Tag Archives: summer

Weekends

Weekends….If my bathing suit asks, tell it there’s only been carrot sticks and fruit smoothies for this gal. HA HA.

Mr. B’s Uncle, Kelsey’s father, and Kelsey’s close friend Meghan were in town this weekend. Kelsey’s been playing tour guide around Seoul and asked if we all could meet up at Kervan for a late lunch, followed up by a stop at Passion 5 and Softree for a sweet treat, then onto adult beverages at Reilly’s Taphouse. Of course we gladly accepted the offer.

We all had a blast chatting the evening away. A storm that was brewing most of the afternoon finally made its appearance, but even that didn’t put a damper on our fun!

(Kervan) Serving excellent turkish cuisine. Every dish was favorable and delicious! Check out that balloon bread! The service was fast and brought almost all of the food out together. I swooned over the beautiful lanterns and the tiles on the wall, red and turquoise blue. It wasn’t terribly busy when we arrived so we were seated rather quickly while we waited on the rest of our group.

Mr. B’s Uncle opening the door to Passion 5 with the huge Harry Potter like chandelier hanging in the back. I love that thing! It looks like it is floating in mid-air in the evening.

The service at Passion 5 however not so fantastic this time around. Let me digress, the bakery was rather busy, but we felt that we were looked over continuously because we were foreigners. The biggest turn off was when we finally were assisted with picking out the desserts we wanted, the young woman wouldn’t make eye contact and had a curled lip the entire time she was pulling each mini pie or cake out of the display case. When we asked for everything to be packed up to go as well as forks because there was no seating available, we weren’t given a bag and asking for forks was as if we had asked for her first newborn. Don’t worry this experience didn’t kill our spirit either.

(Softree) This was my choice for dessert. I opted for the classic honey chip this time.

(Rileys Taphouse) This was the first time we went to Rileys, we got there just in time too. We were seated at a nice hightop table perfect for people watching. Side note, can I ask when the high wasted shorts and midriff tops and neon glasses without lenses came back? Meh, what do I know? I am certainly no Fashionista. I just cannot get down with this recent fashion craze. We enjoyed a round of cider and ales and playing around with my new camera. We absolutely plan to go back!

Happy weekending to you too!

Backpackbees

Locations:

Kervan
Website

Reilly’s Taphouse & Restaurant
Website

Passion 5
Website

You Asked For It

Did you know that dopamine levels rise in your brain when you try new foods? All the more reason to broaden your inner foodie horizons, right?

Someone mentioned in passing that they missed out on seeing what we’ve been concocting in the Bees kitchen lately. Yes, I admit…there has been a teeny bit of neglect with blogging since getting back from Malaysia. To be fair, I blame summer and the evening walks we’re taking advantage of before monsoon season really settles in. Nevertheless I’ve been taking photos of the delicious foods and things we’ve been up to, just purely neglecting to go the extra mile to upload them and write a post. I know you’ll forgive.

Boy do we have a treat to share from one of our favorite blogs. So let’s get on with it and kick off the very middle of this week the right way!

www.greenkitchenstories.com. Check them out!

Warm Cauliflower ‘Couscous’ with Green Peas & Herbs
Recipe by: GKS
Ingredients:
1 head of raw cauliflower
2 handfuls mixed parsley and basil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A drizzle cold-pressed olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
2 cups frozen (thawed) or fresh peas
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Bring a saucepan with water to boil. Meanwhile coarsely chop the cauliflower and place the florets and stem in a food processor or blender and process until fine couscous- or rice-like texture. Do it in batches if you have a small food processor. Pour the cauliflower into the boiling water, lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the herbs, toast the pumpkin seeds in a skillet on low-medium heat until golden. Drain the cauliflower ‘couscous’ in a sieve and place in a large serving bowl. Add herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and combine everything. Add peas, pumpkin seeds, crumbled feta cheese and toss until mixed. Garnish with sprouts or micro greens. Serve warm or chilled. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.

