Author Archives: Backpackbee

Sunday Serenity

This morning I awoke to a dusting of white snow on the streets below and hillside just behind our apartment. I also awoke with a terrible sore throat. Perhaps it was that I slept with my mouth open the night before? No, not me… I’d never do such a thing. LOL! Perhaps it was the evening walk the night before with Mr. B in the blustery winds, or perhaps it’s just something I picked up from work that continues to make its rounds. Whatever it was… it isn’t welcomed and needs to go.

Normally I’d sip a spicy peppery remedy that my grandparents would make when i’d be back home staying with them, but this time I remembered that we had some Asian pears and honey. The two ingredients that my Korean co-workers tell me will heal any throat ailments because they are loaded with Vitamin C and K. Today I’ll put them to the test and get some sweet serenity on this Sunday.

Backpackbees

What The Wang Chung?

Everyone has some freakishness they rather keep to themselves, right? Something embarrassing about their existence that they would never openly admit…today mine comes in the form of my Korean co-worker catching me singing out loud “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” by Wang Chung… WHAT? Yes… me… No clue where it came from. I completely blame it on 94KX. Central Pennsylvania folks you know the terrible local radio station that I speak of. Somewhere Wang Chung went to craving spicy coconut lime shrimp for dinner. Yeah… sort of all over the place when I think about it? Whatever it was, I went with it.

This succulent spicy shrimp is quick to whip up on the whim and big on flavor! So….”Ev’rybody have fun tonight!”

Spicy Coconut Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 Jalapeno peppers
1 Lime, zested with juiced
2 Garlic cloves
1/3 Cup sweetened shredded coconut, heaping
1/4 Cup coconut oil
1/4 Cup soy sauce
1 Pound cooked medium shrimp

Instructions:

Combine first six ingredients in Vitamin or food processor; blend throughly. The consistency will be thick. Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Pour in the thick sauce over the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and allow to marinate at least 1 hours.

Cook shrimp on the stove in a skillet, turning frequently until nicely warmed throughout, about 10 minutes.

Of course any excuse to eat roasted garlic too!

Anyone else want to share their freakishness moments with me tonight?

Backpackbees

Sob Story

Did you see the latest Instagram Backpackbees photo? Yes… that’s a chair that sits in the lobby area of work that a parent let a little Picasso doodle all over with crayons. Yikes… That’s not even the sob story piece of this blog. It’s been a pretty rough week in general, but never in my twenty something years on this earth have I ever experienced tears while chopping my onions, that is until tonight. Can you believe a teeny tiny shallot was the one to do me in? The tears just streamed down my cheeks as I chopped as quickly as I could. Seriously it was as if I were sobbing. Of course I had to pause intermittently because my eyes were on fire and walk away from the cutting board, but I returned as quickly as I could to get the little guy prepped for our dinner.

What about you, are your eyes sensitive to onions? Intrigued, also waiting for Mr. B to finish up cooking the chicken, I looked it up on the internet and found that the syn-propanethial-soxide that the onion releases as a form of gas when cut into causes the eye irritation to some. It then went onto say that a good onion cry, though not hormonal or emotional, often makes people feel better afterwards. As silly as it sounds, it sort of did….

Wellll….. maybe it was just the excitement and anticipation to dig into this meal? Or, maybe it’s that we realized it’s Wednesday and that means we are closing in on another weekend!

The recipe was slightly altered from Iowa Girl Eats.

Ingredients:

5 Slices turkey bacon, chopped
4 Chicken breasts, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Shallot, chopped
3 Cups white button mushrooms, sliced
6 Cups fresh organic Korean spinach
1 1/2 Cup half & half
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

First cook bacon in a large skillet, cook until crispy. Not much grease, if any is left behind from the bacon, don’t bother wiping out, continue on with cooking chicken breast in same skillet to gather any remaining bacon flavors.

Season to taste chicken breasts with salt and pepper then add to skillet and sauté until no longer pink. Remove off to side and cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the rest of the meal.

Next, melt butter in skillet, add shallots and mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper, and then sauté until mushrooms are tender. Throw in spinach then cover and sauté randomly until just barely wilted. Add half & half  and cook until the sauce is thickened, after thickened, stir in grated parmesan cheese.

Last but certainly not least, arrange chicken on your plate,  pour sauce on top and sprinkle with cooked turkey bacon.

We enjoyed with twice baked potatoes and a nice glass of refreshing wine.

Next time we think we will add in some spice to spice it up! Until then, enjoy, check out Iowa Girl Eats, and stay tuned.

Backpackbees

Seoul Favorites

I’ve written about Insadong (인사동) before but I can’t help but continue to go back to the area again and again. It never gets old. I find the most random treasures and eats and treats that instantly become new favorites. I told Kelsey about the area when we first got to meet up with her the other weekend in Seoul. She instantly was intrigued and sent me a text message Friday evening asking if I minded meeting up with her and playing tourist around the area. Of course I couldn’t resist! Plus I jumped at the opportunity for a girls day.

