Kitchen Tragedies...

Margaret's Story ~

It was a cold, cold February day in East Central Illinois.  I thought that Rich and I needed some comfort food, so I cooked a chicken and made a BIG pot of chicken noodle soup with fresh vegetables.  I served it with good crusty bread and a bottle of wine.  Yum!  It was a perfect winter meal!  As I was cleaning up after dinner, I opened a cabinet above the stove and out fell a jar that crashed into a couple of glass bowls I was holding.  Glass went everywhere… including into the pot of soup!  Not only did I have a huge mess to clean up with soup and glass all over the kitchen, but I had to throw out that big beautiful pot of soup that was going to warm us up for several more meals!  I almost cried as I poured it down the garbage disposal!

Here's the recipe...

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

One whole chicken, washed and the “innards” removed. Place in a large pot (innards too!) and cover with water and bring to a boil.
Add several stalks of celery, including the leafy tops. Add about 2 t. salt.

Simmer until the chicken is done. I like to cook it until it falls apart when you try to pick it up out of the broth. That takes about an hour.

Remove the chicken and innards and put it in a bowl to cool. Remove the celery, cut into small pieces and set it aside. Cut up the liver, set aside, and throw the rest of the innards away. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, de-bone it and chop up a handful of chicken and put with the celery to add later. The remaining chicken can be made into a wonderful chicken salad.

Cut several carrots into small pieces. Cut up some green onions. Add them the broth and then bring to a gentle simmer. After the carrots are nearly tender (about 5-7 minutes), add a bag of medium width egg noodles. Boil until they are al denté. Add the chopped cooked celery, liver, and chopped chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some good crusty bread and a bottle of wine!

If you are fortunate enough to have a good bakery around, buy some bread to serve with the soup. There are also some wonderful breads that you can buy in the freezer section at the grocery store that are partially baked and you just have to heat and serve. This meal is good on a cold winter night or if you have a cold. It’s better than penicillin for what ails you!

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Banana Puddin'


My Mom was a German war-bride who came to Alabama after the war with my Daddy. For a time, they lived in a duplex with Daddy’s Mom and Dad living in the other part of the duplex. My mother was a good cook, but she didn’t know how to cook “Southern,” so she was determined to learn. My Daddy’s favorite dessert was banana pudding and Mom was determined to make him one that was as good as his Mom could make.

One day, Mom put the finishing touches on a banana pudding that she knew would be a winner. She whipped the meringue just so and was putting the pudding in the oven to brown the meringue when disaster stuck! Her hands slipped and she dropped the whole pudding into the hot oven!

Mom has made many banana puddings since then, but has never forgotten that first one! Here’s the recipe:

Southern Banana Pudding

3/4 cup sugar
2 heaping T. flour
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 stick butter
1 t. vanilla
1 box vanilla wafers
6-8 ripe bananas

Mix dry ingredients together. Separate egg yolks from whites and reserve the whites for the meringue. Beat the egg yolks with milk and combine all ingredients in a double boiler. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, cool, and add vanilla. Line a casserole dish with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas. Pour sauce over all. Beat egg whites on high speed adding a small amount of sugar for the meringue until it peaks. Spread on top of the pudding and bake at 350° until the meringue is light brown on top. Watch carefully because it doesn't take long to brown.