Pancake Brunch

One could go to Butterfinger Pancakes or some brunch place, but the best pancakes are homemade and enjoyed with a friend. Yesterday, I ventured over to my friend's place. She recently moved to my area and so we were excited we could get together so easily. I brought over a Red Mill Organic pancake mix I bought from a foreign food online seller, along with frozen blueberries. We picked up a few extras, too.

Sorry for the blurry photos, I forgot to change it from "manual focus" to "auto". Oh well!

The mix came out pretty thick when we followed the instructions, so along the way I added some water. But overall the smell of cooking pancakes and sizzling bacon made this Saturday afternoon quite pleasant.

We enjoyed our brunch while watching the new movie, "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. I highly recommend this to other people, as it was funny and cooky. Certainly, made for a great addition to our scrumptious meal.

I look forward to more brunch adventures at my pals place in time to come!

Joy Jjiggae

As the weather turns to chilly and the first snow tries to fall, I can't help but want something boiling hot when I get home. That is why in the colder months of living in Korea I prefer to eat jjiggae or Korean fermented bean paste soup. They are easy to find at local restaurants and can be taken out at your usual kimbop place.

But making your own jjiggae means you have something fresh and made to your liking. Last week I made a jjiggae that turned out quite tasty. Usual recipes call for one to make a broth using seaweed squares and anchovies. As I don't like anchovies I decided to go with a different broth, a mushroom base I found at the store.

At the bottom you have the doenjang jjiggae paste in it's container and to the right it being mixed up in water. This is the soul of the soup, as it provides the unique flavor. Kind of like miso soup but a whole lot earthier and salty. Above this is gochujang, or red pepper paste. Cubed tofu next to that, along with chopped up veggies (potatoes, zucchinis and mushrooms). In the bowl at the top are chopped red and green chili pepper, which I learned to use sparingly.

This is the soup base powder I used, a mushroom flavor. I suppose I was going against the traditions of jjiggae making when using this, but it still came out quite good.

After the soup base is boiled up I added the doenjang and veggies...

Eventually, everything goes in the pot...including some garlic and gochugaru (or red pepper flakes). Let it boil for minutes more and you have your soup!

I accompanied my soup with a bowl of rice, candied yams and Chinese steam bums. I know not a whole Korean meal and the kimchi is missing. But I really don't care! Just want my soup and something with it! hhaha

Guest Post: Korean for the Holidays

I received an email from a "Melissa C" who was enthusiastic about my blog and wanted to contribute a piece. I figured why not, and so here it is. She hails from the website, "Blog Content Guild" which you can check out if you like.

Her contribution is a yummy treat of squash soup with a Korean twist...here it is:

Easy Dinner Recipes: Korean For the Holidays

This holiday season, you may be looking to warm up and get in the holiday spirit. There are tons of easy dinner recipes out there that will keep you warm through the winter months. Soups, made with a seasonal vegetable, could be just the thing to keep up the holiday cheer. This Christmas, try a butternut squash soup, made with a Korean twist.

Ingredients:

3 butternut squash

8 cups of cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2-3 cups of Sweet Rice Flour

Step one

First, wash the outside of the butternut squash. Then cut the squash lengthwise and remove seeds with spoon. Place the butternut squash in a pot, pour in 3 cups of cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes until squash become soft. Then, take off heat and let squash cool.

Step two

When squash are cool, scrape out their contents with a spoon and place the cooked, scraped squash into a large pot, adding 5 more cups of cold water. Boil.

Step three

Now, make some rice balls. All you have to do is boil up some water. Make dough by mixing 2 cups of sweet rice flour with 3/4 cup of hot water. Mix well. You can knead the dough with your hands after it has cooled a bit. Put dough in a plastic baggie and set aside for 30 minutes.

Step four

Put a small amount of rice flour into a large bowl. Then, take a bit of the prepared dough and roll into tiny balls (no larger than the size of your pinky nail). Keep dough wrapped in plastic baggie while you prepare balls.

Step five

Add it all together! Add the rice cake balls to your pot of squash and stir with a spoon. Cook for a few minutes. You’ll know it’s cooked when the rice balls rise to the surface of the soup. Season with salt and sugar, which really brings out the flavor of the soup.

Enjoy!

Judy is a Punk!

The viral video, "Judy is a punk in kindergarten"...exemplifies how being a teacher here in Korea has changed. People have brought their talent to the schools here and are allowed to share it with students. The video is really great with little toothless wonders bopping up and down and singing.

But let me point out a few things that are unique to having a "punk rock" experience in a kindy, here in Korea.

• You will notice the other teachers not dancing or moving to the song. This is because, if they did, the crowd would go more wild and out of control.
• Some kids formed groups and jumped together, while others stood and just sang. I think this shows how there is still that deep "shyness" and "must conform" in the kids here. (Could be speculation.)

I have to say I think these kids had themselves a very unique experience in their young life and I hope it transcends and carries with them into Korean adulthood. See kids...letting loose can be fun!

*Originally discovered at Geek in Korea.

Artpoli Artist Meetup

It seems I keep on discovering parts of Seoul I hadn't seen before. For example, the cafe and restaurant area of Sangsu station. Although I suspect you can call this the extended Hongdae area. I headed to the Blind Spot Cafe yesterday to meet up with folks for an Artpoli artist meetup.

At the cafe was the show "Erotic Fantasies" which just recently opened. It was an interesting mix of sexually provocative artwork.

At our meeting we were mostly introduced to the concept of Artpoli and where it is going. But I think what was most special about this event was the gathering of artists. There were folks who have extensive experience in the Seoul art scene and those (like myself) who want to get their foot further in the door.

After our discussion and coffee we headed out for dinner heading towards Hongdae. We found a bulgolgi place and there enjoyed great conversations and laughs.

Usually life stops after dinner and people go their separate ways, but actually that is not so for life in Korea. And so the rest of our crowd headed to a cozy bar called "Motto" where it felt like you were inside someone's basement listening to old records. I don't have any pictures of this last part but I will tell you my non-alcoholic mojito tasted wonderful.

I have to say this was one of the best evenings I have had here in Seoul in a long time, and mostly because I met new folks and we shared the same passion...art. Even though we mostly talked about music and life. I hope to have more gatherings like this and certainly now feel inspired to get out to more art events or classes.

:)

Sun Shines in on Tom

The sun has been hiding behind a haze of clouds these past few days and I believe it was starting to affect me. Perhaps even Tom was starting to get a little sad missing his friend Sunshine. But on this Saturday morning, as I was preparing to do some work at home, the sun rays came in.

Tom immediately planted himself in their direction and took to playing with a small piece of paper. Or rolling around and getting all his fury bits warmed up.

I'm not a fan of winter and seeing the trees turn bare and the temperature drop has made me blue lately. But the sun coming out today perked up my spirits. I hope I figure out some activities to make sure that I'm not cooped up in my house this whole winter. For now I'll enjoy seeing Tom a happy cat.