Author Archives: Backpackbee

Our Christmas Tree

Although nearly two week later, I thought I’d share photos of our tree and snowfall. Thankfully my strong strapping husband helped me get our oversized tree up in the apartment this year.

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I know, I know….Too big for our space, right?

You guys. YOU GUYS! I have a confession to make…I have been a total Grinch this holiday season. I just mailed out some holiday cards to family last week, we just put up our teeny little tree and twinkle lights, I just baked up a batch of our gingerbread men and I have been dragging my feet on holiday shopping. It’s so unlike me!

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But then… we got our first snow! Yipee! But…I didn’t get to capture it. Oops.

Don’t fret, it’s been snowing on and off here in our little town of Dongducheon, South Korea and guess what? This lady captured it this time!

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You know I am a sucker for the magical little flakes. It just might be what was needed to shake the Grinches out of me. That and Mr. B, bless his huge heart.

Oh speaking of magical flakes, did you see Anchorman 2 is coming to the big screen soon? I’m not saying that I’ll be popping up a camping tent to see it first, but it’s defiantly towards the top on my to do list. In the meantime, check out Ron Burgundy’s Dodge commercials.

Thanksgiving Sushi

Welcome back dear friends and apologies for the delay in postings…. also pardon for the half camera half iPhone photos in this post. Someone, without mentioning names, cough-cough Mrs. B, forgot to pack extra batteries. Unthinkable, right? OOpsie…

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Over Thanksgiving, we had the opportunity to visit Tokyo, Japan. What an amazing experience, seriously wayyy too short, but definitely another one of the most memorable things I will have experienced in my 20’s.

Japan is such an incredible place, even after all the country has been through in the last few years, it just fascinated me. Getting the opportunity to experience another Asian culture first hand was just indescribable, both peaceful and yet shiny and bright disarray, both enchanting and eccentric, both clean and cluttered. As we zipped around Tokyo, I felt as if our minds and eyes were on constant overload, a very familiar feeling from when we first landed in South Korea to live.

We landed at Narita International Airport, took the The Narita Express or N’EX to our hotel in Shinjuku, where we check in at the Shinjuku Prince Hotel. Nothing fancy, perfectly simple, conveniently located in the center of Kabuki-cho, one of Japan’s best entertainment districts, not to mention only a 5-minute walk to and from the Shinjuku subway station. We highly recommend it!

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Because we’ve lived in South Korea now over two years we have had our fill of Korean food, we were on the hunt specifically for Japanese cuisine. We feasted on Yakitori (焼き鳥) AKA grilled chicken on a stick, absolutely delicious, at TORIGEN HAMAMATSUCYOUTEN 鳥元浜松町店! Of course we had gyoza/Pot stickers, and spicy ramen from UMAUMA HIKARIETEN うま馬ヒカリエ店. UmaUma is a Hakata-style ramen noodle shop of long-standing (since 1953), seriously slurp worthy! We indulged on Japan’s longest-running crêpe shop, Marion crêpe, that started life as a food truck in 1976 and offers over fifty mouth-watering combinations to include curry tuna. We ate wasabi ice-cream and drank the most delightful banana cream lattes, and honey loaf. Just when you thought we left out one of the most important foodie items….we absolutely knew we could not leave Japan without savoring some fresh-cut sushi from Sushi Kyotatsu すし京辰.

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We walked, and walked, and walked… all over the Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, and Roppongi area. We took in all the sights and sounds offered in each area. The most notable and most memorable being the Meiji Jingu Shrine, the teenage girls all dressed up like human baby dolls in the Harajuku market area, the busy and largest pedestrian scramble, the bright twinkling night view from Tokyo Tower – Japan’s version of the Eiffel tower, the volcanic Hakone mountains via cable car, the Owakudani Valley, literally called Hell Valley where an ancient crater with sulfurous hot springs have steam rising from crevasses in the ground, took a pirate ship across Lake Ashi, and drove up Mt. Fuji. Oh and throw in a very fast ride on the bullet train too! Whew!

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At Hell Valley the smell of sulfur was pretty pungent, however we didn’t let that stop us from getting our hands on the black eggs. These hard black boiled eggs are believed to add 3 years to your life per egg eaten. We love life so you know we each ate two eggs! Who wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to add 6 years to your life? I’m not kidding when I say these eggs were some of the best hard boiled we’ve had!

