Fridge's Ramen Soup

Ingredients

For broth:

Mushroom broth

Chicken broth

Ham broth

Roasted garlic broth (or minced garlic)

Fresh ginger

Add to broth:

White ends of green onions, sliced (separate the green from the white and save for later)

Tofu, cubed

Put the broth over the following when ready to serve:

Ramen noodles

Brisket (or other meat, if desired), cut into bite-size chunks

To add to individual servings as desired:

Pepper sauce

sliced green part of green onions

Baby bok choy, chopped and sauteed

Bean sprouts

Cilantro

Thai basil 

Water chestnuts (chopped)

Directions

Make the broth:

1. Fill up about 4 liters of water, which is a bit more than a gallon. 
2. Add the following: 2 tablespoons of the mushroom broth, one heaping tablespoon of the better than bouillon chicken broth one heaping teaspoon of the ham broth and one tablespoon of the roasted garlic broth.
3. Add two large chunks (about 1 tablespoon each) of peeled fresh ginger.
4. Cook the broth until it boils and then back it off. You’ll want to taste it. If you need to add more, add it incrementally, starting with a little bit more mushroom broth and then a little bit of the ham base. 

Cook the noodles and add onions/tofu to broth:

1. In a separate pan, boil water. Put the ramen noodles in boiling water and then back off the heat until they are ready. Drain.
2. Remove the ginger chunks from the broth.
3. Slice the green onions, separating the white ends from the green. Put the sliced white onions in the broth, but save the sliced green parts to add when serving.
4. Cube the tofu and put the chunks them in the broth. 

Prepare the meat and the bok choy

1. Take a paper towel and wet it and then ring it out so it’s slightly damp. Then put it over the top and bottom of the sliced brisket. 
2. Warm the brisket in 30 second bursts in the microwave. 
3. Slice the baby bok choy in half lengthwise down the middle and then into quarters. Remove the tough end but keep the vegetable intact. 
4. Sauté the bok choy.

Serve:

1. When meat, broth and noodles are ready, slice the meat and put it into the bowl with the noodles. 
2. Pour the hot broth on top of the meat and noodles. 
3. Add toppings as desired: bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, water chestnuts, additional
4. Take about 3/4 of a teaspoon of the pepper sauce and mix it in with the hot broth. 

Fridge's Notes:

• When I refer to tablespoons and teaspoons, I am talking the ones out of your drawer that you eat with not necessarily the actual ones that you measure. 
• Remember you kind of want to keep in that same proportion for adding more stuff if you need to strengthen the broth, do not just add salt, as that will not get you the taste you want. The majority of the broth should be mushroom, Followed by chicken broth, followed by the garlic broth and followed that by the ham broth, if that makes sense.

Quick and Easy Homemade Salsa

This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Ingredients

1/2 bunch cilantro (about 1/2 cup packed) - see Note

1 jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed (leave seeds for more heat)

1/4 of a medium red onion

1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2-3 cloves)

2 cans (15 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, well-drained

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Note: No need to measure exactly. Just grab half of a cilantro bunch by the leafy ends and twist off the top part, leaving most of the stems behind. Throw the leafy bunch into the food processor.

Directions

1. Add the cilantro, jalapeno, red onion and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped.
2. Add the tomatoes, salt and lime juice. Pulse until the salsa reaches desired consistency. 
3. Add additional salt and lime juice to taste, if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a week. Extra liquid can be drained off before serving, if desired.

Rafer Burnham's Honey Wheat Bread

Rafer's original recipe was created for a bread machine. I've modified the directions for making bread by hand or with a KitchenAid.

Ingredients

2 cups very warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 - 1/2 cup honey

3 tablespoons butter

6 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

1. Mix water, sugar and yeast in a bowl to activate yeast.
2. Once yeast is activated, add egg, salt, honey and softened butter.
3. Gradually add about 6 cups of flour.
4. Knead dough for several minutes. (Note from Alec: He finds the bread to be fluffier if he goes straight from kneading to extended rising time in the loaf tins, skipping the usual first rise in the bowl.)
5. Divide into two loaves and put in greased loaf pans.
6. Let rise until dough just about reaches the top of the pan.
7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Smothered Pork Chops

This recipe comes from Delish.

Ingredients

4 thick, bone-in pork chops

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

Step 1

Season pork chops all over with salt and pepper.

