Nov 20, 2019 3 min read

A bowl of homemade noodles nearly ended a would-be marriage.

OK, so I’m exaggerating, but those noodles created a few tense moments in the Rogers household on Thanksgiving seven years ago.

My daughter brought her new boyfriend, George, to dinner with the family – a boisterous bunch when reunited for holiday gatherings.

Halfway through the meal, George asked for someone to pass him the “turkey soup.”

The room fell silent, and suddenly, all eyes were on me.

“Excuse me?” I asked, shooting a look at my helpless daughter that clearly said, “Where on earth did you find this guy?”

“The turkey soup,” George answered, unaware of any gaffe. “May I have some more turkey soup? It’s awesome.”

“Uh, George,” my daughter said quietly.

The poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

“George,” I interrupted, in the sweetest voice I could muster. “That is NOT turkey soup. Those are homemade egg noodles,” incredulous that anyone could have thought that the heaping bowl of noodles before him was – ugh – soup!

Clearly, he had no idea that those noodles were steeped in not just homemade chicken broth but a precious tradition passed on to me by my mother. As a child, I would watch her painstakingly knead and roll out the dough by hand, then slice it into thick strips and place the resulting noodles on kitchen tea towels to dry overnight on our dining room table. It was a glorious sight that created great anticipation of the feast that awaited us.

My husband, the peacemaker, broke in.

“Of course, George,” passing the bowl to our unsuspecting guest, who was confused and apologetic, but not really knowing why.

“George,” my daughter said again. “That’s not soup,” she said, repeating my words. “Those are noodles. My mother makes them every holiday, like her mom did. They are in broth.”

He sheepishly acknowledged his mistake, his face turning red, and began to apologize.

I started to laugh. It was an honest mistake, I thought. They were, after all, swimming in broth with carrots and celery.

George heaved a sigh of relief as he scooped a heaping helping onto his plate as everyone began chattering at the hilarity of his faux pas.

Now, every year, a few days before Thanksgiving, my soon-to-be son-in-law makes a point to ask me if turkey soup will be on the menu.

Of course, George. It’s tradition.

I’ve included my recipe for egg noodles, but unlike my mom, I use my Kitchen Aid mixer and pasta roller attachment to process the dough. The results are similar and save time in the kitchen. I usually double the recipe, especially when I know George is coming to dinner.

Egg Noodles

Ingredients

4 large eggs

3 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place eggs, flour, water and salt into mixer bowl. Attach bowl and beater. Turn to slow speed and mix 30 seconds. Swap out the beater for the dough hook and knead on low for 2 minutes. Turn dough out onto cutting board and hand knead for another 1 to 2 minutes. Separate dough into eight pieces before processing with roller attachment. After processing to desired thickness, slice dough into strips and move to a cookie sheet lined with a tea towel to dry. Or, use a pasta rack to hang noodles to dry.

To cook noodles, add 2 teaspoons of salt to 6 quarts of boiling water. Gradually add noodles and cook to al dente. Stir occasionally. Drain in a colander. Add to favorite broth.