The Daily Rush

Make-and-Serve Your Own Homemade Pasta Noodles
What kid doesn’t like noodles and what kid doesn’t like playing with flour, and dough, and all that messy stuff! So grab your family, and let everyone get into the act—mixing, and rolling, and messing and drying. Be sure to have your camera handy for some memorable pictures—after a few batches. You’ll all be pros!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
A floured surface and a rolling pin

DIRECTIONS
Mix the flour and salt and form into a pile. Make a well in the center. Put the eggs, oil, and water in the well. With your hands, start pulling the flour into the well, mixing and pulling, mixing and pulling, until all is blended into dough.

Form the dough into a ball and knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface. Divide dough into quarters and work with one quarter at a time (keeping the rest of the dough covered).

On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough in rectangular form as thin as you can get it. Gently fold the dough in thirds; and using a sharp knife cut the layered dough into 1/4 -inch wide strips. Gently unfold the strips to their full length and lay them on a towel or hang them over a hanger, to air dry for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile bring your largest pot of boiling water to a boil; add a little salt; add in the noodles. Cook just until al dente about 3 to 5 minutes. (Remember, fresh noodles cook faster than packaged/dried pasta noodles.) Drain and toss with melted butter, a little chopped fresh parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese; or serve with a favorite spaghetti sauce.

If you find that you and your kids love making your own pasta noodles, invest in a pasta machine that will automatically roll and cut the dough for you! You can store freshly made, uncooked pasta (wrapped) in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for several months. It also might be fun to look into making different ‘flavors’ of pasta, by adding herbs and spices to the dough.

Example recipe using homemade noodles:

Noodles Napoli

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces broad noodles, cooked al dente and drained
2 cups chopped ham or chopped cooked chicken
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS
Grease a 9 x 13 –inch baking dish. Layer 1/3 noodles, 1/2 the cooked meat, 1/3 noodles, remaining meat, last third noodles. Beat eggs, milk, and cream well; pour over casserole. Top with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.

Looking for solutions to easily add more fruit and veggies to your day? Try these tips:

• A small glass (6 ounces) of 100% fruit juice at breakfast
• Have a box or raisins for a snack
• Add a can of beans or peas to your favorite soup
• Add lettuce and tomato to a sandwich
• Add vegetables and green peppers to prepared spaghetti sauce
• Serve applesauce as a side dish
• Add bananas or berries to your morning cereal

Plastic 2-liter soda bottles make great banks for the kids to make and use! Cut a coin slot about an inch below the neck of a plastic soda bottle. Decorate the bank with construction paper and make it into an animal, cartoon character, plant or a piece of modern art!

“Give young children the opportunity to participate in family decision-making. Their insight will surprise you.” ~Life’s Little Instruction Book

We talk about the importance of our children within our families … spending time with them, nurturing and encouraging them, talking with them and listening to them. Today’s menu reflects another way to include our children on a quality level by letting them help with the “decision-making” about the ingredients and the preparation for a dinner. Friday night can be the perfect time to make dinner a Family Affair for all to participate in and we’ve included 2 easy recipes (a dinner pizza and a dessert pizza) to get you started.

#1

Easy Crescent-Roll Dinner Pizza

makes 1 large pizza

2 packages tube-style refrigerated crescent rolls

1 jar pizza sauce of your choice

12 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese (I like low-fat)

Cooked and crumbled sausage or sliced pepperoni

Pat crescent roll dough out onto a 12 x 16 -inch cookie sheet, patting any seams closed to make one large crust. Spread with pizza sauce, then cooked sausage, then cheese. If using pepperoni, spread sauce, then cheese, then top with pepperoni slices. Bake in 350? oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until done to your liking

#2

Easy Crescent-Roll Dessert Pizza

makes 1 medium pizza

1 can tube-style refrigerated crescent rolls

8 ounces cream cheese or strawberry cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

Assorted fruits; choose from: fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sliced kiwi, grapes (halved), drained mandarin orange slices, drained bite-size pineapple pieces

Spread crescent roll dough on a 13 -inch pizza pan, pinching any seams together. Bake in 350º oven until browned; cool completely. Mix cream cheese and sugar together until softened and fluffy; spread on crust. Arrange selected fruits in decorative pattern on top of the cream cheese. Store in fridge till serving time. Cut into wedges to serve.