Made with Love

Sometimes I like to show love through food. Do you have any food memories from childhood that made you feel special and loved?

Nothing says love like homemade chicken noodle soup. If you've never made homemade noodles, give it a whirl. There's nothing that even compares in taste . . . and your family WILL feel the love!
This recipe makes one large stockpot full of goodness--plenty to share with a friend or two.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
6 eggs
3/4 cup water
2 tsp. salt
4-5 cups flour
6-8 chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp dried parsley
salt & pepper
chicken bullion

In a bowl combine eggs, water, and salt. Add in flour one cup at a time and mix with fork for first 3 cups. Mix in 4 and possibly 5th cup with hands. Knead together a few minutes until dough is cohesive, a bit sticky, but not tough or dry. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out dough onto a pastry cloth or onto floured surface until quite thin. Sprinkle more flour over the top and rub it into the dough. Let dry for 2-4 hours. It won't be dried out completely, just enough to make it easier to cut and handle.
In the meantime, bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Add vegetables, salt & pepper, parsley, bullion, and chicken thighs. Boil for 30 minutes, remove chicken and let cool. Turn off the heat.

Once chicken is cooled, remove meat, then add to stock pot and bring back to a rolling boil.

You can cut noodles with a knife. OR, you can make your life wonderfully simple by using the tool pictured below . . . it's called an herb mincer in stores. But in my house it's called the noodle cutter. My kids love helping cut the noodles. I typically cut the dough into smaller sections before cutting into noodles so each noodle ends up being about 6-8 inches long.
Cut noodles and add to the pot, separating the noodles a little bit as you add them so they don't stick together. Don't shake off excess flour as it will help thicken the broth.

Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until noodles are cooked through.