Making pasta

One of Jared's family traditions is to have noodles cooked in turkey broth for Christmas dinner. They are so yummy! I'd never had them before, and I don't know anyone else that cooks them that way. His grandma is the ultimate noodle maker. She never uses a recipe, she rolls the dough out by hand and cuts them really thin with a knife. Jared and I tried it once, many years ago, and found out it is a humongous pain in the neck. He has always wanted to learn how to make them, and especially now since his grandma is getting up in years, and probably won't be able to make them much longer.
But hand making them was just too much work. His aunt gave him a pasta maker, and he has had tons of fun making all sorts of noodles. He has tried out many different sizes and thicknesses, and has made a really delicious replica of his grandma's noodles. Yay! And it is so easy! He showed me how to do it one day, and I made a batch, and it really is a satisfying feeling to see those beautiful noodles, and know that you made them. Plus, the pasta maker is a fun contraption. Joey likes turning the crank to help his dad. We don't have one of those pasta hanger things that they dry on yet, so we use these hangers. Jared calls them out food-grade hangers because we washed them.

So the Christmas noodles were a success. He's also made spaghetti (good, but our sauce needs a serious overhaul), angel hair for our chicken parmesan, and lo mein noodles. He's going to try lasagna noodles next, and ravioli. I love that he has a new hobby that results in delicious things to eat!