F.U.D.G.E.

Honey Hiccups!

2011-10-12T21:24:00.000+08:00

Well, sorry for the slow update everyone...

I have decided to push through with my idea of selling my cakes... People have been approaching me for a while, asking if they can order my cakes, and I usually end up saying "I don't know..." Well, now I know what i can tell them...

you can now LIKE! :) us on Facebook

Another EGGcellent Idea!

2011-08-25T23:30:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the long absence... I encountered a very common occupational hazard for people who love to cook. I got burnt by boiling oil. But, now that every thing is back to the way it was (plus the ugly scar)... I'm back to cooking.

It was my grandmother's 83rd birthday, and the family was so excited. We wanted to make it extra special so we devised a plan. My aunt would be handling the main dish, my mom would be for appetizer, and I can handle the dessert section. So, after hours and hours of deliberation, we finally decided on the menu except for my part, which they told me to make whatever.

Now, whatever is a good plan, the downside being that it's too vague. So, i took out my handy dandy notebook, checked through all the recipes i've jotted down through out the years, and determined which ones i've never made before... Which was a bad idea, since it consisted about 3/4 of the pages. So, just to make it more fun, I picked out 3 of my favorite desserts (which i've never made), wrote it down on a piece of paper, rolled it, and whichever one i picked is the one I'm making which ended up being: HONG KONG STYLE EGG TARTS.

Now basically, egg tarts are flans in a tart shell. So, it really wasn't such a big deal, the only problem i had was i didn't have a blow torch or a salamander to give it that brûlée finish. So, I decided to make the egg tarts anyways and worry about the blow torch after.

I surmised that I should probably make around 50-60 egg tarts since we would have guests around that number. So, the night before, I started making the dough for the tart shells and blind bake it so I wouldn't have too many things to do the next day.

raw tart shells

Which by the way was a very very bad idea. The dough actually expands a lot even with the baking beans, and doesn't leave a lot of room for the custard. So, you end up having a lot of left over custard. Thank God I only tried blind baking 6 tart shells.

So, even if it means more work, I decided to just do everything on B-day. Which, started off fine, until the guests started arriving. Because, there were already too many people in the kitchen helping out with the other dishes, the guests actually wanted to watch us cook.

right out of the oven

Dessert Table

I ended up staying in the kitchen from 8 in the morning, to around 4 in the afternoon. Making 4 dozen Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts, and another 2 1/2 dozen Banana Cupcakes (because my aunt wanted it soo bad, and I just couldn't say no)

a closer look

HAPPY 83RD BIRTHDAY AMA! :)

"The Mommy Diaries DAY 3"

2011-06-20T11:46:00.000+08:00

DAY 3 - Fin!

Day 3 is finally here. Somehow, I wanted to do something productive. So, I asked the little poppet what she wanted to bake (cookies or cake), and she answered, I want the brown thing with the nuts... No idea what she meant, but after a thorough investigation of what she actually meant, we decided that it was "Brownies" she wanted to make. So, we then agreed that we'll make it after breakfast since her dad is picking her up after lunch. After another eventful breakfast of indecision, I finally made French Toast, it's easy, yummy and the fastest thing I could make, I also forgot to take a picture of it. But anyways, after breakfast, I cleared out the table and started gathering the ingredients. And like always, I couldn't find my usual chocolate bars that I use for making my brownies, so I cheated... Again. I found some Pillsbury brownie mix, where you just add an egg, water and some oil. I figured, it'll do! All she wanted to do was actually do the mixing and tell everyone she made it. And so, the baking begins...

she wanted a picture for her Facebook!

And so she mixes and mixes while I preheated the oven. And as I kept reminding her not to over mix the batter, she keeps telling me that there is no such thing as "over mixing" and she then kept mixing and mixing until I finally brought out the mini muffin tin so she can fill it up, which she then said that the mixing is quite enough.

"I wanna do it!"

Tada!

Well, it ended happily enough. At least the brownies turned out quite yummy... When her dad arrived, she then pulled him through the kitchen and told him she baked some brownies to bring home to her cousins. And kept repeating the line "Ako'y ga luto ani pa!" (I baked this dad) with emphasis on the AKO (which means I) She just kept insisting it was she who made it and no one helped, which of course I supported 100%...

And so, the end has finally arrived and all I could say was, I don't think I'm ready for a kid just yet. The occasional baby-sitting I can put up with, but not just yet with forever. I wouldn't really know where to start. And so, The Mommy Diaries end, Finally!

"The Mommy Diaries DAY 2"

2011-06-16T15:26:00.000+08:00

DAY 2 - Another Day of Spongebob Squarepants

After a very tiring day, I ended up sleeping like a baby...But woke up like an adult. With my little girl's jumping on the bed and shaking me awake, asking for her breakfast. So, like yesterday, I opened up the TV, made her watch some cartoons while I prepared breakfast. I'm not sure what was wrong with me last week, but for some reason I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to cook for breakfast (As I rarely eat breakfast). So, on to the pantry and the fridge still looking for something to cook when the little moppet appeared out of no where demanding her breakfast. She said she was so hungry she could eat a cow. Well, too bad, we didn't have one or I would've pointed in the direction of said cow. I then told her that I didn't know what to cook for her, and she goes, "Whatever is available!" So, I opened up the freezer and there in front of me was the answer to my prayers... Eggo! Thank God for Instant Breakfast! So I cheated... sue me! Hahaha.. So, we had instant waffles and some egg (again, as requested by the little girl who cannot live without eggs).

