Chai Tea Bread (with Sourdough discard)

I am not a very good sourdough steward. Well I shouldn't say that. I'm good at using my starter discard for all sorts of fun stuff - like this bread! I'm just not great at using my sourdough starter to ACTUALLY make sourdough. 

But that's no matter. As long as I'm feeding the starter and using the discard so responsibly - like for this bread - it doesn't matter if I ever actually make sourdough, does it?

The answer is no. But who needs sourdough when you can make Chai Tea bread?  IT IS SO GOOD!!!!

This has a lot of chai tea flavor as you steep a tea bag in milk, and then you also add the contents of three other tea bags right into the batter! You won't need butter or jam or anything else on this bread - so much flavor. So much deliciousness, 

If I didn't have a sourdough starter, I would want one just so I could make this!

Chai Tea Bread

1 cup milk 

4 chai tea bags

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, room softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sourdough discard 

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until warm over medium heat. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and add 1 tea bag. Cover the pan, and let it steep for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and the contents of the other 3 tea bags (that is, cut them open and dump the tea out into the flour mixture). 

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, the tea-steeped milk, and the sourdough starter, and beat well. 

Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat well until combined.

Pour into a greased 9" loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and return to the rack to o cool completely before serving. 

Mongolian Ground Beef and Noodles

I love Mongolian beef but I don't always have the right cut of steak in my freezer. So cue this amazing recipe that gives you all the great flavor using ground beef! 

I really enjoyed this meal, and it was even better the next day for lunch. I used the brown rice ramen noodles that I buy at Costco, and they worked really well here. 

But you don't need "fancy" noodles - just use what you have in the cupboard. 

This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket since it uses mostly pantry staples. Add a fresh green vegetable (broccoli, green beans, snow peas, asparagus would all be great!) and dinner is done. 

Mongolian Ground Beef and Noodles

1 pound ground beef
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup beef broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
10 oz. linguine, or rice noodles or ramen
4 green onions, sliced

Cook the pasta or rice noodles in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, then drain. 

Meantime, combine the soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, ground ginger, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. of water, and whisk well until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess fat, then reduce the heat to medium.

Add the minced garlic to the browned beef and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. 

Whisk the sauce again, then add to the skillet and simmer until slightly thickened. Add the noodles to the skillet, and toss well to combine. Top with green onions. Garnish with sesame seeds if you like.