Homemade Egg Noodles Recipe

Well, Thanksgiving is over and I don't know about you, but we had a ton of leftovers this year. I guess that's what happens when you make two large turkeys for 8 people. Anyway, this year we decided to turn some of our leftover turkeys and (forgive me for saying this) turkey carcasses into some broth! After boiling the bones and innards for a few hours in a huge pot of water, we strained and cooled the broth. Now it was ready for soup! We added turkey pieces, carrots, onions, celery, salt and pepper, and these homemade egg noodles. What a delicious Thanksgiving twist on chicken noodle soup.

These noodles are so easy to make, and are big and doughy in the soup, like a kind of dumpling. They can be frozen and used later, or use them immediately! 

Start by mixing 2 and a half cups of flour with a pinch of salt. Place in a bowl and create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in 1/2 cup of milk, 2 eggs and 1 tbsp of melted butter. Mix together with your hands until the ingredients come together. Place on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. 

Place dough in a small bowl and cover with a cloth. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. 

Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Don't leave it too thick or the noodles will be too big when cooked. 

Thanksgiving

This year, Thanksgiving was extra special. Alex and I are back at my parents' home, my sister flew in from Northern California, my grandpa was over and Jim and Nadine shared the day with us. I'm also just about 39 weeks pregnant! After our pie baking on Wednesday night, I was absolutely exhausted! It's hard being on your (swollen) feet all day when you're the size of a small whale. 

Here's some of the preparation the day before Thanksgiving.

Pie Extravaganza

Many factors contributed to the Pie Extravaganza of 2014. First, last year I was taught by a lady at church how to make pie. I didn't actually do much of the baking, I mostly observed, but she showed me methods for making crust from scratch, how to measure very precisely and how to put a crust in a pie dish and pinch the top. It was a long process, but I left feeling more confident about trying to make pies myself. Second, in the past year, I perfected Ree Drummond's Perfect Pie Crust. I have made numerous quiches and a pie or two and this crust recipe is my favorite. Third, I have been trying to get Alex more comfortable in the kitchen, so getting him in on the pie making was the first step toward an extravaganza. And finally, Alex and my competitive natures kicked in when we decided to have a taste off and make these pies Chopped-style. 

He was in charge of the Pecan pie and one Pumpkin pie. I was taking the Dutch Apple and the other Pumpkin pie. The plan was for 4 pies. We ended up with more, but I won't get ahead of myself. 

I began with the crust. I made one batch of this crust, which yields either two large, thicker crusts or three thin smaller crusts. I obviously made the two thick ones. I love a substantial crust. 

You can find a step by step recipe here: Pioneer Woman's blog, but I will include the quick version here:

3 cups All-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups Crisco Vegetable Shortening

1 egg

5 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp salt

Combine flour and shortening with a pastry cutter (will take 3-4 minutes). Pour in a beaten egg and combine. Add water, vinegar and salt to mixture. Don't overwork, but blend all ingredients. Split the dough in half, ball up each half and put in separate Ziplock gallon sized bags. Gently pat down into a thick disc and place bags in freezer. Let chill for 20 mins and then roll out.