Eat the “couscous” on its own, or it makes a very nice paring to some homemade breaded cod. Just curious, what do you think? Do you think you will try the recipe? What do you think you will pair the dish with?

Stay tuned for some more delicious recipe ideas.

Backpackbees

Sandy Oasis

I may be the only one that feels this way, but what is it about the ocean that just makes you chirpy? We spent the past weekend in Busan at the beach, celebrated Mr. B’s birthday in style, hopped aboard the never-ending Busan city tour bus, feasted on some rather delicious celebratory foods and adult beverages. Relaxation all around. (Minus our amature booking the wrong hotel location snafu..oops). Check out that beach crowd, looks like we weren’t the only ones with the idea to escape to a sandy oasis for the weekend.

Cheers to sandy toes, salty hair and smiles all around!

(Pardon my unintentional gang signs, I was caught off guard with the kimchi fingers)

(Scary bus)

(We learned whipped cream potatoes literally is whipped cream…who would have thought)

(AKA Creeper Mode)

We’d love to hear from you, any fun summer adventures planned?

Backpackbees

Busan Addresses:

Busan City Bus Tour
Tour price: Adults (ages 19 and up)-10,000 won, children and teenagers (ages between 4 and 18) – 5,000 won

Phone reservation: ARS +82-1688-0098 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese), TEL +82-51-464-9898 (Korean, English) * Receive your ticket from the bus driver on the day of the tour.

(Please note that you may have to wait an hour or two to board bus at each stop you get off)

Haeundae Beach 해운대해수욕장
Jung-dong, U1-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan-si
부산광역시 해운대구 해운대해변로 264 (우동)

Zennin Restaurant (Highly recommended by we bees)

EENIE MEENIE MINIE MOE 해운대 (Best Potbingsu yet!)
Busan (Pusanshi) Haeundae (Heundegu) middle sinuses (Chundon) 24 Paredo~ushizu Commercial Street No. 1-7 or Address 부산시 해운대구 중동 24 팔 레드 시즈 상가 1-7 호
070-7360-9513
Hours:12:00pm to 10:00pm

Burger & Pasta
수영구 광안동 193-4번지 대우아이빌 102호
Busan, South Korea
051-751-6631
Hours: 11:00am to 2am

Strangers

What I love about Seoul is that I never know day-to-day, week to week, what I am going to get myself into, or who I am going to meet. The adventures are always endless and the choices are so grandiose. Do I hike? bike? head to a coffee shop? be a tourist? head to the east coast beaches? shop? Or, do I decide to hop on a train and just explore a random train stop?

This weekend I decided to get myself back down to Seoul, specifically the Itaewon area and pick up freshly baked bread, as well as stop by and see my friend Mipa at her newly opened bake shop PLANT. Again, big surprise decisions made around food. I don’t care, I am not ashamed to admit that… my belly and my soul truly needed it.

The bakery of choice was Maybell 메이벨 베이커리오월의종. Maybell has been listed as one of the top 7 must get to bakeries if you ever find yourself in Seoul. What I love about Maybell is that you are not going to bite into a scrumptious crusty piece of bread to find chunks of corn or a crazy hot dog. Yes, I am serious.. it happens more than I’d like to admit here. I pick dainty little wonderfully looking creations from places like Paris Baguette, example a strawberry harmonica…and then there is a hotdog hiding in there! You think I’d learn too? No, I am almost always startled and find myself saying, “What in the world is this doing in here?” Oh Korea, ha-ha!

Maybell is the real deal, it’s true to form European-style bread. I knew that I had to get there quickly because they sell out rather early in the day. Well, I guess I wasn’t the only one with bread on the brain this afternoon, I got there and stood in a line that looped around the tiny bakery. Not to worry, there still was plenty of choices and I still was able to snag my favorites; cranberry rye, a loaf of rye, and ciabatta.

