3/23/2011:
Wilma (Beck) Haupt “Dumplings & Strudel”
Interviewed: Eureka, South Dakota, 16 May 2008
Born: Eureka, South Dakota, 12 June 1925
We made a lot of dumplings when it was bread baking day. And then you made a little more dough and then you formed these little dumplings and laid them on the counter or someplace and let them raise so they’d get nice and fat. And then you’d put shortening in the pan and heated it up and some onions, and some potatoes that you cut in small pieces. And then you poured water over that so it all got good and bubbly hot. Then you laid the dumplings on and you cook them for about twenty minutes. If you take the lid off too soon and if they aren’t done inside, then they fall. So you have to make sure they’re done before you take the lid off. I still do that with frozen bread dough. I love them. And the mothers made strudels. That was a little different. You made a different kind of dough, but it was done about the same way.
Leona (Kuhn) Hoff “Noodles”
Interviewed: Richardton, North Dakota, 24 June 2009
Born: Dunn County, North Dakota, 3 November 1929
Well basically in the thirties, it was a lot of noodles. I think my mom knew how to make at least ten different kinds of noodles. And we were poor, but we didn’t know we were poor. But she had this thing that she would make coffee for us, and of course it was two-thirds warm milk and then coffee added. And I remember having a choice of what we could have for supper one night, and it was either jelly bread and coffee — or coffee and jelly bread. Have your pick. And that was it, and that’s all there was. But other times if she made doughnuts, we would have potato soup and doughnuts for a meal. And that was really great. Or we’d have had what we called Plachinda and potato soup, or bean soup, and those were really good meals then compared to some of the others. But many times she had noodles and ham made from bread dough, or if she baked she always had some sort of noodles. We had what we called steamed noodles — they were big round noodles. And she would pour cream over them after they were fried. Oh! Gourmet eating. Or we had a noodle that she made, and some bread dough, potatoes and onions sautéed before she put the noodles in there and add enough water to cook them up and that was wonderful. If we had ham, she’d put ham in there. She was a very, very good cook. She could cook a meal from just anything. She made a good tasty meal no matter what.