10 Day Regimen for Amish Friendship Bread Starter

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This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter batter that you will need to make Amish Friendship Bread.  Adding a cup of starter batter, after it has maturedfor ten days, to any sweet bread recipe makes it yeasty and delicious. The texture of the resulting bread is unbelievable!

At the end of 10 days you will have 5 cups of starter batter, enough for 4 friends, along with a cup of extra batter for making 2 loaves of sweet bread for yourself. If you keep a bag of starter batter for yourself (and give the other 3 away), you will be making 2 loaves of sweet bread every 10 days. What a treat! 

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when handling the Amish Friendship Bread Starter (AFBS) batter:

1.  Make sure the Ziploc bag of starter batter is dated. This is Day 1 of 10 of the fermentation process. You may find it helpful to mark this date on your calendar as AFBS Day 1, along with AFBS Day 5 with a note to add ingredients to the bag, and AFBS Day 10 with a note to make bread.

2.  Avoid using metal utensils or containers. It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when handling the starter batter.

3.  Do not refrigerate the starter batter at any time during the ten days of fermentation. Leave it at room temperature so that it can mature.

4.  It is natural for the starter batter to rise and bubble as it matures.  Work the air away from the batter towards the lip of the Ziploc bag and unzip it to remove any built-up air in the bag. Make sure to zip up the bag to prevent the batter from leaking out.

5.  When the Ziploc bag is opened to release the air, the batter should smell sweet and yeasty. If it is at all malodorous and/or the batter is at all discolored at any time during the ten days, throw the bag and its contents in the garbage.  Start the process over by making your own starter batter and don’t, under any circumstances, try to salvage the spoiled batter.

6.  Prior to Day 10, read through all the ingredients for making the bread of your choice and make sure you have all the necessary ingredients. It’s most annoying to have to go shopping on Day 10 because it’s going to be a busy day!

7.  Make sure you have enough 1 gallon Ziploc bags on hand for dividing your starter batter. Even though there isn’t a lot of batter in there on Day 1, by Day 10 the 5 cups of starter batter pretty much fills up a 1 gallon Ziploc bag.

8.  It is possible to freeze the starter batter.  When you’re ready to start the 10 Day Regimen, mark the date and day (1 or 2 or 3…) on the bag and make sure to mark the new dates for Day 1, Day 5 and Day 10 on your calendar.       

The 10 Day Regimen

Day 1:   Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 2:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 3:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 4:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 5:   

Add 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk to the bag.
Release all the air from the bag and make sure to zip up the bag.

Squash and mix the bag of starter batter until sugar dissolves.

Day 6:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 7:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 8:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 9:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 10:

Add 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk to the bag.

Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Pour entire contents of bag into a large glass or plastic bowl.

Measure 1 cup into each of 4 (1 gallon) Ziploc bags.

Set aside the remaining cup of batter in bowl to make 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread for yourself.

Keep one bag for yourself and give the other 3 to friends.

Make sure to date each bag and to include a copy of this 10 Day Regimen, along with the recipes for Vanilla Amish Friendship Bread and its variations. 

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter recipe that you will need to make Amish Friendship Bread.  It is ideal if you receive the starter batter from a friend because it will save you a lot of time – 10 days, to be exact! That is, if you are going to use it to bake your 2 loaves right away.  If you want to share your starter batter with friends, then you will have to go through the 10 Day Regimen yourself. Adding a cup of starter batter after it has matured for ten days, to any sweet bread recipe makes it yeasty and delicious. The texture of the resulting bread is unbelievable! 

After making this Starter batter, follow the instructions in the 10 Day Regimen.  At the end of 10 days you will have enough starter batter for 4 friends, along with extra batter for making 2 loaves of sweet bread for yourself. If you keep a bag of starter batter for yourself (and give the other 3 away), you will be making 2 loaves of sweet bread every 10 days. What a treat!

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when handling the starter batter:

1. Avoid using metal utensils and containers. It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers.

2. Do not refrigerate the starter batter at any time during the ten days. Leave it at room temperature so that it can mature.

3. It is natural for the batter to bubble and rise as it matures.  Work the air away from the batter towards the lip of the Ziploc bag and unzip it to remove the build-up of air in the bag.