When leaving Maybell to head to PLANT, every time I’d moved my bag or bump it, the aroma of the bread would just swirl right out and up into my nostrils. Mmmmm… I could live in bakery if I could smell that all day everyday.

Prices: Baguettes ₩3,000; sourdough loaf ₩5,000

Hours: Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m., closed on Sundays

Address: 737-2 Hannam 2-dong, Yongsan-gu (용산구 한남2동 737-2);+82 02 792 5561

Conveniently Maybell isn’t that far from PLANT. I arrived at PLANT at the right time because there were only two woman sipping drinks and sharing conversation, eventually each seat at the three tables would become filled, as well as people waiting to grab a seat. This bit of lull gave me the chance to talk with Mipa for a few minutes. I asked about how she was doing and how business was, I was pleased to hear that she had been really busy and the business was going well. I then asked if I could snap a few photos for the blog because I wanted to help get the word out about her and her partners bake shop. She of course permitted and went back into her glass baking sanctuary to start on my lunch order.

Mipa is incredibly sweet and incredibly talented. She is very passionate about being vegan and loves to share her ideals and values through her food and blog. I knew that I had to grab lunch after seeing her post’s earlier in the week. The lunch menu for this afternoon was a tuna and chickpea salad or a teriyaki Tofu Sandwich. I wanted both! The decision was way to hard! In that moment I really wished Mr. B was with me so that he could get one option and I could get the other. I decided to ask the expert, Mipa. I explained that I needed to save room for a delicious treat afterwards, naturally. Mipa suggested the sandwich then, so the sandwich is what I ordered. Right away I decided that my treat afterwards would be a slice of red velvet cake with cashew cream frosting. All I can say is that both my belly and my soul are filled and oh so happy. The food was out of this world.

While sitting there reading my book and enjoying each bite of my sandwich, I ended up shared my table with another woman who looked to be the same age as me. We ended up exchanged a few stories, laughing together, and eventually chatting through our entire lunch while sitting there. It’s incredible when you meet a stranger that you are so comfortable with that you feel you knew practically your entire life. Again, I chalk the experience up to the unknown magic and endless possibility of Seoul. We made sure to exchange contacts and hope to get together again soon. Perhaps even at PLANT where it all began?

Directions to PLANT: ( Straight from Mipa, herself)

Itaewon Station, Line 6, exit 4. Come out the exit and walk straight, down Itaewon road. There will be a Converse store on your left. Immediately after Converse, turn left into the narrow alleyway with steps. Walk down the steps and cross the next intersection. Continue walking straight and go down an alleyway, passing a pasta restaurant on your left. Keep walking a little further and PLANT will be on your right. 5-7 minute walk from the station.

서울시 용산구 이태원동 63-15
Phone: 070-4115-8388
Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-7pm. Lunch service starts at noon.
Closed on Mondays.

Backpackbees

Around The Table

“It’s about what happens when we come together, slow down, open our homes, look into one another’s faces, listen to one another’s faces, listen to one another’s stories. It happens when we leave the office and get a sitter and skip our workouts every so often to celebrate a birthday or an accomplishment or a wedding or a birth, when we break out of the normal clockwork of daily life and pop the champagne on a cold, gray Wednesday for no other reason than the fact that the faces we love are gathered around our table. It happens when we enter the joy and the sorrow of the people we love, and we join together at the table to feed one another and be fed, and while it’s not strictly about food, it doesn’t happen without it. Food is the starting point, the common ground, the thing to hold and handle, the currency we offer to one another.” ~ Bread & Wine, by Shauna Niequist

F o o d. F o o d is four little letters that make up a word, that is sometimes overrated but often underrated. Think about it, no matter what language you speak, where you come from, or how far you go, food is made as an offering, an extension. Its used when words cannot be expressed due to sadness, or in times of celebration and happiness, or even as simple as when there is a language barrier. Ah food.

