By Christina Bast Krismer, Regina, Saskatchewan

This has been interesting reading. So interesting in fact that I have to get my two cents worth in. My grandparents who came to Canada in 1890, came from the Beresan area in Russia. Our occasions to serve dumpfnoodles was usually in the fall (as I remember) but could be served whenever bread was made. Some of the dough would be reserved for the dumpfnoodles. A small portion of dough would be rolled in her hands and then tied into a knot. These would then be put onto a floured towel to rise until double in bulk. When ready they would be fried in a pan that could be covered which would allow the dough to steam, rise more and then brown. In the pan she would put a bit of water, melt some butter, then when the water was boiling and the butter melted she added the knots, covered the pan and let them steam and cook. When she heard the sizzle she lowered the heat and let them fry or brown. All this may have taken about 15 to 20 minutes. We loved them. We served them first with Bean Soup (dunking them into the soup) and then for dessert we dunked them in canned plums. Today I continue making these but I short cut the process by using frozen bread dough or frozen dinner rolls. I use electric fry pans with a glass lid so I can peek without lifting the lid. With anywhere from 15 to 20 of us present I need to have a lot of noodles ready. In our house I would have to make close to 100 of these. We eat in two shifts to allow me to get a second batch cooked. These have become for my family the traditional meal for our Christmas Eve supper. In fact this year I thought I wouldn't do them and I was severely reprimanded so I did them again. The grandchildren are not as fond of the Bean Soup but love the dump noodles. Occasionally when my siblings are all together we serve these dump noodles and Bean Soup for old times sake.

It was nice to read about something that was very much a part of my growing up.