Tag Archives: Dongducheon

Taste Of the Big Easy

Fat Tuesday is almost here! If you can’t make it to Mardi Gras, why not let Mardi Gras come to you? We Bee’s were treated to a taste of the big easy this weekend. With our friends, we broke out the brightly colored beads and masks and had ourselves a Mardi Gras feast truly fit for a King!

Our friends are originally from New Orleans, they literally created their own little French quarter here in their South Korean kitchen. It was fun to learn more about the Mardi Gras traditions like wearing masks and costumes, and the dancing and throwing plastic beads and doubloon coins from parade floats, and what the baby means inside of the king cake.

What would a Mardi Gras celebration be without authentic New Orleans food? I can assure you this was truly the real deal, shipped straight out of Louisiana. We started off with sipping on Café du Monde coffee with chicory, munched on Louisiana deviled eggs, black-eyed pea’s and beans salsa, enjoyed a delicious Mardi Gras salad, then moved onto the main course that consisted of perfectly fried and Creole breaded shrimp and catfish, cheese grits, and mixed veggies featuring the superstar, okra. Staying true to the cause, we topped the meal off with the infamous king cake and sinful pralines! (It may or may not have been planned, I ended up with the tiny plastic baby in my piece of cake!) So it’s our turn to host the next party! No nudging necessary, we love any opportunity to entertain with friends.

G. family, Thank you again for sharing your family traditions with us! A Bee could truly get used to the big easy way of life!

Living for the Weekends

“Everybody’s working for the weekend” Do you remember that song? Or, am I shamefully dating myself? Truth be told, I’ll admit… I LIVE for the weekends! Saturdays, Sundays, yeah…all equally loved in my book!

Most weekends I sleep in until 8:00AM-8:30AM-ISH then I hop right up and into making my breakfast. Easy decision for me, due to the fact that I more than likely thought and contemplated what I would make myself in the morning the night before. Wow, I am really showing my true oddballness on this blog post, huh?

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I stroll into the living room with my breakfast and hot tea,(shushhh don’t tell Mr. B, he’s typically still checked out in sleepy land), buried and wrapped by tightly with my blankets I sit in our over sized chair with Bean cat. I then proceed to answer my question of the day book, blog, and eventually Skype with my Grandparents. I love it! I love that I have somewhat of a routine that I look forward to every weekend.

Do you have a weekend? Perhaps you also look forward to and feel comforted knowing the weekend routine is upon you?

Cheers to the weekend!

Balmy in January?

Mother Nature is surly throwing not only we Bees for a loop, but the grass and birds too. We’ve had some very interesting weather here in S.Korea. I think its even safe to use the term “Spring-like” to describe it too! The month of January has went from one extreme, we are talking negative temps here, to down right balmy, birds chirping, bugs buzzing, above average weather! Please don’t misunderstand me for thinking I’m complaining, because I’ll absolutely take these gorgeous days! Even if it only last a day or so. I’ve caught Spring fever! And, it’s bad…..to bad it’s not going to last.

Our sweet little Pennsylvania Punxsutawney Phill has seen his shadow! Hooray! Spring will be here before we know it! However, I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to apply to us here in Korea. Just as fast as I wrote the above paragraph, Mother Nature had the last laugh and dumped 2 inches of snow and counting. Isn’t she just a fickle woman?

Hey Korea, no Paju Phil, or Pyongyang Phil? Just thought I’d throw that out there, food for thought.

Well, what a little more snow this year? I love snow, so I’ll make the most of it while its here. Besides, I swoon for the glowing city night-line covered in a soft white blanket.

Enough with the weather chit-chat. How was your weekend? Ours was busy, but fun!

Fabulous pasta shared with friends mmm…Bellissimo! Homework, making pickled mustard eggs, attending a Pampered Chef party, finding silly Bean cat nesting in my reusable grocery bags, tickets to see NANTA, and enjoying a new favorite find, cinnamon Schnee Pang! Have you ever heard of Schnee Pang? It originated in Rothenburg, Germany about 300 hundred years ago and now it has a home in Seoul. Yipee! Love new little finds.

