"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing..." -Helen Keller
 
Ingredients:
3/4 pound beef slices
3/4 pound broccoli
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

For the beef marinade:
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth

First, I marinated the beef for 10 minutes. While I was waiting, I stirred together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. I cooked the broccoli for 2-3 minutes in boiling water and then drained it.


Heat the oil in a wok and add the beef. Let it fry for one minute, then add the garlic and allow to cook for one minute until the beef is no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients and bring it to a boil. Stir everything until the sauce thickens, about 30 seconds.



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Despite the fact that Chinese dishes are often cooked in a single wok and look somewhat easy, my attempts never match the tastes of those whose homes we go to... Still, this wasn't bad.
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With Auntie Anne living on the other side of the world, soft pretzels are item 986 to be added to the "must make it yourself" list. :)

These are a tasty treat that have made it onto our weekly snack list... sometimes with requests a few times a week-- they're perfect for all of our little friends here who claim to be Chinese but must actually be aliens because they don't like sweet food. :)
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An Original Recipe.

Dissolve 1 tablespoon of yeast in one cup of lukewarm milk. Add two beaten eggs, 2.5 cups of white flour, 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and mix. Knead for 5 minutes.

Add extra flour as necessary, especially if the dough is too sticky, then roll the dough into pieces about 1/2 inch in diameter and 14-18 inches long.

Shape into pretzel shapes, or any shapes, really, and brush with a beaten egg. Salt with coarse salt. We've also cooked up some garlic and italian seasoning and added it at times-- this has turned out really well.

Bake at 420 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes until golden brown! Enjoy!!!
 
With the arrival of my birthday came the arrival of a mini-muffin pan. Love it! (Thanks, family!) I've always loved mini-muffins at school functions, between-service treats, and socials, but this was my first try at making them myself.

I ran off to class in the morning and left a note for Austin, the dearest husband ever. "Austin, if you have time, can you find a mini-muffin recipe online?" He did, and this was the result:

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
1/2 cup milk

I mixed it together, and filled the mini-muffin cups, then pressed a small piece of chocolate into the center of each muffin and baked them for 12-14 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. These were a big hit with Austin, me, and the students we had over for lunch. It makes lots of mini-muffins...

I accidentally forgot to mark the page where I took this recipe from... (sorry!) It's mostly the same above, but I made it just a little healthier (halved the sugar, removed the oil, made some of the flour whole wheat). The above printed includes my changes.
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