Hand Made Noodles

Making noodles is one of Jasper's favorite things to help with in the kitchen!  We make a simple dough without measuring, roughly two eggs for each three cups of flour, a little salt, and just enough water for the dough to come together.  It must be kneaded thoroughly so that the dough springs back when you poke it, and  then left to rest for about 20 minutes.  Then it's ready to crank!  (There are endless possible variations, including using whole wheat flour, herbs, a little lemon zest, maybe some squid ink if your child is learning about marine biology...)  We started doing this together when it occurred to me one day that the pasta machine reminded me of some of Jasper's playdough toys.  Noodles can also be made the way my grandma did, by rolling the dough flat with a rolling pin, and cutting the noodles with a knife or pizza wheel.  We like to throw the noodles into a pig pot of chicken soup.