Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing you a

Merry Christmas

and

blessed New Year!!!

I'm heading to Seoul tonight and Taiwan tomorrow....see you next year!!

Making Kimchi!!!

When I decided to come back to Korea, one thing topped my list of things to do that I didn't get to do last time...Make Kimchi!!

What is kimchi, you might ask?? Well, if you're in Korea for more than a second, you'll see this spicy cabbage dish on your table. Kimchi is [unoffically?] the national dish of Korea. It's everywhere!! In a phrase, it's spicy fermented cabbage. I think it's served as a side dish for just  about every Korean dish, and the Korean people love it. Actually, they swear by it. You know the saying "An apple a day...", well, in Korea, it's kind of like, "Some kimchi everyday..."

Do I like it, you might ask next? Well, that's a tricky question because I am not into spicy food...but they do have a version of this dish (baek kimchi) that doesn't have the spicy sauce and I really love it...too bad it's not very common!

Then, you might be thinking, 'how do you make this famous dish?' I'll give you a very brief description...since I'm definitely not the kimchi expert!! (Click this link for a really good explanation, if you'd like to read more.) Ok...here goes from my point-of-view:

• As the weather starts getting cold and the cabbage is at it's peak, it's kimchi-making time in Korea! This process is called 'kim-jang'. After gathering the heads of cabbage and cleaning them, the cabbage is soaked in salt water for about a day. This part of the process allows the cabbage to wilt and become easier for handling.  The following day, the cabbage is covered - leaf-by-leaf - by a spicy concoction. My suspicion is that each family has their own spicy recipe, but that has not been confirmed! In the kimchi that I made, the sauce had some ginger, oysters, red sauce (goh-chu), garlic, and probably more things that I didn't know about! Next, the cabbage heads will be placed in large kimchi pot that will hold the kimchi for an extended period of time (a year or more) until the family is ready to eat it.

 Ok, let's get to the pictures now! They're the fun part anyway!! :)

 Our ingredients - cabbage & the spicy red concoction



 Learning the proper technique

 Trying some of the [spicy] delicousness!!

Coating each leaf!

I was having so much fun!

The finished product!!

Of course, we shot a little video too! Enjoy!!



I had loads of fun, and I feel really happy that I got to partake in this Korean tradition!

Kraze Burger!!

I'm not quite sure why I never knew about this place when I was in Korea last time, but Kraze Burger is one delicious place!! When I told my friend, Yujin, that I was craving a good burger, she suggested a trip to Kraze Burger. Of course, there isn't one of these in Tongyeong, so we took a 30-minute trip to Geoje Island to taste the goodness!! Let me tell you, it was worth the trip!

I went with the KB++ which included their regular burger with a fried egg and bacon added. Yujin opted for a non-beef option of the KO Sandwich, which include chicken and what reminded me of a caprese salad on bread!

My KB++ Burger with layers and layers of goodness!!

 Yujin's KO Sandwich

So, if you're ever craving a good burger while you're in Korea, just look for the Kraze Burger logo!! And just so you know, they pronounce it kuh-rah-jay buh-guh...if you need to tell a taxi driver!!

Kindergarten Performance Day

Last Friday night was lots of fun! My good friend Sharon invited me to her daughter's kindergarten performance day and I gladly accepted!! UnByeol (Sharon's daughter) did such a great job and she looked sooo cute!! She was so focused on her dancing and singing!! She made her Auntie Sara proud!! 

My little bunny rabbit!!

 Playing her tambourine!

 Sharon, UnByeol, and Moon!!

Another friend of mine also had a child in the performance! My friend Veronica and her youngest son, TaeHee! Here are some pictures of this adorable (yet rowdy) child!

I put together a video with some samplings of the performances! Enjoy!!



Can Korean children BE any cuter!!??!! (Please say that in a Chandler voice..yes, from Friends!!)

Baking Fun!!

Last week, I hosted a baking night at my house with a few friends! We made lots of muffins and some brownies and had loads of fun spending time together!

Our first batch was some banana-chocolate chip-walnut muffins! We used this recipe and just added some extra goodies! My friends had never baked before (since it's not really common in Korea), so it was fun teaching them and enjoying the results!

Here's Rachel spooning in the muffins!

 Our first batch!! Banana-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Muffins!

 Yujin & Rachel thought the muffins were tasty!

 Next we made some apple cinnamon muffins...Yujin's boyfriend helped with those!

 Lastly, we made some brownies!

 The brownies!

 I think everyone enjoyed the brownies!!

 

 



It was a fun night of baking and eating!! Can't wait to do it again! :)