Monthly Archives: April 2013

April Foodie Pen Pal

It’s that time again, you know….when I reveal my foodie pen pal. So much excitement!

I was linked with Ashley C. from wannabegreen.net. located in Alabama.

Ashley sent some fun treats that Mr. B nor I ever tasted or seen. Yey! Love broadening our taste buds.

Drum roll please….

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Another successful link and new friend from across the miles. Thanks again for the great package Ashley!

Backpackbees

Good Friends

The other night, we went to dinner with our friends to celebrate their “wedding anniversary”.

It was so great getting to meet new friends as well as their mother that flew into town.

I failed to take any good photos of the dinner… Tsk…I know. I was caught up in the conversations and laughter.

Dinner was amazing! (Oliva Garden, what a cute play on words, reminds me of a stateside chain….hmmm)

Good friends are the best!

Directions to the restaurant:

Oliva retaurant is conveniently located around the corner from the US embassy and just one block west of Gyeongbokgun Palace.

If you are traveling by subway, go to Gyeongbokgun Station, and walk out exit 3. Walk straight for about 5-7 minutes (about 100m) and you will see the restaurant on the right side about 1-2 minutes PAST the starbucks. If you reach an LG Digital store, you have JUST past the restaurant.

35-28 Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
서울 종로구 통의동 35-28
+82 2-733-3056

http://www.oliva.kr/

Backpackbees

Baked Almond Coconut Curry Crusted Tilapia

Poor tilapia. It’s often passed by in the store for its tasty sea cousins salmon or tuna. It’s never really the star of the show. Why? I have no idea… It’s such a wonderful little white fish. It’s so versatile, healthy, quick and easy to make, and best of all cheap, cheap, cheap!

Are you a fan of fish? Most people reply “yes, as long as it does not have the fishy taste to it.” Touché. Me, I could eat fish every day if I could. It never gets old! So many ways and unlimited possibilities to marinate, grill, bake, sear, broil, eat raw…. Yum, Yum, and YUM!

Tonight tilapia was the show stopper at our house for dinner. Plus, if you were one of those people that do not dig the fishy taste, or are new to eating fish, I have an excellent recipe below to share with you.

Baked Almond Coconut Curry Crusted Tilapia

Recipe slightly adapted from FamilyFreshCooking

Ingredients:

4 Thawed Tilapia filets
1 TSP Curry powder
1/4 Cup Unsalted Almonds
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flake
Ground fresh black Pepper to taste
Coconut oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. lightly coat pan with coconut oil. Pulse in food processor the almonds, coconut flake, curry, and pepper to taste. Coat tilapia with coconut oil then dredge fish in the curry powder, almonds, and coconut flake mixture, as you would with breadcrumbs.

Once in baking pan, sprinkle a few pinches of the unsweetened coconut and curry powder on top of the fish already coated with the above mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Test tilapia to ensure cooked through & flakey.

Enjoy! Please feel free to let me know what you think.

Backpackbees

Spring Wedding

Today was an absolute breathtaking day for a Spring wedding! The sun came out, the temperature was warm in the sun, cool in the shade, the birds were chirping, everything in budding and blooming. Ah… just breathtaking!

We attended Mr. B’s co-worker’s wedding in Seoul earlier this afternoon. Such a beautiful ceremony! It was half in Korean and half in English (how fun is that?). The pastor was outstanding too, some of the best vows and sermon that we have heard yet. Particularly the part that sticks with us is the joke he cracked about Adam and Eve. He said, “GOD, why did you make Eve so beautiful? God replied, so that you will love her. Adam then says, GOD, why did you make Eve’s skin so soft? God replied so that you would love her. Adam then asks, GOD why did you make Eve so stupid? God respond, so that she would love you…” .  LOL!

All jokes aside, the vows were a strong message about upholding your marriage, your friendship, your commitment to one another forever. Once you are married your best friend is your spouse. What a beautiful reminder to each and every one of the audience attending the ceremony.

The bride and groom were such a gorgeous couple. Seriously, look how cute they are! Happy, smiling, and now not only husband and wife, but best friends forever too.

Congratulations you two! We wish you nothing but a life long of good health and happiness together forever and ever!

