Delayed.

This is so, so delayed. I went to Korea the summer of 2013. It is now January 2014.



Flip through my Korea Eats album. This is just a snippet of what I actually ate. (Unfortunately, I didn't bring my DSLR everywhere and my iPhone pics are not as HQ as I thought they were. Sigh... Next time I'm in Korea, I am FOR-FREAKING-SURE bringing my DSLR e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. I will be that annoying tourist cousins. Sorry, unnies.

Here's a dolsot bibimbap my mom whipped up for breakfast today.



White rice + stir fried squid mixture (squid, various bell peppers, onion, carrot ) + bulgogi + peas + egg + a handful of mixed greens



I like being home.

Ringing in the new year. I brought coffee cake.

2014. Dang. Hey. 

Last year, I wrote about a flippin' delicious apple cake that still leaves me drooling. 

This year, a sour cream coffee cake that is no stranger to the food blogging world. It's moist and just sweet enough to appeal to adults and children alike. 

I brought slices of the cake to my family's annual new year celebration. Before our typical lox and bagel breakfast and traditional tteok guk lunch, we ate bites of the coffee cake with our coffee. There were "mm's" all around.

I made it a second time after my grandparents requested some more hunks. 

I made it a third time so my mom could bring some to a potluck and I could bring some to a friend. 

Three times in a week and a half. This cake is dangerously simple. And though it is essential for the cake to be cool before slicing into clean cuts, please take some forkfuls when the cake is still warm. Actually, scratch that. You must take warm bites of cake. You must.  

Happy new year, everyone. May 2014 be your sweetest year yet. 



Click through for the recipe! 

Dropping by

It's been a while. Ready for a photo heavy post? 

I’ve started college and it’s been both exciting and overwhelming at times. I miss my kitchen, every so often, when I eat at some of the dining halls. (The closest one to my residence hall really, really stinks.) I haven't been baking much. I did bake (many, many) batches of Trader Joe’s refrigerated cookie dough in my friend’s kitchen with a few friends. It was reminiscent of a simple time when I wasn’t bogged down with exams, papers, and readings.

I’ll be in touch soon. (Read: after Thanksgiving break. I already have a long list of recipes to test.)