We met at the top of Jonggak Station (Exit 3) staircase. My train arrived about 10 minutes before her’s so I snapped a few photos. Again, I couldn’t help myself! After all, Seoul obliged with the most perfect weather. The sun was out in full force and it felt like it was recharging my own soul and reminding me why I loved this city so much. Pure pre-spring perfection!

Kelsey’s brunette hair finally appeared among the sea of jet black hair climbing the staircase and we set off to Insadong. It had been quite sometime since I last visited the area, I had to re-gather my bearings… it all came back once we walked forward a few blocks. She was such a trooper putting all of her trust in me like that. Thanks Kels!

One of the fun parts about Insadong, or Seoul in general is all of the fun strange street food vendors. The vendors food smells immediately wafted into our noses as we entered the area. It was exactly noon so it was perfect timing to make our way around the area.

I’m sure you are wondering what the above photos are of? They do look quite different don’t they? Well, they are a crispy tube. Think ice cream cone texture, filled with ice-cream. Quite a comical scene to see crowds of all ages carrying these things around. We decided to save ourselves possibly for the end of the trip, or for a tad bit warmer weather.

I took Kelsey to explore my favorite rice cake cafe in the area, Bizeun. This place serves as many as 250 different types of Korean traditional rice cake. The best part was that she loved my favorite rice cake as much as I do! I find that most people sort of turn their noses up at rice cakes because its something so foreign to them at first… especially the squishy one that I love that Kelsey immediately took to. Is this girl my kindred spirit or what?

After leaving Bizeun, we headed up the street towards more of the shops and vendors. On my list I specifically wanted to share the little outdoor vendor that sits on the corner of the center street running through Insadong. It’s all mismatched pottery. Beautiful teapots, tea cups, vases, etc. Each time that I stop at this stand I end up picking something up. Shhhhhh don’t tell Mr. B. Kelsey instantly fell in love with the stand and found an awesome little trinket. She said that she wanted to come back for some future gifts for family members. I was smitten that she loved the place as much as I do.

We jetted down some alleyways and I showed her one of the best steamed dumpling stands that I’ve had since living in Korea. Anytime of the day I have found myself around this alleyway, there’s a line. Always! This place was is so simple but oh so delicious. Good stuff folks!

We shared some poop bread. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s Poop bread ( 똥빵 ). Okay, I’ll digress and let you all in on the joke. Korean youth are obsessed with poop. It’s odd.. you and I know that…but it’s their thing. This bread is filled with delicious Red beans and walnuts inside. It’s actually really delicious and if you’ve had bung’eo (붕어) the fish pastry filled with red bean paste. MMMM… thinking about the warm tasty red bean filling this very second makes me so hungry! I have to stop while I am ahead before I go out and mull a poor street vendor.

When in Insadong you must drink tea! Find a tea shop, visit the tea museum, or  Korea’s famous O’sulloc Tea House. We stopped into O’sulloc, I shared with Kelsey that Jeju Island off the coast of Korea has the tea-plant and tea fields that you can stroll through. Another must do while living or visiting Korea.

After O’sulloc we found ourselves wanting to sit down and enjoy some tea and some sort of sweet. Of course because the sun was shining and I was instantly transitioning into a Springy mood, naturally, I had my mind set on Patbingsu. Once I found out that Kelsey loved red bean paste I knew I had to share Korea’s iconic dessert. Ohhhh sweet summer is near and I cannot wait to slurp this stuff up for dinner. No shame, no shame. We indulged in our patbingsu, sipped our hot citron tea and talked and giggled for hours.

 

Address:

130-4, Insa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul-si 
서울 종로구 인사동 130-4일대

www.insainfo.or.kr (Korean only)

www.visitseoul.net (English, Korean, Japanese).

By Train:

Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 6.
Go 100m straight, then turn left.
-OR-
Jonggak Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 3.
Go straight 300m, and turn left at the 4-way Intersection.
Go straight 100m, and take the left road towards Insadong-gil Road.

Backpackbees

Assimilating

I’ve written some time ago just how difficult it can be to assimilate into a new culture while living abroad. Regardless of if you are a adult or not, everyone has some level of trouble adjusting. While everything is very exciting, it’s also bit overwhelming in a sense too.

This past weekend we met up with a family member that has very recently relocated from the East coast of the US to a smaller town on the outskirts of Seoul here in Korea. Yes! You read that I said KOREA, right? We finally managed to get some family here with us! On a semi permanent basis too! Eeek! We are shrieking with delight!

Kelsey has been getting acquainted with the Korean culture but was already in desperate need of some normalcy. (Insert two eager Bee’s to the rescue!)

