Isn’t it nice to get a little coddled when you’re sick? I’m sure there was some point in my adult life, though I can’t pinpoint it, when I learned the harsh truth that grown ups get much less coddled at these times. The kids still need feeding, the bills still need paying, the laundry still builds, the dishes still get dirty. Cruel world.

This week my husband had a little cold. Tuesday he spent the full day working from his home office and then installing doors so Grandma and Grandpa could come this weekend. So we decided to make him this chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles, for the ultimate coddling effect.

Homemade egg noodles take a little work. But they’re so yummy, and I love the process of rolling and slicing and piling stacks of noodles. Plus the kids think they’re fun because they can cut out loving shapes to take care of whoever has the sniffles. You can cook the noodles fresh or dry them and they will keep indefinitely. So if you know someone who needs a pick-me-up but who is living far away, you can mail a batch with some soup mix. Instant love. The recipe and tips follow.

1. Put flower in a med. sized bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yolks, whole egg, and salt.
2. Use your hands to thoroughly mix egg into flour (I’ve used my kitchenaid too, which works, but I feel so much more Little-House-on-the-Prairie using my hands).
3. Add just enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to bring the dough together so it forms a ball. Mix well between each addition of water.
4. Knead on a floured surface for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic (again, I’ve used the dough hook on my kitchen aid, but this is some tough dough, so keep it slow).
5. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
6. Divide into 4 equal parts. Roll dough one part at a time until it’s very thin. Thinner than you think (see tip below for easier rolling).
7. Cut dough crosswise into fettuccine-sized strips (see tip below).
8. Add it to soup immediately or lay it on a cooling rack to dry. Store it in a bag or airtight container. Fresh noodles cook in about 8 minutes, dried noodles in about 12 minutes.

roll it thin

Once I’m satisfied that it’s thin enough, I roll it up loosely again and use my kitchen shears to snip off a noodle at a time. Usually a little tossing will unroll the individual noodles, but sometimes I need to unroll them one at a time. Or give the kids a few cookie cutters and let them make some fun noodle-ie shapes.

what better way to send messages of love than with noodles in soup?

Tags: care package gift ideas, cheer-up gifts, DIY gifts kids can make, get-well-soon gifts, gifts for someone away from home, gifts from the kitchen, gifts of candy or food, green gifts, mailable gifts

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 6:51 am and is filed under Gift ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.