Here’s a batch of chocolate banana muffins I made a few days before school started. They’re very delicate in texture and not too sweet – just the way I like ‘em. Perfect for a quick breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up. 

~~~

Chocolate Banana Muffins 

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson 

1 c. almond meal

½ c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. all purpose flour

3 T. cocoa

2 t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

⅔ c. light brown sugar, gently packed

1 c. milk

⅓ c. mashed banana (1 medium banana)

1 T. grapeseed oil

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

40 g. 70% chocolate, chopped (1/2 Lindt bar)

sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line your muffin tin.

Sift together almond meal, flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. There will be flecks of grain from the whole wheat flour left in the sieve. Dump those in.

Add mashed banana to a medium sized bowl. Add in egg, oil, and vanilla and mix. Once combined, add in the milk and slowly mix together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together gently. It is okay if there are lumps. Add in the chopped chocolate.

Add sliced almonds on the top of the muffins, if desired. Add enough to cover the top in one even layer.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Because of the melted chocolate chunks, poke in the toothpick in at least two different areas. If you pull out the toothpick and there is some dark batter on it, it might be chocolate. So try in two places.

Summer's ultimate treat

When the temperature peaks, the only thing I want is pat bing soo (팥빙수). Cold, creamy, sweet, chunky. Pat bing soo takes on a variety of different flavors and textures due to the range of ingredients that compose it.

pat || 팥|| sweetened adzuki beans

bing soo || 빙수 || shaved ice

It is typically served with a bowl of shaved ice + huge dollop of pat + dduk (떡, Korea's mochi) + a drizzle of condensed milk. Simple. However, now, cafes and restaurants have been adding oodles and oodles of toppings, like ice cream, fruit, and cereal.

I spent a heaping portion of my summer in sweltering Seoul this year and tried to indulge in pat bing soo as much as I can. Alas, I only had it 6 times or so. My favorite? A milk bingsoo at Cafe Oui in Gangnam. A mountain of shaved, sweetened milk. A small bowl of pat. A few pieces of dduk. It is a simple but satisfying treat. The shaved milk reeeeally makes the difference. It is slightly sweet and very fluffy.

I tried to recreate it.

Tried.

My milk ice wasn't as fluffy and I couldn't help but add some fruit and almonds.

This is my first time making pat bing soo. So, it's not the most perfect recipe but it is oh-so-delicious. Please give it a try on the next sweltering hot day. You'll thank me.

Bloglovin'!

Getting back in the blogging game. Follow my blog with Bloglovin!

(P.S. I really do not know why the url on Bloglovin is .co.uk. I'm blogging from the U.S. of A.)

Warmth

Today, July 14th, is a sad one. Even on this sweltering hot day, I felt very, very cold as I read about the verdict of Trayvon Martin's trial, the unexpected death of Cory Monteith, and the situation over in Texas. I generally shy away from heavy topics like death but I feel that my Sunday thoughts are worth writing about.

I ask for your prayers to the families of young Martin and of talented and sweet Monteith. Even though I didn't even personally know them, I know that losing someone you love sucks the life right out of you. For a few days, even week, denial overtakes you. "I'll see him later. After break is over. Later, later." Memories are all that play in your mind. Regrets. Things you wished you have said or done. You can't focus on anything. I can tell you, from experience, that is a terrible, terrible feeling. And all we can do is send good vibes. So, send them, please.

Like Molly Wizenberg once said, "There's no smooth transition to be made from talking about death to discussing Thai food. Let's wing it."

There's no smooth transition to be made from talking about to death to discussing chili. Let's wing it.

After I sat at my computer, reminiscing about my own experiences facing deaths of loved ones, I got up. I needed warmth.

So, I made a vegan chili. The spice dances on the tip of your tongue after you swallow the beans and corn and tomatoes. The flavors awaken your palate. It's a lovely mess of flavors. I like it a lot.

Not vegan chickpeas

Hello, hello, hello.

Quick little story. So, lately, I've been trying to eat cleaner. More vegetables, a bit more whole grains, less meat and processed foods. But really, I've been eating (vegan!) salads of chopped romaine lettuce, roasted grape tomatoes, those buttery black olives, sweet corn kernels, with a bit of creamy cashew macaroni (vegan!). Oh, and soba noodle salads (vegan!). So. Good. I'm not missing red meat one bit.

So, after listening to Molly and Matthew's podcast about hot dogs. Molly talked about eating baked beans with hot dogs when she was younger. Baked. Beans. Sweet, smoky, a bit tangy. I had to have them. An hour or so later, I made some baked smoky beans chickpeas. I topped that romaine salad with cold cashew mac and topped that with warm chickpeas. Per-fection. Sometimes, when I'm really hungry, the weirdest combination of food is the most satisfying.)

While eating my lunch, I was texting my friend, telling her about my vegan meal and that I shouldn't make eclairs because I just want one, solid, vegan day. Feeling confident and finally accomplished, I logged on to Blogger to type up the recipe. "1/4 c. chi-ck-en stock. Chicken." Yeah, chicken.

Fine, these chickpeas aren't vegan, or vegetarian (like Luisa intended them to be). But they are quick. They are incredibly tasty. And soooo worth not being vegan for. (But next time, I'm using veggie stock.)

Please excuse the lack of pictures. My mom has been borrowing my DSLR and I haven't been charging the battery. Also, these chickpeas aren't particularly photogenic.

Off to make eclairs!

Smoky Chickpeas 

Adapted from The Wednesday Chef, who adapted it from Melissa Clark.

Serves two, as a side.

1 15 oz. canned chickpeas
1/4 c. chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water)
1/8 c. molasses
1/8 c. ketchup
1 1/4 t. mustard
1/4 t. Tabasco
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
two big pinches of black pepper

Whisk together stock, molasses, ketchup, mustard, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and black pepper in a saucepan. Drain your chickpeas and rinse them. Dump them into the sauce mixture. Cook the chickpeas and sauce over high heat or until it comes to boil. Then, turn it down to medium heat and let it simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the cover on until most of the liquid is gone. Serve warm.