The thing we are most excited to introduce to friends and family is definitely Korean cuisine. We typically like the shock and wow factor. However we knew that we needed to give Kelsey a nice healthy balance of what we introduced. After all we didn’t want her on the first flight out of here, especially when we just got her here. So we decided to stick to the foreigner friendly areas around Seoul for the day.

All three of our fitbits were buzzing because we traipsed all over Itaewon and Myeongdong. I am sure from past post you recall trips to both places. But if you are fairly new to the blog, Itaewon is a multi-cultural place full of bars, restaurants, shops, clubs, and Myeongdong  is a large shopping area that features stores like H&M, Zara, and Forever 21.

The Bakers Table
244-1 Noksapyeong daero Itaewon dong Yongsan Gu
Seoul, Korea 244-1
Mon – Sun: 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Phone 070-7717-3501
Email mirabakery@naver.com
Website http://blog.naver.com./mirabakery

Backpackbees

Burgers, Spuds and Shakes

Beef, vegetarian, turkey, tofu or chicken.  Burgers are always a food of comfort to us all in one way or another. I feel like they are meant to be enjoyed and savored with good friends. Tonight we had the pleasure of sharing our company with our dear friend Krista and her sweet baby girl while Dave, hubby/dadda was working the night shift. (I’ll take any excuse to snap away photos of our Jilly-bean).

The great thing about burgers is that you can build them with any sort of fun toppings just the way you want!

Tonight we opted for some very healthy choices that included pan-fried bacon and sautéed onions, melted extra sharp cheddar and roasted rosemary spuds in the oven. Then to finish off our light meal we toasted marshmallows over our gas range for nutella milkshakes.

Mr. B kept reminding me that I needed to live on the edge a little and indulge. Obviously I didn’t need that much convincing. . .

You know you want to make it…. just do it!

Nutella Toasted Marshmallow Shake

1/2 Cup milk

2 Cups packed vanilla ice cream

2 Heaping Tablespoons of Nutella

Toasted marshmallows, for garnish (optional)

Huzzah for the weekend!!

What are your favorite burger toppings? Share your delicious creativity with us!

Backpackbees

Pan Seared Tuna Steaks

Well Helloooooo there dinner!

Doesn’t this tuna steak look incredible? Simply mouth-watering, juicy and tender! Yum!

The great thing about this meal is that it all happens quickly, in one pan! (As the party typically responsible for nightly dish duty, this rocked my socks off).

Think only a few minutes to prepare and cook then enjoy! Plus, it is such a healthy option and ideal for a light evening dinner.

Mr. B pan seared these steaks on the stove top in our cast iron pan in a little oil and sprinkled reasonably with blackened old bay seasoning. Turn with a spatula or tongs when the color change shows about 1/4th of the way up the steak, cook the same amount of time of the back side, about 15 minutes.

Don’t forget to pair with a perfect side like some bok choy too!

Have any good tuna steak recipes to share?

Backpackbees

Lighter

The evening sky after we get home from work is staying lighter longer. You know what that means? The perfect opportunity to get out and take a walk! The view from inside looked almost Spring like, however looks were a bit deceiving and it was still rather cold out. That darn groundhog! After the initial miserable shock to my bones, I was still really happy to finally get outside again. Ohhhhh how I have been longing to get out in the evenings again and thaw these bones. (This coming from the lady who posted she wanted state of emergency snow only a few short weeks ago).

Keeping on the topic of lighter, tonight we cooked up a lighter and much healthier version of take out sesame chicken and broccoli. We relied on a good ol’ Martha Stewart recipe and slightly adapted it to share with all of you. Remember, use what you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to get creative, if you don’t have brown rice or multigrain, go with quinoa!

Enjoy!

Lighter Sesame Chicken & Broccoli

Recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

2 Cups (흑미 찹쌀) heukmi chapssal, AKA Korean multigrain rice

3 Tablespoon clover honey

2 Tablespoon sesame seeds

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Garlic clove, crushed with a garlic press

2 Large egg whites

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 Teaspoon of ground pepper

1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons safflower oil

1 Medium yellow onion, sliced thin

2 Pounds broccoli, cut into large florets

Instructions:

Cook rice according. Sorry guys, we cheat and use our Korean rice cooker.

While rice is cooking, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In separate bowl, whisk egg whites and cornstarch together. Toss in raw chicken and coat; season with ground pepper.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 Tablespoon of your oil over medium-high heat. Next add in coated chicken turning occasionally, until golden throughout.  Once cooked, add in the sauce you’ve set aside and chopped onion, and toss to coat chicken again.

Last, steam broccoli to your liking. We prefer slightly undercooked and crispy.  Once done plate rice, topped with chicken and broccoli.

Backpackbees