Pasta Making- Finally!

So here is that pasta maker that I  got at a yard sale for $3....two years ago. I can remember how excited I was to get it. It came with no instructions but I looked up pasta making on the Internet and found a great page and printed up the instructions. I believe over the last two years I have printed instructions a couple of times. I really can't say why I never got around to trying it but this year seems to be the year for trying new things and the pasta maker was past due.
To make 1 pound of pasta you just need one cup of flour and 2 eggs (that in itself is pretty amazing). You put your flour on your cutting board and make a well in the center.

Then you crack the eggs into that well (I did not have faith in myself and cracked mine into a measuring cup and then slid them into the center of the flour).

Then you are supposed to take a fork, break the eggs and then gently swirl it around so the egg picks up flour from the side. My egg slid right out the front side of the flour on the first careful swirl but I still managed to get it all incorporated in the flour.
You then knead the dough. It is pretty much the same way you would knead bread by pushing the palm of your hand into the dough. You are supposed to knead it 8 minutes (umm, yeah, sure I did) adding a little flour as needed.

When the dough is manageable and no longer sticky, you cut it into three pieces. You can only work with one piece at a time so put the others in a Ziplock bag or plastic wrap. You then set your pasta maker so the roller are open as large as they go and run the dough through it.

You fold it in three and then run it through a couple more times.

You then turn the pasta maker knob again so that the rollers are a bit closer and run it through that one a couple times, folding it in thirds each time. I found that I had to add a little flour or the dough got sticky again and didn't stay together well. You keep setting the rollers closer until it is as thin as you need it to be. I only turned mine down to 4, I think. You then lay the piece on a towel to dry for 10 minutes while you do the other ones.

Then it is time to put the cutting rollers on and run the dough through to cut it. Start with the first piece you made because it will have already dried enough. Sorry this picture is a bit blurry. I trouble holding it and taking the picture at the same time.

You then lay them out on a towel to dry so that they don't touch and stick together.

I was so impressed with how easy this was. I don't believe it took me longer than a half hour to do it. I have slid these on their towels into the oven so the pilot light will dry them. I don't know what I will use this pasta in yet but I will let you know how I liked the taste when I do try it.