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Great-grandmother's hand-made noodles were stupendous!
"No," she replied, "but I am just fascinated by the cooking shows lately. Everything has noodles in it, including the desserts!" It seems that whether the dishes are Chinese, Italian or Indian, noodles are the main ingredients. Naturally, I had to tell her of my experience with them ... There were so many childhood days when I sat at the oilcloth covered kitchen table, watching my great-grandmother, Memmy, make noodles by hand, from 'scratch', of course. I watched spellbound as she added the eggs and other ingredients to a volcano-shaped cone of flour that sat right on the wooden counter top, and kneaded them into dough. She flattened the dough with a wooden rolling pin, and when it had reached the proper thickness, she would cut noodles just large enough to fit in a soup spoon. As a German descendant, she did not believe in long, Italianstyle pasta, and she disdained the idea of having to wrap noodles around the fork or spoon three or four times just to be put in the mouth. (Well, we all have our idiosyncrasies.) They were about the size and shape of what Southerners call "dumplings," but not as thick. What we Pennsylvania Dutch call "dumplings" is something entirely different - but I digress. A stewpot of chicken from the farmer's market would be bubbling away on the black-iron coal stove near the window, waiting to receive the noodles. She would, of course, add her 'secret' seasonings and always used saffron in the pot. In those days, saffron didn't cost quite as much as gold, as it seems to now. When the soup appeared on the dinner table, we all fell to with enthusiasm. Calories? Whoever heard of them? Cholesterol? Weight gain? Why worry? Fill my bowl again, please!
Here are a few driving tips for seniors from the AARP: Avoid difficult left-hand turns, bad weather, heavily traveled roads, and rush-hour traffic whenever possible. Plan your route before you start to drive so that you can concentrate on the driving, not the navigating. Keep a three-second cushion of space between your car and the one ahead of you. Remember, a driver 80 years old or more is four to eight times more likely to die in a car crash than a 20-year-old. In an accident, the car driven by the older driver is 3.4 times more likely to be the one that is struck.
Now that the height of tourist season is over, it's time for the "locals" to get back out and enjoy OUR beach. If you haven't visited all summer, set aside a weekend afternoon to stroll around the Quietwater Boardwalk area. You'll find friendly young people working in the shops and boutiques full of lovely clothes and gift items. I was surprised to discover that much of what is sold compares very well with mall prices. You can enjoy Hershey's ice cream cones, Hooter's chicken wings, fine dining at Hemingway's or Portofino Charlie's, Mexican or Italian cuisine, or a good solid "Surf Burger" while looking out over the Sound and watching the fashion parade of bathing suits go by.
Here's an amusing notion: Becoming aware of your character defects leads to the next step: blaming your parents. See you next week! |
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