friends forever :)

so i got an amish friendship bread starter a couple of weeks ago. 
it tried to take over my kitchen... 
but we solved the problem. and we ate it. 
all gone. 
we also gave 3 different starters away. 
but somehow, last week, i ended up getting a new one. (don't you guys have any other friends???)
so it's been sitting on my counter, just begging to be cooked up.
finally, tonight i got to it!
(we'll just pretend that it wasn't midnight when i decided to whip this stuff up...)


(i have no idea where this recipe originated. but i got it from here.)

amish cinnamon friendship bread

important tips:

• do not use a metal bowl or spoon for mixing (see my note about this below)
• do not refrigerate.
• it is normal for batter to thicken, bubble, or ferment

day 1: you receive the fermented batter in a 1 gallon ziploc bag. do nothing. just place the bag on the kitchen counter.

day 2: squeeze the bag several times.

day 3: squeeze the bag several times.

day 4: add 1 c. of flour, 1 c. of sugar, 1 c. of milk. squeeze bag.

day 5: squeeze the bag several times.

day 6: add 1 c. each flour, sugar, and milk. squeeze bag.

day 7: squeeze bag several times.

day 8: squeeze bag several times.

day 9: squeeze bag several times.

day 10: in a large, non-metal bowl, combine batter with 1 c. each flour, sugar, and milk. mix with a wooden spoon. pour four 1-cup starters into individual gallon ziploc bags. give away starters to friends with this set of directions. it is important to follow this sequence exactly.

to the remaining batter add:

• 1 c. canola oil
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
• 2 t. cinnamon

in separate bowl, mix 1 t. cinnamon and 3 T. sugar. sprinkle into well-greased loaf pans and coat the sides with sugar mixture. do not use pam or other non-stick spray. bake at 350° for 1 hour or until done.

variations:

banana bread:

• 1 box instant banana pudding
• 1 mashed banana
• 2 handfuls of nuts

chocolate bread:

• 1 box of instant choc. pudding
• 1 T. cocoa
• 2 handfuls of chocolate chips

now for barb’s unapologetically non-conforming notes:

first, the bit about not using a metal bowl or spoon? horsefeathers. i think this falls into the “mystique” division. i always mix this up in my kitchenaid METAL mixing bowl. the only metal things that I really avoid are old aluminum utensils. aluminum is reactive metal. i haven’t personally seen this recipe react with aluminum, but i avoid it nonetheless. i suspect that the worst that might happen is the batter would take on a grayish cast.

second, it is NOT necessary to follow these steps precisely. if you forget to do anything with your starter for a week, don’t toss it out. if you WANT to delay making the bread up, stick the starter in the fridge. it will last MONTHS in a good, cold fridge. if it turns pink, it’s spoiled and THEN you should throw it out.

third, pam spray works just fine for greasing the loaf pans. maybe forbidding pam spray is supposed to make this sound more amish, but I MUCH prefer the texture that the pam and the sugar makes on the crust.

although my paper doesn’t say this explicitly, i have read many different places that only the amish know how to make the starter and it’s a deep dark secret. but that is also myth. i have no idea if this recipe started in the amish community, but there is nothing magical about the starter.

in fact, if you DO end up throwing out your pink spoiled starter, but have developed a taste for this friendship bread, you can start your own batch. simply put 1 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, 1 c. milk, and 1 T. yeast in a ziploc bag and let it sit on the counter. call that Day 1, and you’re good to go.

interesting note: there is a similar recipe in germany called hermann cake. this cake uses a starter as well. i’ve had hermann cake several times over the years in this country, so clearly that is also not a geographically proprietary recipe.

one thing that is NOT a myth is this. you MUST use boxes of instant pudding. cooked pudding mixes gives an entirely different and entirely unacceptable texture to this bread.

one last note: i’ve reduced the oil in the recipe to 2/3 c. with no bad effects.

bon apetit!

9.

not the movie.
(i've never actually seen it... i just heard it wasn't worth it.)


my best friend.
this is a toughie... i don't think of myself as having one "best friend". (unless you count my sister, because she just automatically gets first dibs on the position.)
so you get to meet all of my besties. 

i've kind of given up on just posting pictures that i look good in...

there are really too few, and you wouldn't see any pictures!

-----------------------------

i was only supposed to post one picture... but i just got so caught up in remembering all of the fantastic times that we've had together.

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

is this the real life? is this just fantasy?

can't you just tell today is going to be a beautiful day?

it's fall, there isn't any snow yet (knock of wood), i slept in, i'm going to ride my bike to d.i. today, and watch football, and make FALAFEL! i don't know if it really can get any better...

we started the weekend yesterday with a date. (yes, i actually did get a date... if it is only the one date that i get of the semester, i will consider my dating life a success!)

here's the crew:

and yes, it was a masquerade.

aren't those guys studly?

can you believe we got those at walmart?

they have reaffirmed my belief that they really do carry everything.

for dinner, we had fajitas - which we absolutely amazing. and that was followed by what we lovingly refer to as a "cookie monster"... which i have seen other places called a "pizookie." 

they were the cutest things that i've ever seen!

we each got out own individual cookie that was in a skillet that was about the size of the top of a mason jar. oh my lanta - i think i died and went to heaven!

