The third of June is a big date in the Ryan family. You probably associate the date with “another sleepy, dusty Delta day.” As you know, that’s the day that “Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.”
What you don’t know is that June 3rd was our parents’ wedding anniversary. Francis [Charlie] Martin Ryan wed Rhea [Lavon] Madonna Fritz in Manilla, Iowa, in 1941.
On June 3, 1952, Kevin Edward Ryan, second son of Charlie and Rhea, was born. Five years later, Kevin’s younger brother, Joseph Charles Ryan, was born in Denison on June 3rd. I can still remember Kevin sitting on the bed yelling at mom that he wasn’t going to share his birthday with anyone.
We were never able to celebrate an anniversary and two birthdays on the same day. Our dad passed away from renal failure a little over two months after Joe was born. However, we did celebrate two birthdays on June 3rd for many years.
One of the pleasures of celebrating your birthday in our home was selecting the dinner menu and the type of cake for the evening. Kevin and Joe had the easiest choices. Kevin always wanted hot dogs, and Joe wanted hamburgers. We had both on the same day. I wouldn’t want to guess the cake choices, and I don’t think it was two separate cakes.
I always chose Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and corn. But before Joe died, he wanted to argue with me and say that Swiss steak was John’s favorite meal. I don’t know why Joe would think he knew more than me about my favorite dinner. But I let it ride. John’s favorite meal could have been anything. John had a big appetite and ate anything and everything in front of him.
For a few years, my chosen cake was not necessarily my favorite, but mom would make a spice cake for me. You see, I was okay with it, but none of my siblings liked it so I got it all to myself. Mom may have caught on and I switched my cake to a confetti angel food.
Pat’s favorite was chicken and noodles. Mom made homemade noodles (recipe follows), and cooked them with chicken and chicken broth from a capon or rooster that she got from a farmer. Each of us kids loved mom’s chicken and noodles the best, but when we would tell her it was “my” favorite dish, she would correct us and tell us “no,” that’s Pat’s favorite. No one missed dinner when we arrived home from school to see towels draped over kitchen chairs with noodles drying.
After I grew up, served time in the Army, and moved out of my childhood home, mom would bring me buttermilk brownies on my birthday. “I made your favorite,” she would say with a smile. I never knew what the hell she was talking about. I didn’t like buttermilk brownies growing up. I always thought the frosting was like a melted Hersey’s bar. But I tried not to disappoint her and accepted buttermilk brownies on my birthday every year.
Several years ago, Pat hosted a dinner at her house and at least two, if not all three of my sisters were there. We began talking about our favorite dinners, cakes, etc. Carol mentioned that she loved mom’s buttermilk brownies but never had any since she was married. That solved a major family mystery as far as I was concerned.
Looking into the months ahead, we are going to include some recipes and a YouTube video of us preparing and processing the recipes. We will include Marty’s Iowa State Fair Blue-Ribbon caramels, homemade pies using several different crust variations, and many selections we have adapted from other recipes, such as Chocolate Amaretto Mousse. Stay tuned.
Homemade Noodles
by – Rhea Ryan
3 egg yolks 1 whole egg Beat in 3 tablespoons cold water 1 teaspoon salt Stir and work in with hands. 2 cups sifted flour.[1] Divide dough into 3 parts. Roll out each piece as thin as possible, (paper thin) on lightly floured cloth covered board. Place between 2 towels until dough is partially dry, like chamois skin. With sharp knife cut into strips of desired widths one-eighth for fine and up to ½ inch for broad. Shake out strips and allow to dry.
Makes 6 cups.
***
Please help Fawkes-Lee & Ryan maintain this website by donating $10, $20, $30, $50, $100, or more.
Your support is appreciated.
Subscribe (It’s FREE): Email mrtyryn@gmail.com with “Subscribe” in the Subject Line.
Fawkes-Lee & Ryan
2516 Lynner Dr.
Des Moines, IA 50310
Copyright (c) 2024. Fawkes-Lee & Ryan. All rights reserved.
[1] 2 cups was a significant change from Aunt Francy’s original recipe that called for a ‘glob’ of flour.