Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Traditional Amish Friendship Bread Starter allows enough starter to be removed for 1 loaf of bread and 1 starter package to be given to a friend, hence the name "Friendship Bread." If you have run out of friends to give the starter, try making sourdough stuff from it.
Be sure to always leave 1 cup of starter to keep the starter growing.
This recipe is for a 5 day cycle, which means every 5 days, add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir well.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup milk, warmed, 110F degrees
1 cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water

Instructions:
Day 1: Add yeast with warm water for 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon. In a non-metal bowl, combine with 1 flour and sugar. Mix, slowly adding milk and then yeast. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and leave at room temperature until bubbly. Refrigerate after mixture has lots of bubbles.

Day 2 through Day 4: Stir with a wooden spoon.

Day 5: Remove 2 cups of starter, either to use in your own recipes or given to a friend. Then add flour, sugar and milk (see Notes).

Split Pea and Ham Soup

I've recently rediscovered soups and breads. During the winter, a hardy bowl of soup and a few slices of homemade bread ... there is nothing better than that! I paired this soup with my Onion Bread.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

Servings: 4

Category: Ham

Ingredients:
ground pepper
salt
1 cup onion, chopped
1 pound ham bone
1 pound split peas, dried
1 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions:
In a medium pot, sautŽ onions in oil or bacon grease. Remove from heat and add split peas, ham bone or chopped ham. Add enough water to cover ingredients, and season with salt and pepper.
Cover, and cook until there are no peas left, just a green liquid, 2 hours. While it is cooking, check to see if water has evaporated. You may need to add more water as the soup continues to cook.
Once the soup is a green liquid remove from heat, and let stand so it will thicken. Once thickened you may need to heat through to serve.

Rice with Vegetables and Meat (Bibimbap)

Bibimbap is the greatest example of a one-pot wonder, a balance of nutrition and flavors all in one dish. It is a fantastic way to use up all of your leftovers. In fact, I traditionally make a paired down version of this for my lunches whenever I cook Korean food for the kids, since we have so many leftovers.

This is served with Beef and Mushrooms and Sprouts and Spinach. Do a search for these recipes to accompany this one.

Rice with Vegetables and Meat (Bibimbap)

Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 hot red pepper, seeded, deribbed, and sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch strips
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish (optional)
12 ounces cucumber, sliced into thin disks
12 ounces summer squash, cut into thin matchsticks
2 cups rice
4 eggs, fried, sunny side up
3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions:

Add a pinch of salt to the summer squash and cucumber and toss to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes to extract any excess liquid. Wrap in a kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. In skillet, heat 2 tablespoon vegetable oil over meidum-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add vegetables and saute for 2 minutes. Transfer to a dish. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until hot, but not smoking. Add red pepper and saute for 2 minutes or until it is barely wilted and color is bright. Transfer to tray.

About 1 hour before serving, cook the rice in an electric rice cooker according to the manufacturer's instructions. To serve, place 2 scoops of rice in the center of individual large bowls and arrange the meat, mushrooms, and vegetables on top. Sprinkle with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Add fried egg to top.

Soybean Sprouts with Steamed Rice

Although most Korean households now have rice cookers, here is a recipe for cooking rice the old fashioned way. Here's a great tip: save the water and use it for the houseplants. Recycling at its best!

Soybean Sprouts with Steamed Rice

Source: Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen


Servings: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups short-grain rice
2 cups water, hot
8 ounces soybean sprouts, rinsed, tails removed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions:
Soak the rice in lukewarm water for 30 minutes; drain. Arrange the soybean sprouts in one layer on the bottom of a heavy 3-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid. Carefully add the rice and hot water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately decrease the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. (Do not open the lid during cooking or a raw bean taste will develop.) Decrease the heat to low and, with the lid on tight, cook for 10 minutes more. Decrease the heat to very low and let rest for 15 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a wooden spoon. Serve hot.

Homemade Hot Red Pepper Paste

You can buy red hot pepper paste (and powder) directly from a Korean grocery store, but I found this recipe the other day and thought that I'd share.