(and it even came with the cute little hot pad for the handle!!!)

i want.

and when i do get some... cuz i shall!

this is what i'm going to be making. 

and then it is going to go for a very looooooong swim in an ice cream bath.

right before it all ends up in my tummy.

oh happy day!

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10″ cast iron skillet lightly with vegetable oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat about 2 minutes.

Add in the egg and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes longer.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until well-combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Press the dough into the skillet as evenly as you can.

Bake about 40 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

Transfer the skillet to a wire rack to cool. When ready to serve, cut into wedges. Add a scoop of your favorite ice cream on top while it’s still warm!

if i might quote my idol, rachel ray...

{YUM-O!}

do you ever feel like your cookie-cutters are under-utilized? 

i mean, the poor things get to shine only once a year when you decide to make sugar cookies!!! it is a sad, sad existence if you ask me. 

so i think it is time to let the cute little cookie cutters out of their stereotypical role as a "cookie" cutter (here and here) 

i think that would make an interesting movie plot...

"the cookie cutter that wouldn't cut cookies."

i mean, they've got to run out of ideas for movies eventually...

today i love:

sweats after wearing a dress all night long

showers - since i ran out of time yesterday... (and yet my hair doesn't look that bad!)

farmer's markets. i caved and bought a honey bear. (my last one suffered a very horrible death in the microwave.)

writing. stuff. (no you don't get to see it yet!)

food. i'm currently soaking chickpeas for falafel for a picnic this afternoon!

going to school. and not having to worry about real life. yet.

this everyday life

i decided to do a post on the things that are part of "normal" "everyday" life here at the j.c. (if you haven't caught on... that stands for jerusalem center...) 

we were walking through the old city the other day, and i realized that this is not normal. in less than a week, i am going to go back to real life. planes, trains, automobiles and all that jazz. no more walking everywhere, no more bargaining for what i want (i'm scared that i am going to try and haggle with the cashier at walmart...), no more weird smells, no more listening to the call to prayer every day, no more seeing tour buses everywhere and thinking "these tourists... they are soooo annoying!" 

"real life" is waiting. 

and to be honest, i'm kinda scared. 

what happens when i walk to class and forget my notebook? i can't just run downstairs to go and get it.

what am i going to do when i get a text message? (i haven't texted in over 3 months!)

what if i burn everything that i try and cook??? say it isn't so!!! 

(that might be a little too much for me to handle...)

our shopping mall.

this guys has skillz.

home.

for like 4 more days. 

we're not going to think about this anymore...!

ramadan started last week... so the old city looks like christmas!

just an olive tree in the kidron.

no biggie.

;)

p.s. the sunsets over the city are amazing.

we decided to spend a whole day dedicated to just walking through the city and taking pictures.

this is one legit police car.

we were a little afraid that it would start transforming in front of us...

skull hill/golgotha/calvary

they built a bus station there.

hmmmm.

not quite what you were expecting huh?

damascus gate!

they actually had scaffolding covering it for most of the summer, and they only removed it right before we left for galilee. so i had to get a pic!

 

story:

so we were trying to spell "jerusalem" all over the city.

i saw a shoe store and thought - perfect!

"s" for shoes!

(they have these random shoe stores everywhere...)

the shop owner next door was making fun of my "s"...

the view from the top of the austrian hospice.

1st century paving stones!

the western wall

st. james armenian monastery

the street right by zion gate

it almost makes me consider being a vegetarian...

it's a small world after all...

have a happy, sunshiney day!!!

Galilee: Day 3

July 13

Field trip!

This was probably one of my favorite field trips. (I’m pretty sure that I say that about every field trip… come to think of it.) We left Ein Gev at 7:45 and went to the actual kibbutz to catch our boat. Yes, our boat.

We got to ride a boat across the Sea of Galilee. :) But a trip to Galilee wouldn’t be complete otherwise! We got to stop and had a devotional in the center of the lake. We sang “Master the Tempest is Raging” and “Jesus Savior, Pilot me.” I love how much we sing here… one of my favorite lines, that will forever more bring to mind this view:

Master, the terror is over,

The elements sweetly rest;

Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored,

And heaven’s within my breast;

Linger, O blessèd Redeemer!

Leave me alone no more;

And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,

And rest on the blissful shore.

Another cool fact I learned: (whether or not this is true I’m not completely sure) The hymn, "Master the Tempest is Raging" was originally written as a conversation between the apostles and the Savior when he fell asleep in the back of their ship. Today we sing “the winds and the waves shall obey thy will,” but some versions have it written as “my will.”

When we landed, we went to see the ancient Galilean boat that was discovered and is not displayed in Nof Ginosar. This is the type of boat that they apostles would have used when they were fishing for a living.

I don't know if I would trust it...

Our next stop was the Mt. of Beatitudes. In addition to the beautiful grounds, which we were specifically told to help in the “unkeep” of, (I told you they don’t know how to spell here…) 

...it was absolutely gorgeous! The grounds were beautiful, but this was one of the places that I struggled to envision the events described, more because there was so much modern influence (and a wall was blocking my view!) 

