Tag Archives: South Korea

Indulge: Seared Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce

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I have to admit, the weekends are rather sacred to me. Actually, thinking about and envisioning the weekend is often the only thing that gets me through my Monday through Friday’s. I’m hopeless, I know. I look forward to that time that I can just rest, recover and reconnect with the Mr. This past weekend my special moment just so happened to be over a truly perfect dinner prepared and cooked right in our own kitchen!

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We picked up this Emeril by All-Clad E6019764 Cast-Iron 2-Burner Reversible Grill Griddle, Black
for our gas stove and seared some steak. It worked out rather nicely and the sirloin was medium perfection! We then dipped the steak into a secret sauce! It’s all about the sauce, ’bout the sauce’, yah baby! (Sorry I hear this song on re-play all day at work). If you follow along on Instagram, you know about THE secret sauce. Half of me wants to be selfish and keep this sauce to myself, butttt what fun would that be? None, so of course I’ll share with all of you!

Hope your taste buds are prepared to p-a-r-t-y! I’m not the biggest meat-eater, but even my taste buds were cheering!

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Seared Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Ingredients:

4 Filet Minion (or your favorite 8oz cut)
3 garlic cloves minced
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk lactose free
½ Tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbs Hungarian paprika (use 2 Tbs if not using smoked paprika)
4 Tbs Madagascar Green Peppercorns in brine
(use 2 if sensitive to pepper)
1 Tsp white fine ground pepper (can substitute black fine ground pepper)
1 shot / approx. 3 Tbs Sherry (can substitute a mixture 2 Tbs Brandy 1 Tbs red wine)
Course Ground Pepper
2 shallots chopped finely
Kosher Salt

Grind the following in a pestle:

½ Tsp Fennel Seed
½ Tsp Oregano
½ Tsp Rosemary

THE Sauce:

In a skillet sauté onions and 1 clove of minced garlic, do not let burn. Just before garlic browns pour in Heavy cream and milk and sherry. Add green peppercorns, 1 Tbs Hungarian paprika, ½ Tbs course ground pepper, 2 pinches salt. Reduce the sauce to about ½ original size and keep it on VERY low heat to prevent a skin forming while temps true slowly cools and helps prevent from over cooking.

Prepare the Steak: (sauce needs be ready prior to cooking steaks)

In a small bowl place:
2 cloves of minced garlic
½ Tsp smoked paprika
½ Tsp white pepper
2 pinches of Kosher Salt

Now dump in the ground pestle mixture from above and shake/ stir so the spices coat the garlic and set aside.

Now that the garlic is flavored, press the garlic pieces into the steak using your hands, or a tooth pick if there are larger pieces. Don’t be scared to get those fingers a bit messy! Top each side of the steak with a pinch of salt and coarse ground pepper to your taste.

Next, make sure the grill, or cast iron skillet is heated to med-high heat. Place steak on grill for 2 minutes (reduce time if stove temp is too high) Rotate (DO NOT FLIP) steaks 90 degrees for 1 minute.
Then flip the steak and cook for 2 minutes, Repeat and rotate the steaks again 90 degrees, cook for 1 minute. Serve & eat!

Click, Ship & treat yourself!

January blues and Crème brûlée

It’s not boo-hoo blues, it’s that the month of January always seems to linger… It’s the month where the major holiday hype has now officially come to an end and that once glittery sparkle of the wintry wonderland is just plain over, your left missing family and friends again, plus you’ve finished all your holiday cookies…uh -oh! (Perhaps that’s just me?) I came across this article and thought it really applied too, especially with its statement on only having the will to get out of bed for nothing less than a strong cup of joe.

Recently we were experiencing fairly decent temperatures, actually getting away with 3 layers and not 5, but then we got hit with a freak snowstorm that gave us a few more inches. Lucky us, right? Adding another layer back on as we speak. How’s the weather in your neighborhood?

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the month of January really needs some cheering up! It needs some pizzazz to lead us into the giant heart-shaped month of February…Yeah! Such an occasion calls for something cheery like…..like…..crème brûlée!

I’ve never attempted to make crème brûlée before, but after watching various YouTube videos, reading, etc. I felt fairly confident that I could pull it off. Seriously, it was the best decision ever, because it turned out perfect! The best part is I get to share with you all now!

Very Easy Creme Brûlée

Ingredients:

2 cups Whipping Cream
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar (also extra for caramelizing on top)
¾ tsp vanilla extract
4 Ovenproof ramekins
1 kitchen torch

Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 300°F

Heat whipping cream in a sauce pan, almost bringing up to a simmer. Please make sure to stir frequently.

In a bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and ½ cup sugar until well blended.

