my Niners i will root for.

Aaron found a Star Wars marathon on, so now we will turn into Jedis! LOL I will go to the Cave!

Enjoy,
Jana

[Irishgram]

Good early afternoon from damp, dreary, SW. Pa....But, it's warm on the inside so I'm satisfied......

Mary, I love reading your posts, except for loosing another family member...You put so much into your writing, makes a person feel they are right there with you....And, all the bread baking really did bring back good memories, not for just me....
Hey, I heard what you whispered to Jana about the Steelers.....But, not to worry, half the time I don't even watch them...Just don't care for their coach and when they signed Vick (who is long gone), it just put a bad taste in my mouth for the whole team...Now, if you decide to root against our Penguins, we might have to talk!lol....

Carol, we are cheering you on...You've been through so much but, it's all good from now on......Funny about the pudding, my Mom also made lots because, my sister and I just wouldn't drink milk, and we lived on a farm....I really like your tip about the gravy....I think my favorite turkey is the next day sandwiches.......

Chickie, I have copied your noodle recipe and for sure will be trying it....I love to hear the recipes from years ago, 1/2 an egg shell of water, that's priceless....I love just noodles covered with butter and some salt, yummmmm And, you won't catch me out on Black Friday, been there, done that and won't do it again....My Kathy was the queen of shopping on that day, she actually looked forward to having elbows rammed into her back or jostled among the shoppers.....Crazy kid!

Our dinner yesterday was great....My DDIL, Cindy, who was an only child and never allowed in the kitchen while growing up, has turned into a fantastic cook and puts out a spread that could feed a crowd...And, they never know how many will show up, lol...Their youngest DS goes to college near by and usually brings home team mates that can't get home for the holidays...She's had half the lacrosse teams there for meals at different times...But, her dinner was great and of course we all ate way too much, including all the goodies she had on her snack table....
Today, we'll probably be getting a visit from Jackie, Kathy's oldest DD...She's only here for a day or so and hopefully, will be able to stop down....I'm doing my dinner tomorrow so today will also be baking and prepping day....Terry and Stephan are off visiting friends and not sure when they'll be back today but I still have some of my "to do list" for them....Maybe that's why they're staying away, lol.....

Just took apple squares out of the oven (Jackie's favorite) and will start the pies shortly.....Just might be able to get in the sewing/bedroom and work on THE quilt....Jim has a restless night so I'm sure he'll be nodding off most of the afternoon...With this dreary weather, it might be hard to stay awake, lol.....

So, dear friends, hope you all have a great weekend...We all have so much to be thankful of and for sure, I'm doubly blessed with my family and having found all of you......

Happy eating..............

[Pilot2b]

Good morning dear friends:

Felt I must share a story about bread making. My DSIL is a wonderful cook. She makes bread and rolls for teacher staff rooms, holidays and lots of other days. She really never shares the recipe, as it has been handed down from the really olden days.
A teacher colleague of hers, begged Kathy to give it to her, and finally did. A few months later there was a contest in our paper. And guess whose recipe was published. My DSIL> Her friend didn't win the prize, as DSIL called the paper and told them it was an old family one and this gal copied it. No scandal, however DSIL was no longer giving out recipe, except to my daughter - who is a wonderful Chef (cook). Never learned it from me.

Yesterday, she and hubby both fixed a fantastic meal. Son in law also shares and equal rating with daughter, Jennifer-Ayn. My grandson Alec was home from University and his girl friend also

Have a great weekend. I know we all feel blessed in some form or another.\Hugs,

Helen
PS: Chickie will try your noodle soup. TKU for sharing it with us.

[Becca]

Hello everyone,
Lots at the table today.I spent the morning making cranberry salad & brocolli salad after I got home with the groceries.I had the grocery store to myself.It was great.

Oh the rolls.My Mom made what we called homemade light rolls.From a yeast dough.I never learned the skill of them.We didn't have store bought bread just the rolls.Were they ever yummy.I had 4 DBs and Mom was a great cook so our House was where all the kids wanted to come eat.Mom always made plenty extra.Times were different then.

Chickie Your noodles are what I call dumplings.I make mine the same way.They are truly made with love.My family all loves them.I make them with chicken or turkey broth too.Never heard of eating them over creamed potatos.lol

Maryz Sorry you lost a family member.i would much rather they come in smaller numbers too so you can visit.When everyone comes it's like you hear no one talking just a hum.

Carol So glad you are 90 percent.Keep up the healing

Irish Sorry it was a restless nite.DH is famous for those.Everytime I wake up I hear him doing something.He gets snacks,wanders around house.He just doesn't rest.NOT good.
Hope you get a nap in.Enjoy all your family.

Jana Guess you're getting ready for Sunday.Enjoy them

Helen Glad you had a good day with family.

Velda Hope your day was a good one too.

I would never be a BFriday shopper.Not my idea of fun.DS& My DGD used to do it .They liked it.Our shopping gets less each year.Family is big now We just do Grands & theres 15 of them.
Just wanted to tell all of you how much you mean to me.I am so thankful I found this group.
We are eating light today.DH said only a sandwich bec he's still full from the turkey & all the rest.Happy eating everyone. Becca

[FarmChick]

It’s so interesting to hear the same dishes called different names in different parts of the country.

Becca—I know in the South that “our” chicken and noodles are called chicken and dumplings. When Grandma made chicken and dumplings, the dumplings were little balls of biscuit dough stirred into boiling broth with meat and some vegetables (soup, basically), then cooked and stirred until done. She also did “dumplings” baked on top of the same dish—basically chicken pot pie with a biscuit crust. Anything Grandma cooked was out of this world delicious! We never had much meat when I was growing up after we moved to Kansas. Grandma raised chickens and put them in the “locker” (at the ice plant) after butchering, or she went to the chicken yard and grabbed a bird, and… we had a chicken meal—fried chicken, baked chicken, stewed chicken, chicken and noodles, chicken and dumplings, chicken soup… chicken was pretty much all we knew… and EGG salad, eggs goldenrod, deviled eggs, scrambled eggs…

You must call our mashed potatoes creamed potatoes? Creamed potatoes on my table would be in a white sauce—usually with creamed peas. People who don’t eat gravy will eat chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes.

I’m from Kansas (by way of California—Jana, I’m a native Cali girl, too), so we must have been caught between the North and the South with cooking.

Helen—that happened to a friend of mine who shared a recipe with another person. The other person used it in a bake off (recipe contest by the newspaper) and won the grand prize. She never acknowledged the recipe was from my friend. That left a bad taste in my mouth.

Carol—I did remember the ice cream in your freezer and your dear hubby… aren’t they just little boys in big boy pants! Love the pudding story. We had milk delivery from the local dairy that was pasteurized, so I never had raw milk.

Jana—my SIL did the same thing with DH’s mom’s house. The brothers got crumbs. You’re not being snarky at all. Every family has one. My sister is the one in mine.

Irish—one of my DDILs and her two sisters go every Black Friday. They used to leave the house about 2 a.m. for Tulsa (2 hours away) to get the best deals. She said they don’t leave that early any more, but I’m betting they do leave at 4 or 5 a.m. Sounds like you are having several dinners… I always like to prepare plenty… now the grands bring boyfriends and girlfriends, and there is quite a crowd. Have a wonderful day with family today and tomorrow! We are blessed to have you as our friend!!! HUGS!!!

I confess… my fingers itched, so I spent $63 (with shipping) online for bargains from Fat Quarter Shop. I couldn’t help myself. I even waited several hours, but the itch got worse. That was better than Benadryl! The itch is now gone!!!