Step 2

In a shallow dish, mix together flour with garlic powder and chili powder. Coat pork chops in flour, shaking off excess. Reserve 2 tablespoons seasoned flour.

Step 3

In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup oil until shimmering. In batches, cook pork chops until golden, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Wipe out skillet.

Step 4

Reduce heat to medium low, pour in remaining oil, and add onions. Season with more salt and pepper and cook until very soft and slightly caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Add butter and let melt, then sprinkle in reserved flour. Cook until flour is no longer raw, about a minute. Stir in chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a simmer, until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Return pork chops to skillet and cook until pork is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. 

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

This recipe comes from Sally's Baking.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups (220g) whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), or a mix of both
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (230g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
1/2 cup (170g) honey (or pure maple syrup)
1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt; any fat content)
2 Tablespoons (28g) coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup (80ml) unsweetened almond milk (or your preferred type of milk, dairy or nondairy)
1/2 cup (125g) creamy peanut butter (non-oily natural style is OK)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
optional: 1/2 cup (113g) mini chocolate chips
optional: 1/4 cup (63g) creamy peanut butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, honey, yogurt, coconut oil, egg, and milk together until combined. Then whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour in the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined—you can start with a whisk and then switch to a spatula if it becomes too thick to whisk. Try not to over-stir the muffin batter or your muffins will have a tough (not soft) texture. Fold in the mini chocolate chips (if using). The batter will be thick.
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
6. Drizzle muffins with melted peanut butter, if desired.

Golden Milk

I usually make golden milk with soy milk, but that is strictly my taste preference. Use the milk of your choice.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups unsweetened milk of your choice
1 stick cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, more as garnish at the end
2 inches fresh turmeric, sliced or 1 ½ teaspoon ground turmeric spice
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, or any other neutral tasting vegetable oil like avocado oil, olive oil (a mildly flavored), etc.
Pinch black pepper

1 tablespoon maple syrup , or honey (more to taste)

Directions

1. Place milk, cinnamon stick, turmeric, ginger, coconut oil, and black pepper in a small saucepan.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until warm but not boiling.
3. Give it a taste and add in your sweetener.
4. If you used fresh turmeric and ginger, strain it to your cups. If not, divide it in two mugs.
5. If preferred, sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Serve.

Sourdough English Muffins

Another recipe from theclevercarrot.com. The author makes these as an overnight recipe. I do same day. Both options are reflected in the instructions.

Ingredients

245 g ( 1 cup plus 1 tsp) milk, whole or 2%

120 g (1/2 cup) water

56 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed

75 g (heaped 1/3 cup) active sourdough starter

24 g (2 tbsp) sugar

500 g (4 cups plus 2 tbsp) all purpose flour

9 g (1 1/2 tsp) fine sea salt

Cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting

Directions

Make the dough: in a small saucepan, warm the milk, water and butter together. Cool slightly before adding to the dough. In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter and sugar. Pour in the warm milk mixture while whisking to combine. Add the flour and salt. Mix with a fork to form a rough dough, and then finish by hand to fully incorporate the flour. Cover with a damp towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, return to the bowl and work the dough into a semi-smooth ball.

Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature 70 F (21 C) until double in size, about 8-10+ hours. Once risen, chill overnight in the fridge. Or, jump to the next step for same-day preparation.

Shape: Remove the cold dough onto a floured work surface. Rest for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; sprinkle generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking.

With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut into 10-12 rounds using the rim of a 3 or 5 inch drinking glass, large jar or biscuit cutter. Place the rounds onto your sheet pan and dust the tops with cornmeal.

Second Rise: Cover the dough with a damp towel or inverted rimmed sheet pan. Let rest at room temperature until noticeably puffy, about 1 hour or more depending on temperature. JW NOTE: Don't stress too much about the puffy thing. I found that the muffins got puffier during cooking.

Cook the English Muffins: Warm a large, non-stick skillet or griddle over low heat (250-300ish on my griddle.  Cook on one side for 8-10 minutes, checking at the halfway mark for even browning. Lower the heat if necessary. Flip the dough over, cover, and cook the other side for 8-10 minutes. Repeat to cook the rest of the dough. When the English muffins are ready, they should feel lightweight and the sides should spring back when pressed gently. *See Notes below.

Notes

If you find that your English muffins are cooked on the outside, but slightly undercooked in the center, finish them in a low oven @ 250 F (130 C) until cooked through.