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Even though the weather was perfect, we were not able to hike any of Mt. Fuji. The mountain is only open for hiking during two summer months, July and August. The guide we had told us that we were very lucky that our view of Fuji was so clear. We also lucked out and were able to drive to the 5th station because the weather permitted. We munched on Mt. Fuji melon pan or pineapple bun! The bread was freshly baked in front of us and they sprinkled some cocoa powder and confection sugar on top, which made a nice sweet-bitter contrast mmmmm. We then watched the sun set behind the mountain, truly magical and quite a way to end our adventures in Japan.

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Planning a trip to Japan? Check out the locations:

Shinjuku Prince Hotel
1-30-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture 160-8487, Japan

TORIGEN HAMAMATSUCYOUTEN 鳥元浜松町店
Kure Grinding Wheel Building 1F, 2-1-5, Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0013

UMAUMA HIKARIETEN うま馬ヒカリエ店.
Shibuya Hikarie 7F, 2-21-1, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0002

Marion Crêpe
1-6-15 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (東京都渋谷区神宮前1-6-15)

Sushi Kyotatsu すし京辰
Narita Airport Terminal 1, No.3 Satellite, 3rd Floor Tokyo, Japan

Meiji Jingu Shrine 明治神宮
1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan ‎

Tokyo Tower 東京タワ
４-２-８, Minato Tokyo 105-0011, Japan

Volcanic Hakone mountains

Owakudani Valley “Hell Valley” 大涌谷

Mt. Fuji 富士山

Busan Aquarium Shark Dive

EEK! I’ve been totally slacking on this blog lately! Thank you for your patience during my brief lull. I swear I’m back and refreshed and I have to say it was kind of nice to be disconnected from technology and not whip my camera out for a few weeks! Sometimes you just need that, don’t you agree?

Soooo… before getting into all the holiday jazz. What’s been going on lately in our world? Well, we took the KTX (Fast Train) from Seoul to Busan where Mr. B scuba dove in the Busan aquarium tank with sharks, sea turtles and goliath grouper. It was just as exciting for me to watch and snap away outside of the tank as he bubbled by for two hours.

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2013_11_23 Busan Shark Dive

On Eating With People I Adore

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^^Love these few little guys holding on for dear life.

The past three weekends have practically begged me to snap photos it in all its brightly orange and deep burgundy gorgeous glory.

Would you look at those colors? I mean goodness!

As I get out and walk with the leaves crunching underneath my boots, I think to myself how I truly have a Pennsylvanian soul. There’s something about us girls from the North. I look forward to my four seasons. Scratch that… I LIVE for my four seasons. Just about the time I am almost ready to throw my hands up and surrender to the season, it sparks a magical little hint that something new and exciting is on the way. On the way, dare I say precious little white snowflakes? Eek! (Hot drinks, cheerful little dancing flakes, a Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas tunes, and twinkle lights!).

Okay, let’s get back to the weekend.

I haven’t had much time to really breath and enjoy the past few days. I feel like I NEEDED this weekend to be open, go with the flow, no plans, the feeling of rejuvenation!

Mr. B’s been pretty busy lately- which is fine, so it’s fun to be able to spend 2 1/2 solid days with my two lovely lady friends!

Coffee Date? Loving up on one of the sweetest baby girl’s, Taking a short train ride into the city of Uijeongbu? A Pasta and wine dinner date at Padella? Such a novel idea!

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I hope your weekend was just as rejuvenating!

빠데라 Padella
Address: 경기 의정부시 의정부동 155-19 2층
Address: 155-19 Uijeongbu-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do ‎
Phone: 031-856-1216 ‎
Hours: 11:30 – 24:00 Last Order 22:00

Delicious

Is it just me or does it seem like fall has been sticking around lingering longer this year?

No complaints in that department, I am enjoying event single delicious second of it. When I say delicious, I am talking about all of the wonderfully fall flavored morsels that have crossed my lips this season. Mmmm… pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, and of course the delicious dish I’m about to share with all of you.

Are you ready for this?

Spicy Pumpkin Chili! (BAM!) (Sorry, having an Emeril moment)

Ohhh and Don’t forget to bake up some cornbread with a nice pad of honey butter on top. Bob’s Red Mill brand mix with an added 1/3 cup of honey is a fabulous time saver if I do say so myself.

