More of Korea

During our very short trip to Korea, my parents arranged for a quick trip to the seaside (I like saying that).  My mom was born on the seaside.  She was definitely in her element.  I think she enjoyed the trip the mostest.   


The resort was sooo nice!

Totally in her element!

It was really cool to see the sunrise.  

Doesn't this look like an album sleeve picture?

My eemo took us out to lunch.  

Korean food almost always leaves a hankering for coffee.  

Slow Start

As someone recently put it, "Life is hard."  It really is.  Sure, there is a sweetness to life but you have to work at it.


Four days into the week and I feel like I can do something other than get up, make lunches, go to work, work, come home, make dinner, clean, spend time with the family, get the kids to bed, get myself to bed, sleep.  So here I am, writing.  There is soup on the stove for tomorrow and something baking in the oven!  I am actually going to stay up after 9:00 p.m. tonight!


I love lemon frosting and shortbread so this recipe for glazed lemon shortbread bars was a must try.

The crust was sandy.  I used my hands to press the sandish dough into the pan.  

Yum!

I am now patiently awaiting for the icing to cool.  By the looks of the sad pictures, I think I need another camera.

P.S.  Oh my!  This is good!  A keeper!  Thanks Week of Menus!

Things I Was Doing While Not Blogging (Contd.)

Korea was cold.  Thank God for my mom's long wool coat with a fur collar!  Now I know why people wear fur.  

My cousin's wedding was the day after I arrived so it was go-go-go!  The happy couple and my go-mo and go-mo-bu. 

Most weddings in Korea are held at wedding halls, not in churches or temples.  The ceremony itself is pretty contrived with opera singers (a la three tenor style), bubble machines and lots of fog.

Go-mo on her heavenly throne...

Do Chanel bags go to heaven?

I had a great time seeing all of my relatives and especially spending time with my grandfather.  Everyone knows that I am his favorite (haha).  He is 90 years old and still very active.  He is also  quite the dancer - it runs in our blood!

 

My dear seesters...

I also had the opportunity to participate in a pae-baek.  It's a traditional Korean thing.  Something I didn't do for my wedding.  I'm not exactly sure what it all means but the newly wed couple greets the groom's side of the family then pours each of them a drink.  Various family members give them words of advice like, "Have a lot of kids and be happy!"  Oh, I almost forgot the part where after the greeting, the family members give the couple envelopes filled with cash!  I think that might be the point of the whole thing.

Here is Hoonie pouring me a drink.  My word of advice..."Marriage is a lot of work (but a lot of fun)."

 What a torturous shot...awkward.

Post wedding food.  The bride's family sends special traditional foods to the groom's side of the family to thank them for taking their daughter off their hands.  Not really, I just made that up.  I am not so well versed in Korean wedding traditions. 

No Fail Dinner

Ina Garten changed my life.  I had never attempted a recipe until I met Ina Garten.  Her recipes never fail.  Her instructions are easy to understand, the ingredients easy to find (you might even have them all in your pantry).  The end product is simply good food.  Nothing complicated at all.


Panko Breaded Salmon (adapted from Ina Garten's How Easy Is That?)


2 Filets of Salmon (With Skin)
1 C. Panko Breading
1 Small Bunch of Parsley Chopped
Zest of 1 Lemon
3 T. Olive Oil
Mustard (I use Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce)


1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2.  Dry the filets with paper towel.  Salt and pepper the salmon filets.  
3.  Spread mustard on the filets, skin down.  Be generous.  

4.  In a bowl, mix panko, parsley, lemon zest and olive oil.
5.  Cover the salmon with panko mix.  Press down on the filet to help the breading stick.

6.  Place filets skin down onto a well heated cast iron or alike for about 3 minutes (until the skin gets crispy).  Make sure that the pan can transition from the stove top to the oven.  
7.  Put the pan into the oven for 5-7 minutes.  For the last minute, broil to brown.

I also served roasted brussel sprouts.  Roasting vegetables is another thing I learned from Ina.  Easy and always good.  Just use lots of olive oil, kosher salt and pepper.  Toss together with your hands and bake for 15 minutes at 400.  Never fails.

Things I Was Doing While Not Blogging (Part II)

I had the enormous privilege to travel back to Korea for a cousin's wedding!  I say enormous, because I have two kids and a husband and a full time job and limited financial resources.  Add it up and it never equals travel.  But my dear John made it happen.  He purchased my ticket using his own personal miles and I was fortunate enough to get the time off!  The last time I was in the Motherland was in 1996 (you read that right). 

Not only did John use his miles, he booked me in Business Class!  I felt like an imposter sitting in the plush, roomy seat.  It's different world!  As soon as I walked on the plane, I was greeted by a nicely wrapped comforter (yes, comforter, not a thin, small piece of cloth) and a fluffy pillow!  I didn't have to wonder if the blanket was clean.  The leg room was fantastic (I could stretch out my legs without touching the seat in front of me... okay my legs are on the short side). 

The food is well, still airplane food, but it all looked so very nice...

They also passed out Bose headphones and coffee was free flowing whenever I wanted some!  I finally got to watch Mad Men to see what the big deal is all about.

Some 15 hours later, I arrived in Seoul.  It was late and since I didn't get a wink of sleep on my flight (too busy trying to enjoy every amenity), it wasn't long before I fell asleep.

It felt great to be in Seoul.  My first meal cooked by my mom:

Lots of different kinds of kimchee and fresh raw oysters (on the white square plate) bought that same morning at the wholesale market.  It was so fresh and tasty dipped in a vinegary hot pepper sauce!  And yes, this was breakfast!

Love It!

I received a Kindle from John for Christmas.  He followed it up with this cute leather cover, complete with a light!

I was one of those book snobs who looked down on the e-readers when they came out.  I valued the experience of flipping though the pages, the musty smell of old books, dog-earring the pages to mark your place, highlighting a line that spoke to you.  Well, I've not only changed my mind but I am a huge advocate (read: pusher) of the Kindle!  I can carry around three or four books at a time without running out of purse space.  I now click through the pages, mark my place with an electronic dogear and I can even highlight/make notes without worring about running out of space in the margins!  I hear rumors that the Kindle may be available in 2011 for $99!  Do it!  You won't regret it!

I just finished reading:

This is a satisfying quick read about the complicated relationships between white women and their black housemaids in Jackson, Missippi as they struggle to find their place during the beginnings of the civil rights movement.

Things I Was Doing While Not Blogging (Part I)

It's been a while, I know.  But, really, I've been busy.  One of the things keeping me occupied was the half marathon I ran.  Back in October, I was feeling out of shape and rather jiggly.  I decided (on a whim and with the encouragement of a co-worker who later became my cheerleader/coach) that I would train for a half marathon.  I didn't tell many people on fear that I would back out.  You see, a half marathon is 13.1 miles.  It is quite a long distance especially if you have never run for more than 5 miles at a time (me!).  IIn the end, I didn't think about how hard it would be to train (it was!) or how long the training period would be (12 weeks!).  But I did it, and if I can do it, you can too!  It really was a great way to kick off the new year!

Official Time (with pride)  2:14:40.3