STW: The Food

Okay, so I inadvertantly abandoned my plans of describing the charm of a Small Town Texas Wedding, but fret not, ITS BACK with my favorite part of a Small Town, FOOD!

For most people, finding a caterer & tasting food for the reception is a big part of planning a wedding. For us, we knew right away what food we would be serving. Weddings in my area are fondly referred to as "Beer & BBQ weddings" because they serve just that--cold beer & tasty barbeque! Lately, more weddings in the area have been straying from the traditional "eats" and serving Chicken Fried Steaks or Mexican Food, but the meal is still served buffet style.

Barbeque is such an amazing part of where I live...just down the street is Texas Monthly's #1 BBQ in the state of Texas, Snow's BBQ and another local made the top 50!



The grub at our reception consists of:
Barbeque Beef, Pork (& maybe Sausage)
Noodles **see below
Green Beans
Hot Potatoes
Plus the requisite fixins': Bread, Pickles, Onions, Peaches (its a Texas thing)

My mom personally didn't want to do noodles & potatoes together, but when she mentioned dropping noodles from the menu, CityBoy demanded to have noodles!!!



Noodles in my neck of the woods are phenomenal and are a very tasty part of my heritage.
doodly doodly do do doodly dodo doodly (going back in time)...

In 1854, a ship docked in Galveston, Texas holding 500 immigrants from Lusatia, an area in Germany comprising parts of Saxony and Prussia... The Wends. Now, I'm sure 99.99% of you think I'm making up a group of people, but they existed. The Wendish Language is now considered a dead language but in those days was a trigger of persecution. The Prussians insisted the Wends speak and use the German language, going so far as to Germanize many Wendish names. The Wends were also required to join the Evangelical Reform and abandon their pure Lutheran faith. Rather than abandon their language and faith, they made plans to immigrate to America.
The Wends settled in Lee County and built a church in Serbin, Texas (just outside my hometown). This church is one of the oldest churches in America in continual use since its construction. PS--its gorgeous. My great-grandparents are buried at the cemetary there.

Fast forward to today. One of the most present aspects of Wendish culture through our community is Noodles. Although the Wends most certainly did not enjoy their Noodles with BBQ, I've grown up eating the Noodles of my ancestors with some of the FANTASTIC Texas BBQ in our area! In fact, my hometown is the home of the State of Texas Noodle Cook-Off!!

Here's a recipe for Noodles from the Texas Wendish Heritage Society:

Wendish Noodles

One egg
One half egg shell of water (about 3 tablespoons)
One and one-half to two cups of flour

Beat egg and water together. Add a sprinkle of salt and enough flour to form a stiff dough. Roll out thin on a pastry cloth. Let stand to dry, turning over occasionally. Cut into thin strips when dry but still pliable. Cook in a rich chicken broth until tender. Chopped parsley, chopped green onion tops, and a dash of nutmeg may be added for flavor, if desired.

PS-- The Wends are also known for making these Gems...