Anyway I actually have a topic this time that sort of ties in with Thanksgiving. I'm going to talk about noodles. That's right, welcome to some top-rate FOOD TALK.
Ok so for years of my childhood I adored my grandmother's noodles. Like she made them for every big family gathering and I couldn't get enough of them. Instead of going for pie for dessert, I would get more noodles. I was obsessed, fat, and happy.
Then as I grew older I learned how to make these delicious noodles from my grandma, and from then on every Thanksgiving I would help her make them. The recipe, and the noodles themselves, are actually very underwhelming. These are your basic egg and flour noodles, with a splash of milk to make them stick together. Combine these things in a food processor, roll up the dough, and then cut into noodles with an electric knife. Leave the noodles out overnight and the next day throw them in some chicken broth alongside a chicken breast. Simple and delicious.
What was fun (and is still fun) about making noodles is that it doesn't have to look pretty. Noodles were any shape, size, length, and consistency. It's the perfect food for a child to help make, and for a 24 year old who likes to be sloppy. I also don't own a food processor or an electric knife, so I go old school and that shows in the result. My mother doesn't particularly like to cook and I like it enough but don't do it a lot so it's nice to make something as stupidly simple as basic egg noodles.
Due to my work schedules these past few years I haven't been able to help cook the noodles with my family on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which is the tradition. My grandmother, who is no longer with us, did get help from her great-grandchildren and they are keeping the tradition going with my aunts, so all is well in noodleville.
While I prepared the noodles last night in my underwear with my iPhone tucked into the waistband (listening to Alabama Shakes) I realized this was a far departure from when I started making noodles with Grandma. But that's okay. Making them reminds me of her, and that's a good enough reason alone (eating the noodles afterwards is an added plus).
Anyway, Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow and that's exciting. We're doing a smaller get-together this year than we usually do, which is great. My aunts don't have to break their backs cooking this year, there will be more room for everybody...I anticipate a good time had by all. I offered to help make the noodles this year by preparing them in Pittsburgh and cooking them in West Virginia. However I was told my little cousins have grown very attached to making noodles and would likely pitch a fit if they were left out. Despite the fact that I've been throwing fits for 24 years, I decided to be the adult and let them make the noodles.
I'm going to make a peanut butter pie tonight and take it home tomorrow, at my mother's request. I was going to make a pumpkin pie but apparently my aunt's recipe makes 5 of those so it seems redundant. I always fight with my pie crusts, but lately I got lucky and was able to pull of this beauty...
Ok beauty isn't the right word. The crust falls apart kind of and we don't have a good pie spatula so I usually end up tearing it out with a fork. But hey, pie is pie, so as my mother says "Eat it and say it's good."
Alright that's it for me. Happy Thanksgiving y'all.
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