Very slowly stir in hot cream and vanilla extract, so you are not left with scrambled eggs to deal with.

Next, strain mixture through a mesh sieve into something with a pouring lip. Then divide the mixture into 4 ramekins and place in a large cake pan.

Fill the cake pan with very hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully pop everything into oven.

Bake at 300˚F for 35 minutes. Once they are done, you will be able to tell if the brûlée is set but still has a slight giggle to it, remove ramekins from cake pan and water.

Cool the ramekins at room tempted, then place in refrigerator to chill.

Let’s Talk Caramelization: (my favorite part)

Once brûlée is chilled, take out of refrigerator, sprinkle 1/2 to 1 tsp sugar on each custard ramekins. Then with your hand swirl to ramekins around in the air to evenly distribute and spread sugar.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for…..torch the top! Make sure to move the torch in a circular pattern until the whole surface is caramelized just as you likely . YouTube a video if this is your first time to assist with your torch confidence.

Happy eating and don’t forget to share how your creme brûlée turned out!

Click, Ship & treat yourself!

Rosemary in my what?

Rosemary in my COOKIES! YESSS! If you’ve been watching our Instagram account you’ve seen that I’ve picked up some new light cookbook reads. Now…I can no longer hold it in, my current cookbook obsession is, Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskowitz! Isa seriously has me hook line and sinker with these cookies. I turned into an instant cookie monster not even wanting to share with Mr. B. My family knows I am the first to snub most chocolate off, but the addition of rosemary to a cookie really caught my attention. Oh and guess what? IT’S VEGAN!

These cookies were perfect and in every way, just as Isa described they would be, buttery, golden, and wake your taste buds up with the exotic happy marriage of semi-sweet chocolate chips and fresh rosemary. Trust me folks, be forewarned, you are going to instantly become obsessed with these cookies too!

Don’t fret if you think it’s going to be all complicated because it’s vegan and possibly an unknown territory. It’s actually really easy and we had almost everything we needed on hand already in our kitchen. I only had to modify one partial element of the recipe and that was the coconut oil. Isa’s recipe calls for refined coconut oil, I only had unrefined but didn’t let that stop me and certainly didn’t change the taste as far as I am concerned.

Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies
Link directly to source: Post Punk Kitchen

1/2 cup refined coconut oil, softened (I used unrefined)
2 tablespoons lightly packed, chopped fresh rosemary (Chop it FINE)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (golden preferred)(I used Bob’s Red Mill whole ground flaxseed meal)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate semisweet chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two large baking sheets.

In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to beat together the coconut oil and rosemary, until relatively smooth. Add the sugar, and beat for about a minute.

Add the non-dairy milk and flax seeds, and beat once again, for 30 seconds or so. Mix in the vanilla.

Add about half the flour, as well as the salt and baking soda, and mix well. Add the remainder of the flour, along with the chocolate chips, and mix well until it looks like, well, cookie dough.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets in rounded spoonfuls. Flatten gently with your hands. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown.

Let cool on sheets for 3 minutes or so, then transfer to cooling racks to cool the rest of the way.

Thanks for getting me through the tough times Isa!

Not only is rosemary for remembrance, as you may have read in my prior post, our friends departed Korea earlier this AM and mother Korea decided to surprise them one last time before they were on their way… SNOW! It was surprisingly a decent amount of snow that settled in below on our streets, sidewalks and trees. I love looking our windows onto the glittery white rooftops munching on a cookie.

Click, Ship & treat yourself!

More see you laters

Today I joined our friends for brunch at The Bakers Table in Seoul. As I sat there enjoying the Farmer plate, (sunny side up of course), it hit me like a ton of bricks that this was yet another couple of wonderful friends that we’d say our see you laters to (never goodbyes). Yes, in the early morning (SUPER EARLY!) this couple would be off to starting a new chapter, soon with a beautiful bundle of joy, in Malaysia together. We were grateful to have the opportunity to spend some time with them and to open our home up to them on their final nights in Korea.

You think after all of these years abroad it would get easier to see our friends off, but it isn’t. Every time we arrive at this point I always sit and wonder why certain people enter into our lives when they do. We all start off strangers, but end up meaning the world to one another, with this link and strong bond. We know we will see you guys again very soon and cannot wait to welcome this beautiful baby into the world with you as well! Cheers!

2015: Cheers to the New Year!

Whew! 2014 was definitely a roller coaster of a year! There were really incredibly sweet moments and memories made and then of course some doughy times too.

