Beef and Homemade Noodles

                                                Beef and Noodles
I've been in the mood for, good ol' country cooking lately. Rich and beefy, this makes a very full pot.

Ingredients:
1 chuck roast- whole or cut up (Cutting the roast, reduces cooking time)
1 diced onion
1Tbl. garlic powder
1tsp. salt
1/2tsp. pepper
2 envelopes brown gravy mix

Preparation:
Add everything, except the gravy mix to a 4quart pot. (Larger is better) fill 3/4 full with water, and cook until the beef is tender and falling apart, adding more water as needed. Cool.
After it has cooled, shred the beef. Before adding it back to the pan, whisk in the brown gravy mix, add the shredded beef. and add water to the pot until it's 3/4 full.
Make the noodles. bring the pot to a boil. Add the noodles, a few at a time, stirring gently after each addition.
Once you've added all the noodles, wait for the broth to come to a boil again. Turn the burner off, and serve.
It's great alone or with mashed potatoes, peas, and a roll.


Ingredients for noodles:
12 eggs
1tsp. baking powder
5-1/2 cups flour-plus more for rolling

 Whisk together, the eggs and baking powder, until well beaten.
Stir in 3cups of the flour, beating with a spoon until it looks like a batter.
Stir in as much of the 2-1/2cups remaining flour as you can, kneading in the rest, until you have a firm dough, that is still a bit sticky, in the center. Set aside 30 minutes, to let the dough cure. (This makes it easier to work with) Sprinkle 1/2cup of flour onto a flat surface, Split the dough into 2 pieces. Roll out 1 piece into a 1/8inch rectangle.( It doesn't have to be perfect) Add more flour to the top, and run your hand across it to distribute it evenly. ( This keeps it from sticking together, when you roll it.) Roll the dough like a jellyroll. cut.

 Whisk the eggs and baking powder, stir in 3cups of flour, and beat into a batter.

 Knead in as much of the remaining flour, as you can, to make a firm dough. Let it rest 30 minutes.

 Sprinkle1/2cup of flour onto a flat surface. (I use a large cookie sheet, easier to clean than a counter-top) Roll into an 1/8 inch rectangle. Sprinkle more flour on the surface, and use your hand to distribute it across the dough.

Begin rolling one of the longer sides, toward the center. Smooth more flour across the folded dough. It takes a lot of flour, to keep the noodles from sticking together.

                Continue rolling and smoothing more flour, after each roll.

 Cut the dough, unroll the noodle, and toss it in the flour on the rolling surface. Continue cutting and tossing them in flour.

 I've found, the best knife to use, is a sharp bread knife, dipped in flour. As long as it has short "teeth?" Let the knife do the work, If you press too hard, it will crush the dough, and the noodle will stick together. Now they are ready to go into the boiling broth.