Tasty Food

The student has impressed the teacher.

This weekend my son grilled steaks that were comparable to the best that has ever passed my lips and toyed with my taste buds.

It always makes me so proud when I see my children taking what I taught them and excelling with the outcomes.

I have absolutely no idea what he used as a dry rub. I taught my kids to be daring. After making things for the first few times by following the directions, open the cabinet and allow your mind and memory to wonder. Play with the different spices and herbs. Well he did.

He built a very hot fire in the grill and then proceeded to grill the perfect steak. The outside was dark brown and just a little crunchy around the edges and the inside was melt in your mouth tender and moist. The flavors were to die for.

Kinda wish he'd have made some extras. That would have been great for making an omelet this morning or a sandwich for lunch today.

We have a grill basket for vegetables and he cut up some potatoes, peppers and onions and grilled them to go with that great steak. Again I'm not sure what he put on them but they too were fantastic. I really felt like royalty as I sat and relished all the flavors.

My mind at this time though is on a turkey. Happens every year at about this time. I begin to think of Thanksgiving and that beautifully browned turkey. Crunchy brown outside and moist and tender inside.

Hmm, wonder if I should go and get a smaller turkey to practice on before the big day... I have been known to make a thanksgiving dinner during other times of the year.

It would also be nice if I could convince my son to make noodles. I've been hungry for them for some time, but to lazy to make them.

Actually not so much lazy, it's more my messed up back. Only thing even remotely hard is rolling out the dough. That's where my back refuses to cooperate. That slight bend at the waist when rolling can leave me with enough pain to last a few days.

Homemade egg noodles are not hard at all.

Take two eggs and crack them in a bowl. Slightly beat them. Then take about two cups of flour and make a well in the center. Add a hefty pinch of salt to the flour. Then pour the eggs in the well and begin to mix. By mixing from the center of the flour you can control how much flour gets mixed in. When the dough becomes thick enough to roll you can stop adding flour. If it's still to moist, you can add a little more flour. Should you accidentally get them too dry you just add a few drops of water. There is no rocket science here...

Once the dough is thick enough to roll, you roll it out like pie dough.

I like mine rolled thin enough to read newspaper through. You can roll them to any thickness you like.

Then you let the rolled dough sit just for a short while to dry just a bit. Take your cutting board and a bowl and a knife and find a comfortable seat. Cut about two inch wide strips, then cut noodles from them and put them in a bowl. Once you have some in the bowl, take them to the table where you lay out some paper. Spread the noodles over the paper to dry.

Go back and cut more and keep spreading them until done.

They can be used right away or left to dry. Once completely dry I have put them in a canning jar with a tight fitting lid and kept them for up to a month. They may last longer, but I never have time to find out. I like my noodles in me and not in a jar pestering me... But you can make them long before that busy time you are trying to prepare that big meal.

When my kids were young we even tried making lasagna with grandmas noodle recipe. First time we tried it with just the big sheets without cutting them. Worked OK, but were to hard to handle. Tried next with cutting the sheets just in two inch strips. Then we had success and the flavor was fantastic.

Well, hope you make some of those noodles for yourself. They really are not so hard to make and they really do taste wonderful. I like to boil mine in the broth from the turkey or in chicken or beef broth. Boil them until they are the doneness you like. Same as any other pasta. They're also great in soup.

For soup though I like them thicker. Just don't roll them thin and they will not be thin. It's your creation and you can make it anyway you want. I've even added some powdered herbs with the flour before mixing in the eggs for different flavors.

Have fun!