I turned my friends down earlier in the week when invited out for dinner because I was just to sad, upset, and feeling guilty to even fathom enjoying fun or enjoy food. I cashed in my rain check this evening and tonight I met around the table with a few good friends. We of course dined and enjoyed Saengsun jun (Korean pan-fried fish). After a really hard week, it was nice to just sit back relax, share memories, chat, and dine together in one anthers company at this dinner table. The older I get (I can say that now with another birthday under my belt as of August 14th) the more I realize how much I love to gather around the table with my family and good friends.

I even took along my camera to capture the moment and share with you all. Enjoy!

Backpackbees

Slow Cooker Pigeons

You don’t have to tell me, I know, I know. I’m crazy and that it’s totally opposite of slow cooker season.
However, I needed some good old Pennsylvania cuisine, plus it’s Sunday, we’ve got a whole rainy afternoon to kill. It’s the darn monsoon gloom, July tends to get bad around these parts.

Pigeons it is!

While Mr. B and I took advantage of some new and old comedy movies, the pigeons were simmering and steaming away in the slow cooker. Gosh, y’all! The house smelled simply amazing and had us both reminiscing of our Sunday dinners at home.

We vegged as the heavenly familiar aromas just wafted through the apartment and then finally at 5 on the dot, we indulged! These pigeons were packed with delicious flavor. Heavy on the pepper, garlic, onion, green peppers, and of course cabbage leaves.

Slow Cooker Pigeons

Slightly adapted from Pioneering Today

Ingredients:

1 small cabbage head

1/2 cup uncooked Korean rice

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey

Sauce

1 15 ounce can Newmans Own marinara sauce

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Boil a pot of water and add cabbage head, steam for 3 minutes and drain.

Combine the uncooked rice, egg, milk, onion, garlic, green pepper, beef, salt, and seasonings in large bowl. Place meat mixture in center of cabbage leaf and roll, tucking and folding all ends. Place seam side down in slow cooker.

Mix ingredients for sauce together and pour over rolls. Cook on low 8 hours in slow cooker.

Backpackbees

Around The World In One Week

 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t around the world…but it truly felt like it! It ended up that we went back to the states for a wonderful whirlwind of the fourth of july week. We tackled DC, PA, 3 full days of work, a best friends wedding, family, and a scuba diving certification. I think its safe to say, been there, done that, got the tee-shirt. LOL! We still wouldn’t have traded the time for anything in the world.

How blessed am I? I got to see two of my childhood best friends in one week! Cassie and Josh drove up from North Carolina and toured DC with me for three days. Don’t worry, I’ve got some photos to share of our adventures from the DC duck tour, and yummy sweet treat to ourselves at DC cupcake. Yep, we were the crazies that stood in the rain, but I’m telling you….Mmmm…the carrot cake cupcake was absolutely divine! We then went to Arlington cemetery to visit the tomb of the unknown soldier, so surreal!

After we said so long to my best friend and her husband, we headed North for our hometown in Pennsylvania. My other best friend, who you might remember from her visit here with us in Korea, was getting married. The wedding was perfect! Everything was so simple but elegant. You are going to love this… the reception was at a small local airport, inside of a hanger. It gets better folks, whoopie-pie wedding cake tower! If you are not familiar with a whoopie-pie… first, I’m so sorry you have been deprived this long, second, google the word and drool! The reception also featured stations from Danville, PA (where the reception location was), Seattle (where the groom is from), and Istanbul, Turkey (where the honeymoon destination is). These stations consisted of sliders, salmon, seafood dip, pidgeon and perogies, hummus, chicken kabob, and the list just keeps going on. It was one of the best memories of my life for my best friend and her husband. As we speak, the newlyweds are relaxing in each others company somewhere in Turkey. Gosh, I cannot wait until they get back so I can get the lowdown on the trip!

So how was your fourth of July? Did you travel far? See fireworks? Maybe it was more low-key and all about grilling and chilling? Whatever the case, I hope that it was a great one and I hope to hear about it from you all.