Along the way I’ve learned that life is like baking a loaf of homemade bread. Each single ingredient put in is vital and important because that’s what helps bake and form the loaf in the end. Sometimes in life the ingredients just don’t seem to come together correctly and you get disappointed, or discouraged. You start to think maybe I should dump this damn thing and start over, or question if was a waste of time from the beginning. But you know what? The great news is if you don’t toss in the towel and you let all the ingredients mix and knead, give a little time to bake, it ends in a great crusty loaf! I mean, come on, ending up with a freshly baked loaf of bread in my book is something to be thankful for, am I right, or am I right? Wink-Wink.

So if 2014 was a roller coaster of a year for you as well, know that 2015 might be your best mix of ingredients to come! For 2015 let’s all wake up together in the new year thanking God for giving us yet another day, a day to enjoy another slice of our fresh loaf!

With that being said, who is popping by for some freshly baked whole-wheat honey cinnamon raisin bread? If you can’t make it we highly recommend using some of that Christmas dough on a swanky bread machine like we did (Psstt… IT’S ON SALE TOO!) I don’t think that we will ever purchase another loaf in the store unless in a pinch. Thank you Williams-Sanoma.

Here’s to the greatest mix of ingredients to come!

Happiest of New Years to you and you and of course you!

Honey Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Source: Breville Food Thinkers
Makes one 1.5-pound loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 3/4 tablespoon milk powder
1 3/4 dry active yeast

Add to the fruit and nut dispenser: 1/3 cup raisins

Instructions:
Ensure the collapsible paddle is attached in the bread pan and is in the upright position.

Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed above, then secure the bread pan into the bread machine.

Place the raisins in the fruit and nut dispenser. Select the Whole Wheat setting, the desired crust color, and the 1.5-pound loaf size, then press start.

When the entire cycle is complete, use an oven mitt to remove the bread pan from the machine via the handle, and allow this to cool before removing the bread from the pan. The bread will slice best once completely cooled.

2014: A Very Festive Christmas Dinner

TAKE 1…

TAKE 2…

TAKE 3…

TAKE 4… OKAY, OKAY… On with the post.

Celebrations and togetherness’ like this Christmas evening are dearly treasured moments in our lives.

Wowie, the incredible aromas that are swirling around our place from the kitchen, the love and laughter shared between friends that have become part of our extended family (Santa beards, elf get-up, festive glasses, Cards Against Humanity and all), the overall warmth felt in our place tonight just makes the whole night so memorable. I mean I serious wish that you had a scratch and sniff computer screen for each of these photos, better yet a sampling screen! Don’t worry, may in the new year I’ll honey-do-list Mr. B with carrying out the invention and production.

Our two dear friends came over tonight and prepared us an outstanding Christmas dinner. Thanks guys! Succulent root-beer glazed spiral ham, stuffed tomatoes and mushrooms, bacon wrapped homemade stuffing, steamed lemon pepper asparagus, roasted potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes and British sticky toffee pudding danced happily in our bellies. Mmmm Hmmm….Truly such a special gesture.

Already 2014 is coming to an end. Life really is on fast forward mode, each year we’ve got people coming and going in our lives, so it is always really nice to take some time and let people know how amazing they are and how much they truly mean to us. With that being said…

Dear Family, Friends and Neighbors (near and far), Though you might not be at our dinner table tonight sharing this Christmas meal with us, you are certainly not forgotten and are here in spirit. Wishing You All a very merry Christmas! Cheers!

2014: Christmas Morning

EEK! Christmas morning! What excitement for all!!

Our living room is the epitome of cozy on this Christmas morning mostly thanks to Mr. B. This man sweet talked me into purchasing another tree for our life on this side of the world (let’s be real folks, I didn’t need much sweet talking).

I think I recall the convo went something like this…

Mr. B: “I really think we should get a tree and put it up this year for Christmas.”
Mrs. B: “Check. Done. Boom. In the cart checking out now as we speak.”

Really the tree is our favorite yet and workweek mornings with the Charlie Brown Christmas, Nutcracker, and Elf are constantly replaying from our docking station have been awesomely energizing and uplifting too (well okay for one of us that is).

Christmas morning 2014 was magical, memorable and meant for the books. Thank you all for the cards and gifts. It was almost as if you were here with us… almost…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2014: A Special Christmas Eve Surprise

Holidays, especially Christmas, are incredibly important and cherished to me. Even more so now that I am an adult. I often get so wrapped up in trying to make so many perfect moments, that I forget to REALLY enjoy all of the special moments that surround the holidays. Does that make sense?

Recently, my grandparents told me about an elderly woman that puts up 26 themed Christmas trees each year in her home. 26! Some of the trees have over 4,000 ornaments! Seriously, I think that this woman can relate to trying to create year after year those special moments.