Homemade Hot Red Pepper Paste

Source: Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen


Servings: 4 cups

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups barley malt powder, fine
1 cup coarse sea salt, or kosher salt
1 cup meju powder, fine
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups hot red pepper powder
2 cups sweet rice flour
5 cups water, sterilized

Instructions:
In a bowl, combine the malt powder and water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand overnight in a warm place or keep warm in an electric rice cooker. Strain into a heavy stock pot, add the sweet rice flour and dissolve well. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until its volume is reduced by one-third to one-half. Cool and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the red hot pepper powder, meju powder, rice and malt paste, 1/4 cup salt and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. (If too little salt is added, the red hot pepper powder will turn sour and mold may grow.) Let stand overnight.

Sprinkle half of the remaining salt on the bottom of a sterilized jar. Transfer the paste to the jar and sprinkle the remaining salt on top. Leave 2 inches or more of space at the top. Cover with a mesh or gauze cloth and tightly tie a string around the neck. Cover with a lid. Sundry every day and cover with an earthenware top at night. It may be used right away, but for best results allow the paste to mature for about 30 days. Store in a tight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh indefinitely.

For You Football Fans Out There ...

I came across this guacamole dip recipe and thought you'd like it for the big game.


Guacamole with Red Pepper

Source: Parade Magazine

Ingredients:
pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
Tabasco sauce, optional
1 1/2 limes, grated zest and juice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, minced
4 avocados, halved and pitted
4 slices red onions, diced

Instructions:
Scrape avocados into a bowl. Add lime zest and juice and mash with a spoon or fork until chunky or smooth - whichever you prefer. Stir in the onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and a good pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Next, add hot sauce, if desired. Fold in the pepper. Serve with your favorite chips and wedges of bell peppers.

Garlic Sesame Bread

As far as bread is concerned, I am a total dunce. For some reason, I can never seem to make a loaf that doesn't feel like a hockey puck. I've even had dreams of purchasing a cool bread machine, but the last one didn't work as well as I had envisioned, so I gave up on that notion.

After I came about this recipe, with a bit of a tweak, I decided to set my sights on a bread slicer instead, because I instantly became a wonderful bread chef. This is a great recipe, with a bit of kick from the garlic (every Korean needs that, right?) and the sprinkle of sesame seeds makes for a nice-looking topper.

Garlic Sesame Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups water, 110F/45C
1 dash vinegar
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp oil
4 cups bread flour

Instructions:
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in water water. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince garlic.

Mix milk and vinegar, then pour into yeast mixture. Add garlic, salt and oil. Mix in flour one cup at a time for 3 cups. Pour last cup onto surface, and begin kneading dough until smooth. (You can tell it is done because the garlic is well disbursed throughout the dough.)

Place in a well oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow oven to warm up slightly (85F) then turn off. Let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and shape into a loaf. Place into a well oiled loaf pan. Allow to rise 30 minutes or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

Bake at 350F (175C) for 45 minutes.

Progresso Soup Coupons

Betty Crocker is offering $3 off in coupons for the Progresso Soup Challenge.

Two Peas in a Pod

Who says cats and dogs can't be friends?

Sprouts and Spinach

I hate cooked spinach. Something about the mushiness of it seriously gets on my nerves, probably because it seems to stay in your mouth long before you are supposed to be done with it. I know that it is one of those vegetables that are really good for you, high in calcium and all of that, but I can't seem to get over it.

However, I do love spinach done the Korean way. In salads, it seems to spruce up with bold flavor. If you are like me, and hate the mushy factor too, then try out this recipe.

Spinach is so easy to grow inside of a container, as well.

Sprouts and Spinach

Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
pepper, pinch
salt, pinch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic
3 green onions, sliced into thin rings
3 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for seasoning; set aside. Place sprouts in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and add 1 cup cold water. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes, or until fragrant steam seeps out. Do not lift the lid while boiling, or the sprouts will have an unpleasant raw bean taste. Drain in a colander and let cool (do not rinse). Toss half of the seasoning to coat the sprouts, then transfer to a tray.

In stockpot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add spinach and blanch for no more than 10 minutes, until the greens are bright green and barely wilted. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking, then drain in a colander. Squeeze dry with a paper towel. Combine the spinach and the remaining seasoning. Toss to coat evenly.