The hills below the church there create a natural theater where the Savior could have very easily taught a large crowd, and his voice would have carried in either direction, whether he has been uphill or downhill. 

But there was a very sweet spirit there. We got to talk to one of the nuns that is there, and she gave one of the sweetest testimonies that I have ever heard about the Sermon on the Mount. She talked about the Beatitudes as a guidebook for our lives. It tells us everything that we need to live – it starts out with how we should act as individuals, and then it tells us how we should interact with others. If we do those things, we will have happiness in life, and it will draw us closer to our Savior. In my own study, I looked up the definition of “beatitude” and it means, “supreme blessedness or happiness.” I’ve been thinking about happiness a lot lately. It seems like so much of life is focused on finding happiness. Not on creating happiness. The most lasting happiness comes from within us, and our righteous choices. I read this fantastic article in the Ensign this month. My favorite quote was, “The Savior specifically prayed that God would not take us ‘out of the world’ (John 17:15). ‘In this world your joy is not full,’ he taught, ‘but in me your joy is full’ (D&C 101:36). True happiness and satisfaction are found only by turning away from the world and coming to Christ.” (Be of Good Cheer: Choosing Happiness, Camille Fronk Olson).

nutmeg, emily, kayla, me, ariel and kristi!

I don’t think that I’ve ever learned so much in a single day… or sweat as much either. Our next stop was at the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, the traditional (though probably incorrect) site of the feeding of the 5000. This is the site of the mosaic of the 5 loaves and the 2 fishes. (I have to admit, I had never quite made that connection!)

in the courtyard of the Church of the Multipication

the fishie mosaic. 

i'm thinking about putting it in my kitchen when i get a house...

After Tabgha, we went to the church of St. Peter’s Primacy. Inside of the church is a rock with the title, “mensa Christi” which means “the table of Christ.” This is supposedly the rock on which Christ fed his apostles breakfast and told Peter to “feed my sheep.”

mensa cristi

Do you think this day is done? NO!

After dipping our feet in the lake, (some getting a little more wet then others… hehe) we went to Capernaum! The name comes from the Hebrew: Kfar Nahum, which basically means “the city of Nahum,” although there is no link to the prophet. Capernaum is the hometown of Peter, and was referred to in the New Testament as “Christ’s own city.” After he was rejected at Nazareth, he spent most of his time preaching, and Capernaum was as close to a real home as he got. One great thing about Capernaum was the synagogue. Everything here is made out of black basalt stone… which is quite different from the white limestone of Jerusalem. Anything other than the basalt had to be imported into the Galilee. So we saw a white limestone synagogue from the 5^th century that was built on an earlier 1^st century synagogue. We got to look out at the streets that the Savior would have walked down (like in Matthew 8 and 9).

Another story came to life to me here. The story of the man with palsy being lowered through the roof of the house, because there were so many people there to listen to the Savior preach very likely occurred at Peter’s house. I’ve been to an extremely likely location for Peter’s house! There have been many additions to that site, you can see where Peter’s house might have originally stood, but it has been covered by subsequent churches. The most recent church was actually literally built over the top of the ruins. It kinda looks like a spaceship.

the rocks in the middle were the first church built there, you have to look inside of it to see the remnants of the original wall of the house that it was built around/over. then other churches were then built around (the wall up close) and above (the weird black stuff at the top of the pic)... i think it looks like something off of independence day...

The last stop of the day was Bethsaida (actually I lied… we went somewhere else first.) On the way to Bethsaida, we stopped by the Bay of Parables. This little bay has some unique properties… if you stand (or sit in a boat) and speak towards the shore, your voice is amplified 8 times. They don’t know if this is the location where Christ taught from the boat, but it is really interesting to think about! 

jarom, ambird (amber), tashara (up top), kristi, and me!

Now, on to Bethsaida! Bethsaida was the hometown of Philip, Andrew and Peter. One of the three cities in the “ecclesiastical triangle” (an area of the Galilee where the Savior did most of his preaching and miracles) we got to walk on its ruins. One of the interesting points to see was the “fisherman’s house,” where they found evidence of fishhooks, nets and other tell-tale signs of people involved in the fishing business. Being from this city, Andrew and Peter had a very high likelihood of either living in this house, or of knowing the owner intimately. This trip has the constant effect of opening my eyes to little details that make the stories in the Bible make more sense. The fisherman of the New Testament weren’t a bunch of illiterate hicks. They were businessmen, and even though they might have gone around barefoot at times, they weren’t stupid. While we were there, we talked about how the Lord doesn’t call stupid people. He qualifies those he calls, but we have to make the most of what we have been given.

------------------------------------------------

Meditations on food.

Sack lunches = interesting. 

We all spent a little time analyzing our sandwiches… the peanut butter and jelly was good, but the jam-to-pb ratio was a little off. Especially in relation to the amount of bread we were consuming. The tuna sandwich was bomb. Mmmmmm. Still don’t know how I felt about the fruit though. I have come to realize that even though the fruit here is typically smaller than the ones that you find in the states, they are much tastier. I still don’t like smooshy apples though. So I wasn’t completely sold.