Monday, March 30, 2009

Noodles and Grandnoodles




Every month or so I make up a batch of homemade egg noodles. I started doing this when we first got chickens, and I had to find new ways of using up the dozens of eggs building up in my fridge. It's pretty easy, especially if you have a pasta machine -- one of those things that will roll the dough flat and slice it into even strips. It'd be a lot harder without one of those.

The boys like to help. They like feeding the wedges of dough into the machine and turning the hand crank. They like laying the sheets of flat rolled dough onto the table to dry, and then re-feeding them into the machine to be cut. They like tossing the cut noodles with flour and then packing them into freezer bags. They especially like eating the noodles at dinner-time with a little butter and grated cheese.

My husband has memories of making homemade noodles with his grandmother in Zumbrota, Minnesota. Hearing him talk makes me wish I had more memories like that of my grandparents. It also makes me all the more fervent in creating memories with my sons. And when I have grandkids, I'll make noodles with them.

Am I thinking too far ahead? Maybe. But I hear grandkids are all the fun of kids without all the work. I like that idea. When my boys get married they're getting monthly mailings of Vitamin C supplements. I will have grandchildren.

Next time I make noodles I think I'll bring out the dehydrator and see if I can dry them instead of freeze them. When you put the noodles in the freezer they tend to lump together, and you end up with a mixture of noodles and gnocchi. Besides, freezer space is at a premium these days with our pork, beef and bread. And veges, and ice cream, and chicken ...

I've been told that my version of 'easy' and other people's version of 'easy' are very different from one another. Yeah, okay, that may be true. But what's also true is I am one of the laziest people on the planet, and if I can do it, anyone can do it. And having three little noodley boys to help makes it all the 'easier.' Besides, you're not just making noodles, you're making memories.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a difference a year makes. Benjamin looks so different, not a toddler anymore--- lori

Jo said...

Hey Lorelei!
Yep, they are growing fast. I was depressed the other day when I realized that I couldn't pick up my eldest (80 pounds) and almost couldn't pick up the middlest (50 pounds). Even Ben is getting to be a small hunk of lead.

It wasn't so long ago that we were tossing and juggling these boys in the air.

Speaking of growing fast, how old is Destiny now? 20? Ugh.

Come out and see us sometime!