Backpackbees

Promise

The weather hasn’t fully submitted yet here in Korea. As the Spring weather typically seems to do every year, it’s quite capricious, here we all feel the seasonal pangs of change. I see glimpses of the promising summer seasonal bliss while riding my bike, even if I have to still wear a heavy jacket.

At last, life is full of sweet promise, as only it can be in Spring.

Backpackbees

공씨네주먹밥 Kong’s Riceball

I often find that little hole in the wall places are the best kind of places. They typically serve some of the most unusual and delicious little finds. Take our secret restaurant for instance. It’s so off the beaten path and it has some of the best food we’ve eaten since living in Korea. I guess that’s why we really can’t let the week go by without grabbing dinner there at a minimum once.

Last night I got a text from my girlfriend Mary asking if I wanted to meet up for lunch at a little hole in the wall near both of our homes, Kong’s Riceball. It’s been on my list of places to check out because every time we pass it on walks we chuckle to ourselves. Humorous name, right? Plus the slogan reads, “Get some FUN – Fast Unique Nutritious.” Obviously it was hook, line, and sinker.

I’m sure you can guess what Kong’s serves up…if you guessed rice balls, you are wrong. Just kidding, of course its riceballs silly!

You get a choice of filling like tuna, spicy grilled chicken, spicy anchovy, flying fish and cheese, marinated beef, roasted pork, crab meat and broccoli, salmon, spam and even kimchi. These little guys remind me of the Korean kimbap triangles that are sold in convenience stores here, only BETTER.

Kong’s forms a ball with the seasoned rice, sticks the filling in the center, and then roll it in roasted sea laver or seaweed. It’s really tasty, I promise! Plus, it’s really convenient and would be a great snack for when you are on the go. We got the flying fish row, the crab meat and broccoli, and pumpkin porridge. I completely forgot to post the cost! Super cheap! Mine was only 6,000W!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

718-1 Jihaeng-dong
Dongducheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
031-859-5383
http://kongsriceball.co.kr/

Then for a little sweet treat pop on over to Cafe 7 Gram across the street, just like we may or may not have…

Backpackbees

Sunday Morning Poached Eggs

You know what? Poaching an egg is very intimidating and unknown territory when it comes to a mediocre cook. Truly, I can say this from experience. Believe it or not, I never poached an egg until this morning. Boy, they are tricky little guys!

I found that using a small bowl to slowly slide the egg into the almost boiling water worked the best. Thank goodness for good old Google and some tips from Real Simple magazine to help me keep calm and cook on.

Fresh eggs are key. My eggs are fairly fresh, but not fresh-fresh, like snatched right out from under the hen fresh. When I think of fresh eggs, I instantly think of my grandparents that raise chickens. Sometimes they tell me they have so many eggs, they often run out of creative ways to use them up. Maybe after they read this post they will want to poach some eggs too?

What are your thoughts on poached eggs? Have any tips or tricks to getting them perfect?

Backpackbees

All Things Pink

Beautifully wrapped pink little packages, fresh strawberry punch, delicious pink lemon flavored cupcakes, pink cray paper pom-pom balls, and some of the sweetest ladies a girl could ask to surround herself with.

These things can only mean one thing…

It’s a girl!

This weekend was all about celebrating and showering our dear sweet friend Krista. Her special little Jilly-bean is due to make her big debut into this world shortly, and we are all so terribly excited to meet her!

Congratulations Krista and Dave, Can’t wait to meet the new addition!

Backpackbees

While Spring Is Making Promises Outside

Hello from here, where the big news is spring. Big flowery cotton like blossoms in the most gorgeous shades of pink and white are popping up all over Korea, even this far North. While I cannot say that we’ve been up to anything earth shattering or groundbreaking as of late, we have been making it a point to get out and see all of the incredible seasonal changes occurring right around our home. One bloom in particular is the cherry blossom trees here in Korea. Breathtaking!

I took these last night while on our stroll home from date night. The moon was shining brightly, the sky was a beautiful deep blue. Ah! I just couldn’t help myself from snapping some photos to share with you all.

Have a great weekend, we’ll chat soon!

Backpackbees