Backpackbees

Building 63

Hi! How have you been? I always feel like I let you all hanging lately. Please forgive.  I am sure you can relate, life just gets crazy busy. I often find myself striving to focus on the most important things during the day, because the day just slips away so quickly.

I’ve been wanting to explore building 63 since I’ve lived in South Korea, when the perfect opportunity presented itself this weekend, of course I couldn’t resist! I properly wrangled some girlfriends and their hubby’s and met them after an apt. in Seoul. The building did not disappoint! There were many attractions to wander around to once inside the tall tower. A wax museum, an aquarium, various cute little boutique shops, an IMAX theater, coffee shops, and the views from the 60th floor of Seoul’s sky-scape.

They say on a crystal clear day you can see all the way to Incheon. To give you some perspective to drive it takes about 45 minutes to get to Incheon from Seoul. Because we are in the summer months the sky is rather hazy so the views were not perfect, but were still gorgeous and Seoul once again captured my soul. To think, this was the tallest building up until the year 2003 in the city of Seoul. (Ps: There is a glass elevator to that you to the 60th floor that boast magnificent views!

Of course here are the scenes from the weekend. Hope you had a good one! Enjoy!

Location: 50, 63-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 영등포구 63로 50 (여의도동

Backpackbees

Summer Egg Salad

The weather’s getting warmer and warmer here in Korea. I feel your pain on not wanting to turn on that kitchen oven for lunch or dinner. So, what’s your go to meal? Any ideas or suggestions? Well, if you are looking for something a little different, you are just in luck!

Do you have a mango handy? How about some eggs? A random red pepper that you need to use up? A kitchen staple, curry spice? Mayo and a pinch of salt? What about an onion too?

Great! You have ALL of the ingredients needed to whipping up some summer egg salad! More on that in a bit. Sorry, I know, I always leave cliffhangers in my postings.

How is your weekend so far? Me? I spent my Saturday morning swimming with the G babies!

We swam, jumped, played ball, went down the water slide, splished and splashed until we couldn’t physically go anymore! The entire day reminded me of my childhood. The many times that my grandma and I would tote off to the state park nearby and swim until my lips were blue and skin was ever so wrinkly. What fun!

Towards the mid afternoon of our pool time, it was very obvious that the sleep monster was slowly creeping up. We took a break from the pool, rested, and had some snacks. We had quite the little picnic going for the four of us. Pretzels, cheese, yogurt, grapes, bananas, Cheerios, and hard-boiled eggs. Perfect! Well… not for  ms. A…she is not a fan of hard-boiled eggs. She say’s as her brother peels his egg, “They are stinky.” Eventually even getting up from her spot and moving onto my towel to get away from any egg aroma.

Unfortunately, I am like the little Mr. and enjoy my hard-boiled eggs too. So, once I got home, I  got cracking on my egg salad. YUM-O! I really think that even the pickiest hard-boiled egg naysayer would enjoy some summer egg salad on a warm slice of Ezekiel toast.

Summer Egg Salad (Perfect for two) Adapted from Simple Recipes

Ingredients:

4 Hard boiled eggs, peel and discard the yolks

Chopped onion, to your taste, I used about 2 Tablespoons

1 Chopped small baby red pepper

Pinch of sea salt

Few shakes of curry powder, to taste

1 Heaping spoonful of mayo made with olive oil, any mayo should work

1/2 Chopped fresh mango

1 Warm slice of Ezekiel toast

Directions:

Once the eggs are done boiling and you have peeled the shell, carefully separate the egg white from the yolk. You will only be using the egg white for this recipe. Next toss egg whites, and remaining ingredients into a bowl and smash and mix with a fork until desired consistency.

Serve on a nice slice of warm toast. Enjoy!

Backpackbees

Let Them Eat Cake and Celebrate!

