We are Noodle Folk...

Ethan has always loved to cook -it is one of the many things I love about him. We have been cooking together in earnest since he was three years old. From time to time has has asked for cooking related supplies for his birthday. He creates special recipes for special days. He is especially happy when it can involve chocolate.

His latest cooking venture is making pasta. It all began with a movie, "Kung Fu Panda." While many kids would be taken with the panda and tiger doing Kung Fu, Ethan was smitten by the goose who owns a noodle shop. The goose is the father of the panda. One morning the panda tells his goose dad that he had a dream about noodles as a way to avoid something else. The goose dad became excited about the noodle dream. Ethan loves when the goose dad says, "We are noodle folk. We have broth running in our veins." Ethan watched this movie three times and became adept at saying that in the very way that the goose dad does. Then he began to ask me about how pasta is made. I pulled out the pasta machine and the semolina flour. Then he was off, making noodles faster than we could eat them. At first he made semolina noodles. That provides a sturdy noodle with good flavor. Once he ran through all of the semolina in the house he switched to white flour noodles for a batch or two followed by an experiment with whole eggs versus yolk only pasta. He was delighted when he found he could make very thin pasta. Unfortunately the ultra thin stuff turned into a gluey matter once added to the water. He is now looking into selling freshly made noodles to his friends. First he needs to make a noodle rack for himself. I love when he gets this way - focused and innovated!