Homemade Noodles

Last week I decided to tackle a project that I had tried and failed at many years before- making homemade noodles. It all started with my hunger for homemade chicken strips, which I haven't made in a long time, since we raised our own meat chickens last year, our chickens were butchered whole, and it seemed impractical to use only the breasts to make chicken strips. I decided that I was going to make them, and then use the rest of the chicken for another purpose. I think having more time on my hands now helps me think more creatively and I have more free brain space!

On Friday night, I made homemade chicken strips and also used the drumsticks. Then on Monday, I cooked down the rest of the chicken in a big pot of water, celery, carrots, and onions and some other spices for about three hours.

Perfectly cooked chicken - right out of the stock pot.

Then, I got out Grandma's recipe for homemade noodles that she used to make with the church ladies. I gave myself lots of time, cleared my head, and started. I got them mixed together and put them under a damp cloth to rest. All was going well. Now, onto to the pasta machine. I got it out, set up, and set to work.

It wasn't long before Eric was in the kitchen to help make noodles.



 

Then, came my next helper who was fascinated with turning this handle!

Noodle making was going along well, and making a lot of noodles it seemed. Then, I had to figure out a place to hang these noodles, as it was obvious I had way more than one pot of soup could handle! So I decided on my dish towel rack, filled it up, then moved on to creating my own noodle drying racks out of drinking glasses, campfire sticks, and some tape!

This worked great until about 9:30 when they started falling off - I didn't know they would dry so fast!

This worked much better since I could leave them on the counter overnight and bagged them up in the morning.

Easton could not wait to try some of these "num nums"!!



I am happy to report that the noodles were so delicious - just like Grandma made - although she would have never made Chicken Noodle Soup because she never ate poultry!! But, it was such a good feeling to accomplish something like this. There is no greater feeling to me than to make a meal like this - home grown chicken, homemade stock, and homemade noodles. Supper doesn't get much more homemade than this!!