Ooohhh you guys, just wait until you hear about the cake we ate! (More on that shortly, promise)

I joked a few weeks back and said, I believe Korea has went straight from the bitter cold, frosty, parka wearing temps, straight into the hot, muggy, hazy, summer month. Well, that’s no joke around these parts. We have fans running, weekly tall frappuccino orders placed to go, and tan lines to prove it. No complaints here, none. Well, maybe just one.. sweet corn from good old Pennsylvania! Hey! I’m a summer girl through and through. I love being able to get out and about.

Speaking of getting out and about…the past weekend was my work picnic. Nothing like the sound of a baseball game in the background, and some brats, burgers, and dogs on the grill to scream summer. We had such a good time! So much food! Who would have thought kimchi would be a normal side dish at a picnic? Welcome to Korea. Nevertheless, it was quite delicious and spicy, just the way we Bees like it.

Back to this cake that I initially spoke of. I baked from scratch one of the most delightful cakes we’ve ever had. Ready for this? Eek! Tiramisu cake! Yes! Very special days call for very special treats. Happy 6 years of marriage to us! Thank you all so much for the cards, and sweet messages wishing us all the best. We truly appreciate your love and support. We say our cheers to another 100+ more just like the first 6!

I know you want me to share the recipe of this cake I’ve been raving on about. Share I will! I found this recipe on Nectar and only altered it slightly by going with a different wine. Otherwise, word for word, I got my bake on exactly the same. Mmmm trust me, the hard work is completely worth it in the end. The folks over at Nectar surly know their way around a kitchen.

The tiramisu birthday cake: (recipe taken straight from Nectar)

The cake:

~ 13 T butter

~ 1 c. sugar

~ 1/3 c. honey

~ 2 eggs

~ 3 yolks

~ 1 t. strong brewed espresso

~ 1 t. vanilla

~ 1/2 c. milk

~ 2 c. flour

~ 2 t. baking powder

prepare two 9-inch baking rounds with butter, flour and parchment paper and set aside. beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. add the honey and continue to mix. in another bowl whip the eggs, yolks, espresso, vanilla and milk – set this aside. in another bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. add a bit of the egg mixture to the butter and then a bit of the flour – continue this until the batter is thoroughly mixed and ribbons when you pour it. divide is equally between the two baking pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. let stand for 5-10 minutes before turning the layers out onto a cooling rack.

filling number 1:

~ 1/4 c. marsala {sweet italian wine}

~ 1/4 c. strong brewed espresso

whisk together and set aside.

filling number 2:

part one:

~ 7 egg yolks

~ 1/4 c. sugar

~ 8 oz. mascarpone

~ 4 oz. cream cheese

~ 1 T. strong brewed espresso

whip the yolks and sugar together until they become thick and pale. add the mascarpone, cream cheese and espresso. whip until fully incorporated. pour into another bowl and chill.

part two:

~ 1 pt. heavy cream

~ 1/2 c. sugar

~ 2 T. strong brewed espresso

~ 2 T. marsala

combine all ingredients and whip until stiff peaks have formed. remove part one of filling number two from the refrigerator and gently fold – adding small amounts at a time – the mixture into the heavy cream mixture. be gentle as you do not want to lose the air that you whipped into the cream.

filling number 3:

~ 6 oz. roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate

~ 1 t. espresso grounds

assembly:

when the cakes are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut off the top round part of the layers – exposing the interior of the cake. place the first layer on a cake platter or serving dish. using a pastry brush – gently brush/dot the espresso and marsala mixture over the top of the cake. top with 1/3 of the cream/mascarpone mixture and spread gently – let it pour over the edges of the cake. sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the mixture – then add another 1/3 of the mixture on top the chocolate. top this with the other cake layer. using the remaining espresso/marsala mixture – brush this layer as well. top with remaining cream/mascarpone and sprinkle the chocolate over the top. using a fine sieve – dust the top with the espresso. let set up in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting into the cake.

Enjoy!

Backpackbees