Flowers, Egg Noodle Recipe, and a Potholder too!

It may be a little rude, but i'm going to do it anyway...

I just wanted to brag a little... JUST a little... My husband brings me flowers. hehehe These Hyacinths are SO FRAGRANT! its amazing. It's like capturing a little bit of spring in our own home. Heavenly.

I also made another one of these cool paper lampshades. This one sits over the bulb by our telly, and is made out of card stock. At first, i didn't think it would let out enough light, but after a few days i've decided i really like the diffused light that it creates. It's very romantic. Here's a tutorial on how to make one for yourself!

In my baking adventures i made a Sour Cream Pound Cake for a friend's birthday with some homemade raspberry topping. I sealed the topping into a cleaned out Nutella jar and decorated the lid with paper and ribbon.

Yesterday, i decided to make Egg Noodles. Out comes to cookbook!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted but not hot.

Stir together flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, butter, and milk. When all your ingredients are combined and mixed, place dough on a lightly floured surface and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. When your time is up and the dough is smooth, you know you're done. It should look like this:

It's so happy!
Roll your dough out onto the counter (or whatever you roll your dough out onto) to your desired thickness and use a knife to cut the dough into strips. Alternately, my grandmother taught me that if you roll your dough into a log after you flatten it, and cut strips from the end, it's easier.
I didn't do it either way....
because i'm a rebel...
... or i just have my mom's old noodle maker:

I tore the dough in two, and placed the first ball into the flattening rollers on their widest setting (which is about 1/8th")

flattening the dough in preparation for noodles

Next, i placed the flattened dough into the "noodle-cutting" end. This was a bit tricky because the dough was very elastic! I almost needed an extra hand to feed it and crank the handle at the same time!

Here's what it looks like coming out! Pretty cool, i think. I still separate all the noodles from this form so they can dry a little better.

My mom used to place them on a drying rack or even on hangers around our kitchen. I remember sneaking into the kitchen and filching some of the drying noodles before they were stiff! hehehe

I decided to just lay them all out flat on some butcher paper. Later, i moved them (still on the paper) to a cookie sheet and placed them under our wood-burning stove to dry. 

I'm still not sure what i'm going to use them for, as they were originally intended for dinner last night... but since they weren't dried enough, i used regular pasta instead.

I might make a stew or even just noodles in white sauce with some blanched veggies! mmmm getting huuuungry....

Speaking of which- i saw these in one of the little grocery stores in Fermoy and couldn't resist purchasing them simply for their charm...

BAHAHAHAHA! i busted them out yesterday and really, i think they should be called "Hard Little Skinny Sausages in Some Sort of Juice". They weren't the most horrible thing i have had, but... not really like amazing Ballpark Franks... *drool*

Actually, in relation to the "Hot Dogs" i made a discovery! Yesterday i microwaved one of these beauts and needed a potholder to grab it and use to protect my legs (i was planning to use my lap as a table) ... and i realized all we have are dish towels. I'm not complaining about our dishtowels- because they serve their purpose dutifully, but grab a moist dishtowel to pull something out of the oven with and you'll end up with a mess on the floor and crispy fingers.

So i decided to make a potholder today with some scraps:

this is the top and bottom of said potholder, and i must say that i am pretty happy with how it came out! I don't have any quilter's batting or even any heat resistant fiber... but neither did pioneers. lol! i just used a couple layers of fleece for insulation and will hope for the best. 

yay!

Alas, i must go make phone calls now that all the businesses are open over in America. blah.