Let’s go back to the topic of NANTA! I must share with you all how wonderful the show was! It’s been on my list of places to go and see since stepping foot in this country. This year I’m really making a conscious effort to keep one of my new year resolutions and tackle my Korea bucket list. NANTA’ is a non-verbal performance with comedy, crowd interaction, and drum-beat music. NANTA’s main stage area displays a huge kitchen where four chefs, three men and one woman, are preparing a wedding banquet. Two audience members get randomly selected to “get married” during the show. Mr. B was on the edge of his seat fearing they would select him because we were in an aisle seat only three rows away from the stage. Being the good wife I am, I booked the seats knowing they might pull us up on stage he- he. Okay, okay! Truly I’m not that terrible. I made him a deal in the end, I’d go up for him if selected. While the chefs cook, they turn their pots and pans, dishes, knives, chopping boards, brooms and even one another into instruments! It’s so creative, a ton of laughs, and was enjoyed by all ages! We highly recommend catching a show if you ever find yourself in Seoul.

Check out the website here.

Happy Weekending all!

Crunch, crunch, crunch

Greetings from my kitchen, again!

Do you ever start the weekend thinking that you are going to accomplish all sorts of things? Only to realize that you have no motivation, or inkling in your body to get out and do it. Well, that was me. It’s now Sunday and I’m a bit ashamed to report I only left my cave this weekend once, recycling. Hey, at least I’m keeping it green! Haha!

Anywho, I guess I shouldn’t shortchange myself. This weekend wasn’t completely a flop. I did clean up and move around Mr. B’s office space, make Dak Dori Tang, and this yummy granola. Mmm gosh was it yummy! …You know I’ll share with all of you.

Ingredients:

5 cups Oats (I used steel-cut oats)
5 cups Cereal (I used heritage flakes)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup mixed nuts
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk powder
1/2 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all of your ingredients up. Spread ingredients on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes

Stir after the granola is slightly cooled. Seal up the mixture in an airtight container.

Enjoy with your morning milk, on top of Greek yogurt, or handfuls at a time afternoon snack….not that any of us here know anything about that…crunch, crunch, crunch.

I can’t describe the amazing aromas wafting through our home this afternoon!

What are you waiting for? Get mixing! Don’t forget to share your wealth, and recipe too!

A Little Spice

Isn’t the color of this stew is insanely appetizing? Who would have thought that ingredients like a little honey, soy sauce, garlic, onions, Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang), Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru), and some other key ingredients, would slow cook so nicely?

I made this very popular Korean chicken dish called, Dakdoritang 닭도리탕, in my slow cooker tonight for dinner. Its chicken cooked in a spicy red sauce with vegetables. Ah! I just cannot get enough Korean cuisine. So, what are your thoughts? Would you dare? I’d love to share! If you want the recipe, just let me know.

My “little helper” bahaha! Yeah right. I think the better name would be snoozer.

Splendid Extended

How was your weekend? I hope it was splendid extended weekend!

Ours surly was!

Some of the highlights from the weekend included:

-Juicing. I’m getting more creative, trying to incorporate sweet potatoes, ginger, etc. so delicious! I can’t help myself. Mmm! If you have a juicer, please share your thoughts and favorites with me. Pretty please and thank you!

Sweet potatoes, carrots, pineapple, red grapes, and jeju oranges. ( I loveed this one! )

Apples, cinnamon, and fresh ginger. ( Mr. B loveed this one! )

-Hair trim. Goodness, my mop desperately needed one! Fuzzy ends…need I say more? Pretty typical trip, except….drum roll….I drove myself for the very first time! No train this time around. If you ever get the chance to drive, or take a taxi in Seoul, you will know why this act in itself was quite the accomplishment! Mr. B was so worried about me driving alone for the first time. He made sure I had a GPS hooked up ready to go, with the route pre-programmed in too! What a guy! Thankfully
I also had a co-pilot. My dear friend accompanied me on the journey. (Girls day!). Woo-hoo! We successfully made it there and back, safe and sound!