4. When the Ziploc bag is opened to release the air, the batter should smell sweet and yeasty. If it is at all malodorous or if the batter is at all discolored at any time during the ten days, throw the bag and its contents in the garbage.  Start the process over and don’t try to salvage the spoiled batter.

Ingredients:

1 (¼ oz.) pkg. Fleishmann’s active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1.    In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water for 10 minutes and stir.

2.    Sift flour and sugar into a 2-quart glass or plastic container.

3.    Slowly stir in the warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture.

4.    Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap until bubbly.

Consider this Day 1 of the 10-day cycle. For the next 10 days, handle starter batter following the 10 Day Regimen.

Lentils Cooked with Fenugreek Greens

Kacha Moong Dal with Methi Saag

Fenugreek greens are sometimes available at the local Indian grocery stores. They come in bunches with roots intact. After getting rid of the roots, the rest of the greens are chopped and washed in several changes of water to remove the grittiness caused by the residual soil in the roots. I usually place the chopped greens in a colander and set it in a larger pot of water so that the soil settles in the bottom of the water. Make sure to empty the water with the soil in your garden to avoid clogging the drainage system in the sink.

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal, washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 bunch fenugreek greens, chopped, washed and drained
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp. asafoetida powder (hing)
2 tsp. ginger paste
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp. sugar
Salt to taste
1 tsp. ghee or melted butter
2–3 green chilies, sliced

Directions:

1. Wash lentils until water runs clear and soak in hot water for half an hour.
2. Boil lentils in 2cups water with salt and turmeric until lentils are cooked.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds & hing and stir-fry for a minute.
4. When cumin seeds start to sizzle, add ginger paste and tomatoes.
5. Stir-fry until tomatoes break down and add fenugreek greens.
6. Cover and cook the greens for 2 minutes, then add cooked lentils & sugar.
7. Bring lentils to a boil, adjust salt to taste and remove from heat.
8. Garnish with ghee and chilies.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice or tortillas.

Tapioca Pilaf - Sabudana Upma

This dish is eaten for breakfast all over India and is most commonly referred to as Sabudana Khichdi or Tapioca cooked with Vegetables. It begins with large tapioca pearls that are washed and then soaked in water overnight. A variety of vegetables and herbs are chopped, diced, sliced and stir-fried along with the softened tapioca pearls to arrive at this delicious and nutritious pilaf. Just before serving, the dish is garnished with a twist of lime and roasted nuts to give it a tang and crunch.

Ingredients:
1½ cups large tapioca pearls

1 cup water

Tempering:

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1/8 tsp. black mustard seeds

1 sprig (7-8) curry leaves

Vegetables:
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno or hot green chilies, diced

1” piece of ginger, peeled and diced

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 kaffir lime leaf, julienned

Salt to taste

½ tsp. sugar

Garnish:

Juice of half lime

Handful roasted cashew nuts

Handful cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1.    Rinse tapioca pearls in tap water three times, drain and soak in 1 cup water overnight.

2.    Separate softened pearls between fingers to prevent clumping and set aside.

3.    Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and sputter tempering ingredients.

4.    Add diced onions, jalapeno and ginger & stir-fry until onions turn translucent.

5.    Turn heat down to medium and add tapioca, potatoes, tomatoes and kaffir lime leaf.

6.    Stir well, adjust salt to taste, cover and cook until potatoes soften, stirring occasionally.

7.    Add sugar and stir.

8.    Garnish with a twist of lime, cilantro and chopped cashew nuts before serving.

Burmese Hsan Pyoke With Meatballs (Congee or Rice Porridge)

Yield: Serves 6   

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Total Time: 30minutes 

Hsan Pyoke (English translation is Rice Boiled) is a recuperative comfort food for wet/cold weather or when someone is recovering from an illness. I used day-old short-grained, steamed white rice which I've used to make fried rice, as well. This is a quick version of the same soup I made a short while ago, except this time I had all the vegetables on hand, the soup was made in under half an hour, the minced chicken was replaced with meatballs and the soup base was made with a teaspoon of Ajinomoto instead of dried shrimp.

