Using my noodle

I woke up to the alarm, shut it off and stretched, luxuriously... Then it hit me! It's Tuesday (hence, garbage day) and I didn't clean out the cat litter box last night! So, I jumped out of bed, dumped the old litter into a paper bag (after putting it inside a garbage bag), added a little baking soda to the tub and refilled it with fresh kitty litter.

I threw on my shorts and t-shirt, grabbed the kitchen trash and the kitty litter bag and headed out to the road. So, I had three garbage bags and the two old mini-blinds and their new replacement boxes by the side of the road before 6:00 AM (long time readers may remember my past problems getting the trash out a bit too late! It's supposed to be before 7:00 AM, but these guys like to get an early start every now and then.)

I stopped at Meijer's on the way home to pick up some more Glad screw top, four cup containers (so I can freeze the soup). When I got home, I went through the usual rituals and then started on my egg noodles. I had found hundreds of supposedly tried and true egg noodle recipes on the web, including one I almost used, but it called for four eggs yolks and that seemed a little excessive for just some chicken noodle soup!

So, I went with the simplest: 2 1/2 cups of flour, mixed with a pinch of salt. To that, I added two whole eggs, whisked, 1/2 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of butter (after mixing it together). I kneaded the dough for five minutes and left it sit in the bowl, covered with a towel for 10 minutes. Then, I put the bowl in the sink to soak, my big wood cutting board on the counter (over two kitchen towels for stability), floured it, got my rolling pin (flouring that) and rolled the dough out to somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.

I let that dry out for 20 minutes. Then I went and, using the Shun Chef's knife, cut it into three inch long strips, maybe 3/8 inches wide, but varied, ya know? I want rustic!!! I put the strips on four kitchen cotton towels to dry out (until no longer moist and sticky) See photos for this process. It's almost 7:00 PM, in case you are curious.

The cats seemed a little "too" interested in the noodles, so I went out back and brought in some catnip. I was disappointed, because Scruffy had always mowed down the catnip, but both of them seemed only mildly interested. Since that original catnip was wild, brought here via Palms Road, then St. Clair and then I went ahead and ripped all of it out to plant my raised bed garden, I bought some "store-bought" catnip plants. I wonder now if they are a milder version or what? I suppose catnip, like sex, is always better the wilder you get, (if I remember correctly).

While the noodles were drying, I grabbed the electric weedwacker and the 100-foot cord and went out front. It looks real nice and the tiger lilies are just about to bloom. When enough of them are out, I'll take a photo and post so my Mom can see them! I was done by 8:30 PM, (everything out front is now edged or trimmed) and decided the noodles had dried enough. So, I got the stock pot out from the fridge and began to heat it back up.

I checked the TV listings and found an old favorite of mine "Picnic" with William Holden and Kim Novak (1955) had started at 8:00 PM. So, I pushed record and went out to finish the soup. I heated up the mix from yesterday and when it was at a roiling boil, I added the egg noodles. I know that fresh pasta doesn't take that long to cook, so I check it after four minutes. The noodles seem "Al dente" to me, so I turn off the heat and let it cool down.

I got a bowl and tested it. The flavor's not my best effort to date (and I blame the stock) but I love the texture of the noodles!!! I decide I'm too tired to put it all up in the freezer containers tonight, so I stick the pot in the fridge. I decide I'm too tired to stay up and watch a movie, so I read for a bit and then go to sleep.