Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Monday, October 17, 2011

Dough Snakes



I like snakes.
And it's because of my Mom's cooking.
Hmmm.
Maybe I'd better explain . . .
I loved to watch my Mom when she was in the kitchen.
I would sit on the cupboard, more or less out of the way.
And follow her movements closely.
She peeled potatoes so fast that I thought every potato had two skins.
I had watched.
Two skins.
Because there was always a skin where she had just peeled.
At other times, she could take her large ceramic bowl and dump in this and that and come out with something delicious.
Every time.
I once told her she was a 'dump cook'.
"I'm a good cook!" she protested.
I tried to explain that that was what I meant, but I don't know if I got through.
But I digress . . .
Sometimes, she would start her trusty Sunbeam mixer.
A sure Diane magnet.
Within seconds, I was standing beside her.
"Mom! Can I have a taste?"
"Honey, it's just butter and sugar."
"But it looks so good!"
"Well, if you want . . ."
Did you know that butter and sugar can actually taste really good?
Well, if dispensed by Mom on a large cake spoon.
But the best of all was when Mom would bake buns.
Or rolls, for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable calling them 'buns'.
She would dump in (see above) bits of this and that and make a large, sticky mass.
Then she would start punching with her hands, adding little bits of flour.
I should point out, here, that if you see a great tub of something powdery and white in Mom's kitchen, icing sugar tastes infinitely better on the end of a wet finger than flour. Just saying.
Moving on . . .
She would punch and punch until she had her dough to just the right consistency.
And yes, I did know what consistency meant.
For a four-year-old, I was a brainiac.
Mom would pinch off a portion of the larger mass and work it into a long roll, ready to cut into smaller pieces.
Then would come the exciting part.
She would chase me around the kitchen, wiggling this long roll of dough, and saying, "Sssssss!"
That was my cue to run around and shriek loudly.
I was good at it.
The dough snake was going to get me!
The dough snake was going to get me!
Finally, when Mom had had enough, she would set the 'snake' back on the counter and proceed to chop it into bits.
One of which she gave to me.
Snake really tastes delicious.
Remember the part when I said 'brainiac'?
I lied.

9 comments:

  1. Fun stuff.....the old time cooks knew what they were doing didn't they? Gram would make pie dough and biscuit dough right on the counter..no bowls involved. Needless to say I was glued right to her side throughout.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha ha! This post cracks me up. I actually had to giggle a little at your "Or rolls, for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable calling them 'buns'." comment. That just made me laugh... I love rolls, but my buns don't! lol... My buns just keeping getting larger and larger thanks to the rolls I eat! haha I love that your mom would play with you like that. That sounds just like something I would do to my kids. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. My mom was no cook. No disrespect, she knew it. Except pot roast on Sunday. But--my grandma and great-grandma made up for it. In my great grandma's kitchen, that snake turned into clover leaf rolls--three little bits in each muffin tin. My grandma made noodles. A big pile of flour on the counter, make a hole in the middle, put in some eggs and go to it. I'd forgotten the rolls and noodles. And watching. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. lol I can handle this kind of snake. What a fun mom!

    ReplyDelete
  5. these are the best memories
    My Mom would cook like that too
    A bit of this a bit of that.
    I 'd ask her for he recipe and she would never say.
    But everything turned out delicious.:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. After reading this, I have the biggest smile on my face!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You are very talented at recreating a memory with words.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the expression of dump cook:) I myself need to strictly follow a recipe as my dump meals are disasters and we end up going out for dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  9. EWWWWWWWWW DI! SNAKES? MY MOM WAS A GREAT COOK BUT WAS A PINCH AND DAB COOK, GUESS ME AND DAUGHTER ARE TOO. MY POOR MEASURING CUP! LOL

    linda_bass@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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