Homemade Pasta

Yeah!  I did it! I made homemade pasta for the first time.  It was so much fun and easy to make.  My sister  Christine gave me a pasta maker for Christmas and I have been itching to use it.  I actually screamed when the pasta came out the first time.  It was so exciting!  Next week I am going to make raviolis.  

You only need 2 ingredients - flour and eggs.  

I used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.  

You can use any kind of flour... experiment.  

Make a bowl with the flour and crack 4 eggs into it.  

I had little helpers in the kitchen with me.  

Children are so much fun to cook with,
especially with a recipe like this that is so hands on.  

Break the yolks with your fingers. 

Then start to form the dough into a ball.

It gets messy, but boy is it fun! 

The boys loved it.  

Once the dough is in a ball you need to knead it. 

See how this dough has a rough texture. 

As you knead the dough it will get smooth. 

That is how you know it is ready.

Throw some flour down and begin to work the dough.

Knead the dough until it is smooth. 

See the difference in texture?

This dough is much smoother.  

Let the dough rest.

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Here it is...my pasta machine!  

Thanks Christine.  

If you don't have a pasta maker 

you can roll out the dough

 and cut into long strands or any shape you like.

I sectioned the dough to make it easier to work with.

Place the dough in the machine and start cranking. 

Wow!  I didn't scream yet.

You put each piece through the machine several times and keep upping the level.

  This makes the pasta thinner and longer.  

We did each piece 6 times and went up the the 6th level.  

Viola! This is when I screamed! 

There are different settings for pasta size. 

One of my helpers.  

The other one left to watch the Bulls v Heat game.  

Cook the pasta.

Then add some homemade sauce and meatballs 

and you have yourself an incredible Sunday night dinner.  

Instead of a salad I roasted cauliflower, carrots and brussels sprouts.  

So tasty! 

All homemade!  

Another one of my favorite things... my pasta plates. 

Do you have different plates for when you serve pasta?  

I bought these plates 7 years ago from Williams-Sonoma and still love them.

 I cherish the tradition of having pasta Sundays with my family 

and these plates just make it a little more special.  

 When I was growing up my mother always had a table cloth on the dinner table. When I visit her I love helping her change the table linens.  It is that simple childhood memory that I still hold in my heart today.  She always took pride in her table settings.  Which was hard to do with 9 kids spilling drinks left and right at the table.  My mother-in-law is the same way.  She has a collection of place mats and cloth napkins that bring a simple elegance to a table.  What I take from both of my mothers is that a table should be set, even if you are about to serve red, messy sauce to 2 young boys that will drip it all over.  A load of laundry is worth the effort.  So the boys are responsible for picking out the place mats and napkins for dinner and take pride in preparing the table for a nice meal together.  Thanks to both my moms. 

Lastly, our Sunday wouldn't be complete without a fire.  

My husband grew up with fires every Sunday in the winter.  

Everyone in my family loves taking a rest and sitting by the fire.  

I can't wait to do it all over again next week.