Ingredients

2 cups rice

5 cups water

2 Tbsp. dried shrimp (or scallops), diced

   or 1 tsp. Ajinomoto

10-12 meatballs, quartered

1 heaped Tbsp. ginger, julienned or paste

2 cups diced carrots, celery, onions and peas

Salt to taste

Garnish:

Cilantro, chopped

Deep fried onions & garlic
Coarse Salt*

Lime or lemon juice

                                                                                          

Directions:

1. Cook rice and water until rice is very soft.
2. Add dried shrimp or Ajinomoto, salt and vegetables.
3. Stir well and simmer until vegetables are very soft.
4. Add meatballs & ginger; simmer uncovered to gruel consistency.
5. Adjust salt to taste, remove from heat and pour into serving bowls.
6. Garnish with cilantro, fried onions & garlic, coarse salt, sesame oil & a squeeze of lime.

** Coarse Salt, or Muoi Tom in Vietnamese, is a garnish that contains the following ingredients: Salt, Chilli, Dried Shrimp and Garlic. It tastes great sprinkled on soups, noodles, rice & butter/ghee, lentils or on buttered toast.

Vietnamese Coarse Salt and Ingredients

Oatmeal Cookies - Sugar and Fat Free

1st attempt

2nd attempt

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Don Colbert's Facebook page and it appealed to me because I'm always looking for a 'good' snack around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  It was so fast and easy to prepare and was done in under an hour. The difference between the 1st and 2nd attempts was the first batch was baked almost immediately after mixing the ingredients together. The second batch was set aside for 30 minutes in the refrigerator so that the oats absorbed the moisture from the wet ingredients. The first batch was a little dry whereas the second batch made for a much more moist cookie that reminded me of banana fritters.

Ingredients: (makes approx. 15 cookies)

2 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

1 (4 oz.) tub apple sauce with cinnamon

1/4 cup milk or coconut milk

1/2 cup golden raisins and/or dried cranberries

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Combine all ingredients and set aside for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes.
5. Cool on a wire rack.

How to Make an Omelette

My husband who does his best to stay out of the kitchen except at meal times, makes an excellent omelette. He taught me to make it and his trick for avoiding brown spots on the outside which is caused by burnt butter is to cook the eggs on the lowest possible heat. So this takes patience, and I've found that if the skillet is covered right after the eggs are poured in, they set faster.

1. Beat two eggs with diced Thai red chilies, salt & pepper.
2. Dice 6-8 plum tomatoes & 1/2 a small onion.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small iron frying pan.
4. Cook onions and tomatoes in melted butter until onions turn translucent. Do not brown the onions.
5. Turn heat down to low, pour whipped eggs into pan and swirl until it covers the bottom of the pan.
6. When eggs set, fold one side to the middle, fold two adjacent sides over, then the last side.
7. Flip over and cook the folded side for a minute.
8. Meanwhile, in another pan, cook a potato patty until golden brown.
9. Place omelette on one side of a toasted muffin and the potato patty on the other half and serve with sweet chili sauce.

Goes great with a piping hot mug of coffee or tea!

Mung Dal with Yogurt and Garlic

Inspired by Tarla Dalal's Lehsunwali Moong ki Dal which was microwaved.

Ingredients:

1 cup mung dal, washed & soaked in hot water
4 Tbsp. Greek yogurt, or any yogurt on hand
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
½ tsp. cumin seeds
7 to 8 curry leaves
2 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ginger paste
2 Tbsp. tomato puree
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch powder
2 tsp. coriander-cumin powder

Garnish:
1 tsp. ghee
2 Tbsp. garlic chives or cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine dal with hot water and cook until done.
2. Whip yogurt with salt and stir into dal.
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat and temper mustard seeds, cumin seeds   and curry leaves until seeds pop.
4. Add ginger and garlic pastes, tomato puree, turmeric, Kashmiri mirch & coriander-cumin powder.
5. Stir well and cook until oil resurfaces.
6. Pour dal into pan, adjust salt to taste and bring to a boil.
7. Garnish with ghee and chives/cilantro.

Serve with cooked rice or with chapatis.

 

Chickpeas with Russet & Sweet Potatoes

GHOOGNI with sweet potatoes
A variation of Chana Masala

Chana Masala, a North Indian dish, made in the Bengali style includes potatoes and is called Ghoogni. I added sweet potatoes to give it a twist.