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Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili
(Provided via a friend)

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 red bell peppers, preferably roasted and skinned, cut into medium dice
1/2 a chipotle chili can (canned in adobo sauce) (Watch out, SPICY)
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)
1 Jalapeno (chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
32 oz canned black beans (rinsed)
4 cups roasted pumpkin or winter squash, directions provided below*

Serve with Cabot Extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large stock pot, sauté the onions in olive oil until lightly golden. Add in the bell peppers and jalapeno, and cook for about five minutes until tender. On medium heat, add the chili powder, curry powder, ground cumin, cinnamon, bay leaves, and salt, and cook for another minute. Then add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup of water and the dark brown sugar, stirring well to incorporate. Cook at a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes and adding more water (in 1/4 cup increments) as needed. (You, want to keep things from drying out and sticking to the bottom!).

Add the rinsed beans along with 2 cups of water and cook for another 20 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and vinegar just before serving. Taste, and adjust seasoning.

To roast pumpkin or squash:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Remove the seeds and the fiber from the pumpkin and cut the flesh into chunks, leaving the skin still attached.

Mix the chunks in a bowl with 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay the chunks on a baking tray, skin side down, and put them in the oven. When the chunks of pumpkin are soft and the edges are tinged with brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool, and scoop out chunks of the pumpkin from the skin with a fork. Measure out 4 cups of the pumpkin and save the rest for another purpose, like a salad or snacking later. Or roll like me and put in all the pumpkin. Why not? Life’s SHORT!

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Hope your fall week has been just as delicious!

Happy Halloween!

I am finally back from my two week trip stateside with work and back to my dear blog again too. My trip was amazing and I would love to share it with you all so I will write a post about it a bit later.

First thing’s first! BOO! It’s Halloween! I live to celebrate holidays and look forward to and the traditions we continue to build with each new year. There is something just so magical about the fall season where pumpkin flavored everything and mythical creatures abound, which by the way are totally my style. (There may or may not be a 63oz coffee/latte pumpkin flavoring from Starbucks in the refrigerator right now). What? I’ve told you all..I get my sweet tooth from my grandfather and all the sweets in the world never ever truly satisfy it. Speaking of which, who held out that Target has awesomely fun coffee flavors like this little guy I snagged while stateside? Candy corn?! Yum!

One of the best parts about Halloween is opening your front door to cute kids in costumes. This is the third Halloween living abroad that I’ve had the opportunity to hand out candy in our small community to the other foreigners living here as well. What a treat! Check out my two dino buddies that really had down their scary rawr!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Homemade Chunky Tomato Basil Soup

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I know this is going to sound redundant but I cannot help myself, the weather has been so perfect lately! We drive or take recycling out in the evening and can’t help but notice that the sky is so clear and cloudless and the air is just so crisp . I’m absolutely smitten with this time of the year…as if you couldn’t already tell.

The chill in the air has been delightful and perfect for homemade soups. I have a few new recipes I have found lately that caught my eye, but Mr. B beat me to it this time and whipped up a batch of his homemade chunky tomato basil soup. What a catch my guy is! Now only if he’d do the dishes afterwards.. wink-wink.

Nothing like a hot bowl of soup to soothe the soul.

Weekending Recently

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Unless the weather decides to make a rather abrupt U-turn in the next few days (I really don’t foresee this happening), we have written off summer and bid farewell to her for another couple of months.

We’ve been sleeping with the large windows slid open and it makes our sheet so comfortably cool when we slip into our bed at night. Robes and slippers have become almost mandatory and are hung near the bed to be slipped into, cheerfully greeting us for our early morning awakenings. We have been burning our apple and pumpkin candles, scenting our home in the most sumptuous fall smells. Strolls in the evening require a sweater or layers. Mums are proudly displayed all over our cute country town in stunning shades of yellow, burgundy, and gold (Are you ready for your blog feeds to be jam-packed with gorgeous outdoor shots of all things fall?). Oh! I almost forgot, most excitingly we received our order of Starbucks pumpkin spice flavoring for endless heavenly homemade pumpkin lattes, mornings have never been so sweet!

Continuing on with our love of fall, I found a fun new recipe that made me think of fall, comfort, warmth, and being bundled up inside. A yummy veggie shepherds pie!

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Watch out, our fall fever is highly contagious….Luckily it’s treatable and you just have to give into all of your fall fever desires.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Source: Thoughts by Natalie

INGREDIENTS

3 Medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
A dash of nutmeg
A drizzle of fruity olive oil, to taste
2 Cans vegan chili
1 Onion, roughly chopped
4 Cloves of garlic, chopped
4 Small to medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into pieces
1 14-oz Can artichoke hearts, drained and cut up
1 14-oz Can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles, drained
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Teaspoon dried thyme
1 Teaspoon dried basil
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the sweet potatoes in a pot of fresh salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until under fork tender and mashable.

Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic; stir and cook for five minutes or until the onions are soft. Add in the zucchini; stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the artichokes and tomatoes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, dried herbs and cinnamon. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced a bit. Remove from heat.

Once the sweet potatoes are ready, drain and mash them lightly. Season with sea salt, ground pepper and nutmeg. Drizzle with a little fruity olive oil if desired.

Now it’s time to layer the casserole dish. Start with the two cans of chili, followed by the veggie mixture, then top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until bubbling and hot—about 25 minutes.

Sunday Cooking

I didn’t realize until recently that I collect cookbooks. I didn’t set out to do so…it sort of just happened. I can always remember fussing to look at my grandmothers red binder of hundreds of recipes she collected over the years. It’s so silly, I still sort of fuss to see that red binder when I visit her, I chalk it up to being sentimental. To this day I really enjoy reading new cookbooks almost like a chapter book. It might sound a little strange but I can start from the very beginning and work my way to the very end. Each new page making me think of a new meal idea or challenge. I also enjoy books on culinary school…I’m often swept off into a daydream of what if’s and thoughts of wouldn’t that just be incredible to attend Le Cordon Bleu?

I grew up not really knowing how to properly cook. I think it is safe to say that I was fairly spoiled because I always had someone making me a meal. I believe that is where the intimidation of cooking started for me. I loved the idea of end result where the food was served, admired, and enjoyed like a piece of beautiful art. It was just getting to that end result that I lacked for many years.

Thankfully as I’ve grown so have my taste and curiosity to make and create something new. The fear is still sometimes there looming in the back of my mind when a recipe looks very challenging, however I keep that little voice in check by reminding it that I wont get to enjoy or share something that could be incredibly delicious unless I try to make it first.

Can you relate? Have you ever been intimidated by cooking? Do you find it easier and have more confidence to cook with friends rather than alone? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. For now, no Le Cordon Bleu but I’ll leave you with two very simple but delicious recipes that I pulled from two of my cookbooks.

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Blueberry Crisp
From: Bread & Wine

Ingredients:

4 Cups blueberries (or any fruit, really)

Crisp topping:

1 Cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 Cup pecans
1/2 Cup almond meal (available at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, health food stores, or made by putting almonds in food processor until fine, but before they turn to almond butter)
1/4 Cup maple syrup
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/2 Tsp salt

Directions:

Pour four cups fruit into 8×8 pan. Spread crisp topping over the fruit. Bake at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes, or longer if topping and fruit are frozen, until fruit is bubbling and topping is crisp and golden.

Serves 4

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Basic Hummus
From: The Super Baby Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 Can chickpeas (or the equivalent amount of chickpeas you have cooked yourself)
2 tbsp tahini (omit this altogether if you prefer)
2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Drain the chickpeas and combine all the ingredients in a food processor.

Blend on a low-speed until the hummus is completely smooth. If the mixture seems very thick, add in some extra olive oil or water to loosen it up.

Let me know how they come out for you. Enjoy!

Jeju Island Getaway

This past weekend we got the opportunity to again enjoying a brief getaway on the beautiful volcanic island of Jeju, only this time for a low-key friends meet up/ no real game plan kind of weekend.

Summer is officially over and clearly Fall is knocking on the door. Even on the tropical like island of Jeju the much brisk temperatures are starting to settle it. Saturday was dreary and rained, or misted rather, but we made sure we didn’t let the weather stop our fun. We took full advantage of checking out all the places that our group didn’t get to see the first time each of us visited Jeju in the past.

Get ready for some Korean cheesiness. Ready? Jeju Island Teddy Bear Museum….yes… told you.. we are clearly all about the cheesiness here, O’ Sulloc’s tea Plantation, Manjanggul Cave, Cheonjiyeon waterfalls, Jeju Starlight World Park and Planetarium, and Jinjie Cave.

We sipped green tea, coffee, ate some bingsu, ate green tea frozen yogurt, hiked part of the island coast where we got to check out 15 man-made caves ranging 15metres wide and 20metres long leftover from the period of when Korea was under Japanese rule, had the hubby believing that some of the teddies in the teddy bear museum were recovered and came from the Titanic, visited chocolate land where we later discovered we overpaid and were taken on the price of our boxes of chocolate (live and learn), and of course ate the Jeju speciality Jeju Black Pig (heuk-doe-ji). Overall a good time!

So, What were your plans over the weekend?

Feel free to check out photos and follow along on Instagram too!

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