chocolate chip cookie version 2.0

i’m fairly certain that like every upgrading apple product owner, every baker is continually upgrading the ever so necessary ‘BEST chocolate chip cookie’ recipe. i know i’ve gone through a few…and this time i’ve found one that’s been better than them ALL…and i made it in ukraine. so while i might be a little bit behind on ‘apple culture’ now (having just figured out who ‘siri’ is and now convinced the world will be taken over by robots), i’ll at least be on top of my cookie game.

the original recipe is from the ny times with ridiculous measurements like ‘2 cups minus 2 tablespoons’, so you just know it has to be good. the recipe below is adapted for ukraine. pcvs be warned…do not bake these alone. you will eat them all.

ukrainified NYtimes chocolate chip cookie:
makes 28 cookies

3 2/3 cups minus 2 tbs flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups butter (2 1/2 sticks or 300 grams)
2 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1 tbs honey
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (or two packets)
20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 2 chopped semi-dark chocolate bars)
salt for sprinkling

1.) sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt). set aside.

2.) in a large bowl mix together butter and sugar and beat with a fork for 3 minutes.

3.) mix in eggs one at a time. add vanilla. mix together.

4.) add dry ingredients to butter egg mixture and mix just until incorporated. stir in the chocolate chips.
(optional: refrigerate in an airtight container for 24-36 hours. but i’m not that patient so i didn’t do this)

5.) preheat oven to 350ºF or 175ºC. line baking sheets with parchment or use a silicone mat.

6.) roll out slightly smaller than golf sized balls of dough and space evenly apart. sprinkle lightly with salt.

7.) bake for 15 – 18 minutes until edges are golden brown and the edges are lighter and soft.

yummy

oh yea

chai and chocolate chip cookies : )

martha stewart-esque manual labor strawberry muffins

if you think sandra lee’s semi-homemade cooking is your idea of gourmet, then this recipe isn’t for you. you can just stop now and make your kwanza cake. but if you like a baking challenge, miss TJ style healthy muffins, have a few cups of fresh strawberries (along with a few hours) you’re willing to sacrifice, then here you go. i found this low-sugar recipe which called for blended oats not flour. i was intrigued. and because i like to pick ‘in over my head’ challenges, i decided to try this without a blender. ukraine style.

if you have a blender, this recipe will probably turn out completely different. but i actually quite enjoyed de-stressing by pulverizing those oats by hand and the denser texture it resulted in. since i eat fresh strawberries by the bucket and have been low on money i had some frozen ones on hand that i used for the batter and felt okay to let go of a few to place on top right before baking. though of course if you don’t go quite so ‘golum’ on your fruit like i do, then by means go all out freshie.

my precious

flour-less strawberry walnut muffins
makes 2 dozen muffins

ingredients:

2 ½ old fashioned oats
1 cup kefir
2 eggs
¾ sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts (finely crushed)
1 ½ strawberries (frozen or fresh)
+ additional ½ cup for topping

1.) if using frozen strawberries for the mix, unthaw by running under water. try to squeeze out extra liquid. if using fresh, measure, dice and set aside. preheat oven to 400ºF or 204ºC.

2.) place a small amount of oats on a plate or cutting board and using the side of a mug, grind into smaller bits. it’s okay to channel your inner mexican woman. repeat until all oats are semi-finely crushed. (this is the time consuming part)

i might be ridiculous

3.) add all remaining ingredients (minus berries to top) to the bowl of oats. stir until well combined. the mixture should be rather thick.

berrrrries

4.) pour batter 3/4 full into greased muffin pan or silicon cups. add a few slices of fresh strawberry on-top. bake in oven for 20 minutes.

the fresh slices on top add such flavor

my ‘professional line’ gas oven. i have to throw a match in the bottom and it lights up with a big WHOOOSH!