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

Tempering:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
4 cloves
3 bay leaves

Gravy:
1 medium onion, chopped, blanched and puréed
1 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 Tbsp. ginger paste
2 Tbsp. tomato purée
2 Tbsp. Greek or plain yogurt
1 tsp. Shan Chana Masala powder

Garnish:
Cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. ghee

Directions:
1. Cook sweet and russet potatoes in boiling, salted water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and reserve 1½ cups boiling water or simmer 1½ cups vegetable stock.
3. Whip Gravy ingredients together and set aside.
4. Microwave oil on high for 2 minutes.
5. Add Tempering ingredients and cook on high for another 2 minutes.
6. Add whipped Gravy ingredients, stir and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
7. Add boiling water or hot vegetable stock to gravy and stir.
8. Add potatoes along with chickpeas, stir well and microwave on high for another 2 minutes.
9. Garnish with ghee & garam masala powder, stir and sprinkle cilantro and jalapeno peppers on top before serving.

Goes great with cooked rice or tortillas.

Easy Peasy Tandoori Shrimp Curry

This recipe was inspired by one given to me by my sister. Whereas she used salmon, I made this using shrimp.

Ingredients:
1 lb. (500 gms.) medium shrimp
1½ tsp. Shan Chicken Tandoori masala, or to taste
2 heaped Tbsp. Greek yogurt, or any yogurt on hand
1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
Garlic chives or cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Marinate shrimp in Tandoori masala, yogurt and oil for 30 minutes.
Microwave 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or until shrimp are no longer pink.
Alternatively, this dish can be cooked on top of the stove by adding a little more oil to a pan and cooking the shrimp along with the marinade until shrimp are no longer pink.

Note: Lime juice can be used to replace yogurt.

Easy Easy Tandoori Salmon Curry

Easy Tandoori Salmon Curry
by Rene Chaudhuri

This is my sister's recipe for a very easy Tandoori fish curry. She used wild Pacific salmon in this dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (500 gms.) cubed fillets of fish (Pacific Wild Salmon used here)

1/3 pkg. (15 gms.) Shan Tandoori mix, or to taste

2 heaped Tbsp. Yogurt

1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil

Slit green chillies for garnish

Directions:

Marinate fish in Tandoori mix, yogurt and oil for 30 minutes.

Microwave 2 minutes or until fish is firm and flaky. 

Notes: Lime juice can be used to replace yogurt.

This dish will definitely taste better with belly (peti) pieces.

Burmese Hsan Pyoke (Congee or Rice Porridge)

Yield: Serves 6   

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Total Time: 45 minutes + overnight

Hsan Pyoke (translated in English to Rice Boiled) is a recuperative comfort food for wet/cold weather or when someone is recovering from an illness. I used left-over steamed white rice from the Chinese restaurant, which I've used to make fried rice, as well. The package of frozen vegetables contains diced carrots, onions, peas, celery and potatoes.  Cooking rice the night before and leaving overnight at room temperature gives this soup a smooth and creamy texture. The minced chicken in this recipe can be omitted or replaced with flaked catfish, salmon or imitation crab and the chicken stock can be replaced with vegetable stock or plain water.

Amish Friendship Bread

My two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread

The dark spots are cookies
and white spots are cream
from the Oreo Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix

This is definitely one of the yummiest breads I've ever baked and the most interesting process ever. Okay, let's see if I can describe how this goes. It's called a friendship bread because the batter is shared with friends. 

I received a baked bread and a batch of starter batter from a friend on Mother's Day. It's one of the best gifts (after the cartoon caricature my son drew of me on his MD card) I've received because it will be remembered for many years to come!

Along with the starter batter, I received a set of instructions on how to care for it and a recipe for the two loaves it yields at the end of ten days. I'd like to add that even though it seems like a lot of work, it really wasn't and, strangely enough, I actually enjoyed 'babying' the bag of starter batter!

The starter batter came in a Ziploc bag with the date of the day it was placed in the bag. This date is Day 1. 

Day 1-4: Massage batter from the outside of the bag. Mush it and mash it.

Day 5: Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk; mush it and mash it.

Day 6-9: Mush it and mash it.

Day 10: This is baking day! Add a cup each of flour, sugar and milk; mush it and mash it.  Put 1 cup in each of four (1 gallon) Ziploc bags. The batter that is left is combined with the ingredients in the basic recipe to make 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread. 