Thankfully, Mr. B recognizes my struggles, knows that holidays are very important to me and knows that I look forward to family traditions year after year. This man gently guides me back onto my jolly holiday train tracks when he feels or notices me starting to derail off into an ugly tinsel mess (you know the kind…it’s the silvery stands that you find months after your tree has come down). He provides me with ever so thoughtful and delightful distractions like the one he surprised me with tonight.

At about 6PM tonight I walked through the doors and was immediately greeted by a chef whipping up something that smelled AMAZING in my kitchen (Check out our Instagram account! It was Mr. B!). Yes, he was preparing a beautiful Christmas eve dinner for the two of us to share.

We started with shrimp cocktails (family tradition), and a homemade French onion soup. Then for the main we enjoyed medium cooked steaks that were served with a green pepper sauce, accompanied by a side of salted boiled potatoes and broccoli. Yep. Adult Christmas IS just as good as it was being a kid.

Dinner was only the beginning… this man, the man that I married, then so thoughtfully wrapped up every single unopened package that was mailed from our family and friends for Christmas so that I’d feel that they were with us more so on Christmas morning. YES, 100% truth! These neatly wrapped packages were nestled under our tree with color codes that he explained identified the person it was from. Still words cannot express just how special he made this Christmas eve for me.

Still wordless… Thank you Mr. B. Thank you!

I hope your holidays are just as incredibly special.

Care to share some of your family holiday traditions?

Making Latkes

Latkes, potato pancakes, or potato cakes as we know them in central Pennsylvania, are a traditional meal for Hanukkah. I thought this would be a perfect post for this time of the season, besides… tonight I had a craving for some good old potato cakes. I’d like to publicly acknowledge and blame my fellow Instagramers for that craving…Thanks guys for all of your recent delicious photos! So we whipped up a non-traditional form of a potato cake using sweet potatoes from a recipe out of my Forest Feast Cookbook.

As we made the cakes, of course we had some inappropriate banter and jokes between us, but we also really reminisced about the first time I ever tried potato pancakes. Yes, it was actually when I first started dating Mr. B. I was sitting in his parents kitchen and we were discussing potato cakes and I believe I happened to mention that I’d never tried one before. Gasp!? I know..talk about sheltered. Well Mr.B’s mother decided right then and there that I had to try one. She immediately started whipping out potatoes, crisco, onions, etc. and made them on the spot! What a woman my mother in-law!

You won’t find any crisco in the version we made tonight, but I do believe that these potato cakes we made would make my mother in-law proud. The entire time I scarfed down my two potato cakes I couldn’t help but think of her with each bite. ‘Tis the season and all that nostalgic stuff, right?

We didn’t change a thing in the recipe. We paired the potato cakes with a nice piece of mahi mahi. It hit this homegirls spot and there were no complaints from the Mr. Victory in my book!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Latkes

Grate 2 sweet potatoes (I don’t bother peeling).

Combine with:

4 beaten eggs
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tablespoon bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper

Fry:

3 Tablespoon heaps (forming patties) in a generous amount of olive oil until golden brown. About 3 min each side on med/high. Remove & drain on paper towels.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt & a sprinkle of chopped scallions.

From The Forest Feast by Erin Gleeson

Tied up with string

Packages and post are all officially in the mail and with a little holiday luck, these things may actually all arrive before Christmas Day! Oh hey, and we got some snow too!

This evening I made clementine wreaths to hang on my neighbors doors. You know, spread a little extra holiday cheer… This time of year I’m always feeling extra giddy about all the little packages and cards that are beautifully tied up with string, sprinkled with glitter, and thoughtfully picked for the receiver.

To make a DIY clementine wreath you will need the following items…

Ingredients:
7 or 8 nice looking (smaller) clementines
a roll of clear cellophane wrap, cut 10 – 12 inch wide length-wise.
Tape, any type will do you
Twine
ribbon
cinnamon sticks if you are fancy…. (not included in mine this time)

Directions:

1. Lay down a piece of clear cellophane on a smooth surface.
2. Line up your seven or eight small clementines onto the 10-12 inch side of the cellophane, about two to three inches from the edge.
3. Space out your clementines, about a pinky finger-width apart, leaving a bit of the cellophane at the beginning and end of the clementine row.
4. Now Tightly roll up the row of clementines.
5. Where you left the ends longer, crises-cross them over one another once and tie it with ribbon. It should now resemble a circular wreath at this point.
6. Cut seven or 8 pieces of twine or ribbon, each about 10-12 inches long, and start to tie one between each of the clementines (I used a candy cane striped red and white twine for mine).
7. Adjust as needed and you are finished!

Wasn’t that simple?!

Now go deck some halls and spread that holiday cheer!