5.) when done muffins will be slightly brown. be sure to eat right away or freeze half. because of the fresh berries on-top, these don’t have a very long shelf life. though they’re healthy and yummy so that probably won’t be a problem ; )

nom nom nom

school complaints and summer camps

it’s officially june which means school is over in ukraine, and summer has officially begun. can i get an HALLELUIA??!?! i might be a little bit more than just excited to finish my first year of teaching in ukraine. and boy, oh bozje (oh my god), has it been a year!

a school year that began at one school with me knowing absolutely nothing about what i was doing, to ending at another school, broke up a few fights in-between, and quickly gained knowledge of the school system in ukraine (for the most part) and the power of a red pen (muhaha).

and while school is technically over, i’m still required to be at school every morning from 8am – noon for two more weeks. but this time i’m in my element playing with kids at a language day camp and dealing out uno cards instead of grades. summer in ukraine is what TEFL (teaching english as a foreign language) volunteers look forward to all year long. not just because we don’t have lessons, but because our summer of endless sunflower fields and late night river swims, means we get to 3 months of camp time and pcv camaraderie.

i have to admit, and not so proudly but truthfully, that i don’t really enjoy teaching in ukraine…during the school year that is. yup, the secret is out. but let me clarify before i get called a hypocrite if i ever buy that pc ‘toughest job you’ll ever love’ shirt. i love kids. they’re just universally awesome. even the bad ones. and i love teaching and getting students excited about learning. and pretty sure what i’ll end up doing back in america. the thing that keeps bringing me to think ‘oh my gooooood i have another YEAR of this?! why couldn’t i be a youth development volunteer??’ comes down to discipline and the school system in ukraine.

now i don’t mean to say that ukraine’s system sucks and america is BEST in any way. sort of. the american school system certainly has it’s problems too. but there is something to be said about a system where a student can never fail (zeros don’t exist), cheating as you’ve never seen before that would give an american teacher an aneurism, and the only form of discipline is getting yelled at by the teacher, head master, or grandma. (keep in mind this is from the perspective of a village dweller. and from what i’ve seen and heard, city schools are much different. as in the kids behave better.)

for the most part ukrainian teachers yelling and marking 1 (lowest) thru 12 (highest) in their shodeniks (daily grade book) does an okay job. but whenever i step into that classroom, the students excitedly and flatteringly ask ‘you’re with us today?? you’re with us!?!’ and after a collective ‘HORRAY!!!’ ensues, the shit show begins. and if you thought discipline in a classroom was hard, try having to do it in a different language. not so fun.

the majority of the time i’m alone in my classroom (i’m hoping to fix that next year), which is a huge source of the troubles because unlike my colleagues, i still haven’t mastered (and will never) the booming yell and book slamming and ukrainian/russian isn’t my native language (not sure if you knew that). and while i’ve certainly improved my mean teacher face and search tactics when they lie about not having their grade book, i’ll never be able to be the kind of teacher they’re used to. the ‘friendly teacher’ is a rarity here, though i’ve noticed a few young teachers are more willing to try that approach so it will be interesting to see where this still very soviet system will be in the next 30 years or so.

maybe i shouldn’t have written this at the end of the school year, after a good terrorizing month of summer-ready kids (and teachers), after ‘devil dima’ and his throwing backpacks out of the classroom day, or making my cute 4th formers cry after following through with disciplining threats. maybe the school year didn’t end on the best of notes, but what i’m trying to say through this 6 paragraph long rant: summer is awesome. this time of year gives me the satisfaction that i love what i’m doing here. something that is hard to remember during the oh so trying ukrainian school year days.

working summer camps is the highlight to my year and leaves me with memories that i try to replace with the ridiculously not so great (but laughable) classroom ones. most volunteers love summer camp season because of just that. it’s a 3 month long high of being with friends, running around with kids, and not worrying about classroom management. if i had it my way, it’d be summer all year long (but with fall temperatures because i love my cardigan weather). i think students, teachers, and volunteers alike would heartily cheer ‘hear! hear!’ to that.

happy summer! and now for some end of the school year/1st week of summer camp photos : )

the ‘vegetables’ of my labor. creating materials for my 4th form open lesson (observed by the head master) the last week of school.

4th form open lesson singing a song. they’re actually a rather good class (woo!) : )

last bell (official last day of school) ceremony

last bell and large bantiks (white poofy hair things). the karaoke version of abba’s ‘super trouper’ played on loop during the ceremony. awesome. 

language camp ‘ladybug’

posing paulina

pasha and our simplified british flag after our ‘day of countries’ at camp

‘suharaki’ are a favorite ukrainian snack. essentially they’re tiny flavored croutons. here we have ‘meat’ ‘caviar’ and ‘holodets’ (meat jello) flavors

crossing the ‘river’ in the overwhelmingly seafoam gym

lunch break and uno time. they can’t get enough of uno!!

: )