Keep one Ziploc bag for yourself and share the others with friends, or share all four with friends. If you keep one bag for yourself, you'll be baking every 10 days. 

Today was day 10 for me and I am very happy with the results. The basic recipe calls for a package of Jello Instant Pudding and I used Oreo Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix.

The process is very well explained on a blog I found on the Internet, so rather than reproduce it here, on my blog, I will point you to the source.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Amish Friendship Bread (Basic Recipe)

Here are some variations to the basic recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Friendship Bread

Banana Nut Amish Friendship Bread

Carrot Cake Amish Friendship Bread

Cherry Amish Friendship Bread

Pumpkin Spice Amish Friendship Bread

The following variations came from the same source as above. The only reason for reproducing them here is to caution you to NOT add 1/2 cup of milk with the pudding mix because the Basic Recipe includes a package of vanilla pudding mix and 1/2 a cup of milk!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Friendship Bread
In the basic recipe, reduce oil to 1/3 cup.
Replace vanilla pudding with 1 large package of instant banana pudding.
Stir in 1 cup very ripe mashed bananas and 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate minichips.


Butterscotch Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant butterscotch pudding.
Add 1 cup butterscotch chips.

Caramel Apple Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant caramel pudding.
Add 2 cups diced apples.

Chocolate Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips.


Chocolate-Cherry Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla extract with almond extract.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 (5.1 oz)  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add 3 tsp. cocoa and 1 cup dried cherries.


Cookies 'n Cream Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large box of instant cookies 'n creme pudding.

Cranberry-Orange Friendship Bread
Replace milk in the basic recipe with orange juice.
Stir in 1 Tbsp. orange zest and 1 cup dried cranberries.


Lemon Amish Friendship Bread
Replace cinnamon and nuts with 1/4 cup poppy seeds.
Replace vanilla extract with lemon extract.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant lemon pudding.

Mounds Bar Amish Frienship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add chocolate chips and sweet shredded coconut.

Strawberry Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding and 1/2 cup milk with 1 small box of strawberry jello.
Add 1 cup thawed strawberries.

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Burmese Coconut Jelly Dessert - Kyauk Kyaw

Coconut Jelly
Kyauk Kyaw

Agar Agar is a popular dessert ingredient in South East Asian countries where it is used as a substitute for gelatin. Agar agar, a seaweed extract, is a good vegan substitute for gelatin which is derived from animal products. Agar agar comes in several different forms - flakes, strands and powdered.  The powdered form of agar agar is much more potent than the flakes or strands. It takes 1 tablespoon of flakes or strands to thicken 1 cup of water, whereas 1 teaspoon of the powder is sufficient to thicken 1 cup of water.

Burmese Stir-Fried Chicken with Peppers

Ground chicken is stir-fried with red, orange and yellow peppers and served with rice and a salad for a quick meal.

  

Burmese Noodles with Cilantro Pesto - Khawkswe Thoke

Khawkswe Thoke

Khawkswe Thoke & Taster's Bowl
with Garnishes

This recipe is a modified version of one I made a while back. I cut down the cilantro from one bunch to half a bunch and added a couple of more ingredients to the garnishes. Look here for the original recipe.

Carrot Kalakand

Cook Time: 12 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients:

1 tub (15 oz.) Sargento Ricotta Cheese or grated Paneer
1 can (14 oz.) Carnation condensed milk
1 pkg. (3.2 oz.) Carnation milk powder
1 cup minced carrots
1 tsp. cardamom powder
½ tsp. saffron
¼ cup almonds, blanched and chopped

Directions:

1. Process carrots until finely minced.
2. In a microwave-safe dish, combine all ingredients except almonds until all lumps are smoothed out.
3. Microwave 5 minutes uncovered, take out and mix well, loosening the edges.
4. Microwave 5 minutes uncovered, take out and mix well, loosening the edges.
5. Microwave 2 minutes uncovered, take out, add half the almonds & mix well, loosening the edges. Do this again until center loses all moisture.
6. Press down and flatten the mixture, sprinkle cashews on top and press down firmly.
7. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into pieces. 
8. Serve chilled.
    

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Burmese Green Beans & Ham

Green Beans & Ham

Left-overs mixed into a bowl of noodles

A great way to use up left-over Easter ham.