Noodles and Butterballs

This soup.  It is requested for special birthday dinners.  It can be found at nearly every Jones' gathering.  It's a traditional German recipe.  We know it from Travis's Grandma Emma Jones.  When talking to Travis & Steve, they both said "She got it from here mother".  Wherever it came from, let me just tell you.  If you don't like soup - you will after trying this.  Won't ya, Nicole?

Noodles and Butterballs

1 package frozen egg noodles (24 oz)
1 whole chicken, thawed, rinsed
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 cans chicken broth
Chicken base, to taste
1 cube  (1/2 c) butter
1 c milk or 1/2 cup evaporated milk (plus more if mix is too dry)
2 eggs
1 can plain bread crumbs (15 oz)
Allspice to season (Allspice substitute recipe to follow)
[Carrots, Celery, Yellow Onion all diced.  Optional.  The original doesn't have all of these veggies - but we prefer it].

1. Place the whole chicken in a large stock pot.  
2. Cover with water.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Boil until chicken falls off the bone, it took us 3 hours.  While we were making this, we asked both Travis and Steve how long this takes for the chicken to be done.  They BOTH said, "Until the chicken falls off the bone."  And it really does ... in the water ... fall off the bone. 
5. Remove chicken from pot and let cool.
6. Leave broth in pot.
7. Skim fat from top of the broth.
8. Carve chicken into bite sized pieces.  Discard bones and skin.  Keep meat in a bowl and set aside.
9. Make the butterballs:
1. Melt butter.
2. Mix butter, milk, eggs, breadcrumbs, and a generous amount of allspice.  We use 2 tbsp.  This is best done with your hands.
3. Roll batter into 1" sized butterballs.
10. Make soup:
1. Bring broth to a boil.
2. Add 2 cans of chicken broth and chicken base.
3. Add vegetables and cook until they are tender.
4. Add chicken.
5. Then add frozen noodles and butterballs.
6. Cook all ingredients together until "I don't know, until the noodles are soft."  By this time, we're seeing a trend.  Steve & Travis are just going to answer the same.  LOL  Anyway, the noodles get soft and float to the top.  It took us about 30 minutes.
11. Stand back and watch it disappear.

Photo courtesy of Aunt Charlene Bartlome

Photo courtesy of Travis Jones

 Allspice substitute

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix well.  Yield 1 tsp.

Thanksgiving Feast - Dinner - Homemade Rolls

I have made these rolls with my father-in-law, Steve, many times.  So last year, Nicole & I decided to try them on our own. *Insert snort laugh here*

The name for this recipe is "Mom's Easy Rolls".  "Mom" is Emma Jones, Steve's mom, and Travis's Grandma.  I'm so glad I got to meet her...she was a neat lady.

These will be made again this Thanksgiving so we can better document the timing.  Because when we did them last year, our rolls were done at noon and dinner was at 6pm.  They were tasty, but what's better than warm rolls for dinner?  I can't think of much.

Mom's Easy Rolls

2 eggs

2 cakes of yeast, rapid rise

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 c milk

1 c water

7 c flour*

9 tbsp shortening (1/2 c + 1 tbsp)

1. Place eggs, sugar, salt, milk and 4 cups of flour in mixing bowl.  
2. In a separate bowl, heat the water until lukewarm.  Add yeast (stir until just mixed) and let stand one minute.  
3. Pour yeast mixture into the mixing bowl and beat all together for 4 minutes.  
4. Add shortening, then knead in remaining flour.  
5. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 2 hours.  
6. Make out rolls and put onto greased cookie sheet, leaving space in between.
7. Cover and let rise until double in size again, about 2 hours.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

*Nicole is allergic to bleach, so white bleached flour is out.  We're going to make wheat rolls this Thanksgiving.  Will update how they turned out.  

Update 12/3/13:  Wheat rolls were AMAZING!