-Skype session with my lovely Grandparents. My family always makes me feel so grounded. I treasure all the moments I get to chat with them via Skype, almost as good as being in person.

-Mr. B came home from being away on the East Coast…Hallelujah! Miss that guy a smidge when he’s away.

-Tied up some more of the loose ends of the Cambodia trip with Habitat for Humanity in March. Visa, plane tickets, a bit of research…check, check, double-check.

-Cooked up some fantastic homemade beef stew with Mr. B. Sometimes the best creations come from on the whim ideas. We had left over beef stock from a roast, it was just fitting to make soup. Plus, we’ve still got a white winter backdrop here from our little South Korean living room windows.

Here’s to many more splendid extended weekends in 2013!

Little Lady

Yes, this little lady gave us quite the scare last night…

Thankfully, after a trip to the Korean vet, an exam, x-rays, two magical shots, this little lady is back to her good old self.

I say magical because, within the hour after we got home, she was already on her way to recovery! Whew!

Cost? Take a guess….Are you ready for this? 45,000 WON… In terms of dollars think $45.00. for all of that! EEK!

The vet was wonderful! Can you believe he even asked that I call and update him the next day twice on how she was doing. What compassion!

Have we said how much we love Korea yet?

Fresh Tofu and Bean Paste

Without giving out to much of another good thing… we met some undisclosed friends at another undisclosed location near our home that served fresh homemade tofu and homemade bean paste. Forget the typical Christmas dreams of sugar plums dancing in our heads, we are now envision kimchi pots filled with fresh homemade tofu and bean paste. Mmmmm!

What I can disclose is that our bee bellies were both very pleased by the end of the meal. The location is fairly new and makes the homemade tofu and bean paste on location for ordering or to pickup and take home with you. The view was excellent! I could picture the backdrop with a fresh covering of snow in the winter months or the lush dark green trees in the spring and summer months.

(Before)

(After)

From an outside perspective, what do you think about all the side dishes that accompany a traditional Korean meal? Are you thinking what I’m thinking…Dang, who is doing all those dishes? HA HA!

Yook hwe

EEK! How in the world is it already Tuesday night?! Please! Someone tell me how we already flew straight past the first part of the December month? It seems as though ready or not, The holidays are coming full speed at us! This means we Bees are only a few days shy of making our trip back to the states for the holidays.

Speaking of ready and Christmas, I’ve got to tell you, that Mr. B makes me feel so unprepared sometimes! This man has his entire luggage packed for the trip and even has it sitting by the front door. Bless his little heart. On the flip side there is pokey little me who hasn’t even thought about packing or anything related to that subject. You’ve got to believe when I say this is completely not my style. Perhaps my brain is on holiday overload right now? Or perhaps i’m just choosing to stay in my little bubble of denial. Well, whatever the case I guess I better get a move on it here!

I’m a teeny bit behind in blogging from our past weekend too. See holiday overload line above. I’ll just jump right into it for you now.

This is Yook hwe. (Sorry vegetarians blog followers). This dish just intrigued me way to much not document a photo to share with the rest of you.

What is Yook hwe? Yook hwe is basically like a steak tartar, only this is a Korean dish. The dish traditionally is served with thin slices of a juicy asian pear, salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. And uh yes, we actually tried the dish….we lived to tell the tale…and we actually really liked it. Folks you know by now we are strange birds.

We traveled down South for a holiday get together with some fantastic friends. It was so nice to catch up, chit-chat, laugh, and of course eat! And gosh did we eat! The food just kept coming and coming!

Wishing you all the best the last few days before the magical day of Christmas is here!

Tree Lighting

It’s hard to get over that it is December already, the very last month of the 2012 year. Goodness, what a full year it has been.

Tonight the sounds and smells of Christmas were in the air, it was absolutely wonderful! Perhaps even the best time of the year? Our small community held a tree lighting and wouldn’t you know it the big man in red even stopped in for a visit.

This past week we even had our first snowfall of the season in our little town of Dongducheon. The backdrop from our living room windows are snow-covered fields, hills and trees. It’s so magical! I truly don’t believe it gets any better than this.