During the depression years, We lived in a three room house,No running water, out side two holler, But there was a big old cast iron kitchen stove, It heated the whole house, and a big long kitchen table. We had all the chickens and garden things, fresh milk, eggs,Mom would render down the lard from a the butchered pigs, Us kids never new any thing was wrong in the world, Well to the point, she would grab one of those roosters, and in the pot he would go, and she would make up a big batch of homemade noodles. 4 or 5 cups of flour, she would dump this on the table, had oil cloth on it.and then put in 4 or 5 eggs, the yolks were so yellow. and a teaspoon of bakeing powder.and a teaspoon of salt. she would work it in from the sides with a fork. till she had a ball, just a little flour on table to knead the dough, you let the dough rest for 30 mins or so. and then cut dough in half, and roll out about as thin as a dime. Now the secret to good noodles is you let the sheets dry on a back of a chair, and sprinkle with four and roll up, and slice your noodles off, uncurling them and put on towel, Now you put them in that pot of chicken broth, She always left the chicken in the pot, course it was a big pot.The chicken broth was very plain. just a little salt.Oh how we loved that soup, boughten noodles just dont do it.Now that"s soul food for me, on a cold rainy day, or when your feeling a little blue. Whats your soul food. Love Irene

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), July 27, 2001

Answers

Hi Irene sure glad the good times are here show me the beef a 1lb t bone with fried taters.course i like eny thing you cook in a skilet and put gravey on. Bob se.ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@hit.net), July 27, 2001.

Hi Irene, my soul food would have to be....a big pot of pinto beans, fried potatoes, slice of onion or green onions from the garden and of course, corn bread. You could add some cooked greens to the table also, (of course "fried" in bacon grease!). My mom never did make homemade noodles. Don't think it was too big in the South. Probably because you couldn't make them with corn!!! hee hee First time I had homemade noodles was when my MIL made them, and boy are they good. My MIL is from the midwest and I always wondered if they were a regional thing or not, because it seems like everyone here makes noodles. Maybe because they had a wider availability to wheat? hmmmmmmm, don't know, but you're making me hungry for some pinto beans!!!!

-- Annie (mistletoe@kconline.com), July 28, 2001.

Dear Irene, I would have to say my mom's chicken & dumplings. Any time i'm having a really hard time I make a big pot it's almost as good as going home !

-- Nan (graf_nan@hotmail.com), July 28, 2001.

Fried grits. Boulliabaise. Cornbread. FRESH black eyed peas

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), July 28, 2001.

You're absloutely correct Annie, Grandpa used to say he raised corn for the stock and wheat for the family. His only exception was during the depression, he allowed fried mush to be served twice a week for breakfast, so grandma could sell the extra eggs to the hatchery. Chicken and noodles was always Sunday dinner, the "city folks" always visited on Sunday and Grandma never knew how many would show up for dinner, mom said usually around 15 or so. My mother and her sisters carried on this tradition, Chicken and noodles and yeast bisquits is still Sunday dinner. Rog

-- Rog (rw285@isoc.net), July 28, 2001.

Cool post. Gives me some dinner ideas!

My soul food is homemade chicken pot pie...oh, and fried mush!

:-)

-- Buk Buk (bukabuk@hotmail.com), July 28, 2001.

Fresh purple hull peas with plenty of "pot liquor", cornbread, sliced tomatoes and a glass of iced tea. Ya'll can have the rest.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), July 29, 2001.

Black berry cobbler with spoon dropped dumplings........

-- Thumper (slrldr@aol.com), July 30, 2001.

Black-eyed peas, cornbread,sliced tomatoes, fried cabbage and iced tea. Peach cobbler for dessert. Sounds like supper to me. Blessings Peggy

-- peggy (wclpc@cookeville.com), July 30, 2001.