Yummy!

"can't eat breakfast without eggs"

After Breakfast, we then had a morning of peace...for about 10 seconds, and then my niece requested to use my MacBook so she could play her games in Facebook, I then listened to some music from my iTunes which my niece kept changing because she doesn't like Beyonce's 1+1, which led to her horrible rendition to 1+1. When lunchtime came, we went out and bought some of the home-made goodies from the store in the corner, so that I didn't exactly worry about that. After lunch, we then went back up to my room (I wouldn't let her play anywhere else, or I'll end up cleaning again!) and went to upload some pictures of my Mom's birthday. She then begged to upload pictures in her Facebook account as well because she didn't have much. So, we ended up doing this:

Smile?

The next few hours went by quite fast. We just spent most of the day taking pictures everywhere in the house. I did her nails, which she wanted done and painted red (cherry blossom), put some make-up on and did our hair. She then started putting on some of my clothes and tried on my shoes. It was fun! Definitely fun... So, when my mom got home from work, she brought some Fried Chicken (as requested again by the clever little girl) which we ate like people who have not seen food for months. Then, I made her wash up, brush her teeth and hair, and she finally went to bed after hours and hours of telling her to do so. She ended up sleeping at 11:30 anyways. At least this wasn't as tiring as yesterday. So, I ended picking up a book and started reading myself to sleep. Day 2 - Finished!

"The Mommy Diaries DAY 1"

2011-06-15T14:56:00.000+08:00

Being a mom is not easy! Last week, I actually got to experience being a mom as I got stuck baby sitting for 3 days. My niece, Kira {7 years old} who happens to be my eldest cousin's only daughter was packed, sealed and delivered right at my doorstep. Now, don't get me wrong, I was very excited, I love my nieces very much (not to mention this very one) and I actually started planning some activities for duration of her stay, not to mention the menu. And so, the day came. We started off with some snacks, I made some Kimbop which mysteriously disappeared after a couple of minutes. And, after hours and hours of talking, it was finally time to say goodbye with an exception to Kai-kai (which is what she prefers to be called). It was around 6:00 P.M. When they left, and so I had to think about what I'd feed the moppet for dinner. While I was looking through my pantry and trying to figure out what exactly I was trying to make, A blessing came with the sound of the phone ringing, my mother was coming home from work and will be bringing home some delish fried chicken! Thank God! And, after dinner, I made her wash up, brush her teeth and hair and finally got her to sleep.

DAY 1 - A Change of Schedule

My day usually ends when the sun rises (around 5 AM), which means, I usually sleep late (or sleep early...in the morning that is, it depends how you see it). I wanted to sleep early but my insomnia usually kicks in and I just end up watching the ceiling from the time I lie down till the sun rises and then I end up asleep. And would wake up at around noon. This time, I would say, that I ended up with no sleep for a whole week. My dearest little niece wakes up at 8:30 in the morning, while my mom leaves for work at 8:00. Which means, I'm assigned for breakfast and lunch duties. (I cheated during lunch time and bought it in the store in the corner).

After reading my book (which is what I usually do before going to bed) which was around 5:30 AM, I finally end up closing my eyes, with the Sand Man practically dumping a sack of sand on me. I was just about to start dreaming of my latest EYE CANDY when I got startled by a heavy pillow that was dumped on me. I peaked a bit, and saw the toothless pillow smiling at me (5 more minutes please!). And then the pillow's stomach started grumbling and I knew I had to wake up. I opened up the TV, made her watch... SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! while I made breakfast.

Kai-kai watching Spongebob Squarepants!

And so, my kitchen battle begins. I had to figure out exactly what I need to cook... and fast. My little girl is hungry and I have to pick out something that she'd actually like eating and something I can cook really fast. I then had to remember what my dad used to cook for me and my sister when my mom was not around... And ended up making, mini buttermilk pancakes, bacon and eggs (Sunny Side UP as requested by the clever little girl).

Mini buttermilk pancakes

Breakfast!

Kira enjoying her breakfast!

After breakfast, we ended up watching more Spongebob Squarepants, some of Barbie Mermaidia and Fairytopia, Rapunzel, Cinderella and more Spongebob Squarepants... When lunch came, like I said before, I cheated and bought some yummy home-cooked meals from the corner store. A "Manang" (translated to ajhumma in Korean / a middle-aged lady) cooks home-cooked viands and sells them cheap for people who don't want to cook or can't cook (Great huh?). And then, after lunch, we played some kind of game involving a very reluctant Patrick Star being tossed over the banister. And, when that bored the wits out of her, she ended up watching more and more of Spongebob Squarepants (DVD player overheating) until I could start saying the lines if you put the whole cartoons to mute.

Dinner came and my dear mama, brought home pizza! :) Thank God for experienced mothers. Then, after dinner, Kai-kai washed up, brushed her teeth and hair and went to bed. Day 1-finally over... for her that is...

I ended up cleaning her mess in the upstairs family room, the kitchen, my room and the computer room. Did laundry, with the ice cream stains on her white shirt and shorts. I ended DAY 1 exhausted. When I was done cleaning, I took a long long bath, brushed my teeth and hair. When I lied down after picking a book to read that night, I started reading 10 pages, and I fell asleep at 10 PM! Insomnia? What Insomnia? I couldn't open my eyes long enough to turn off my lamp. And so, DAY 1 is finally done and over... DAY 2 is yet another adventure...

UPDATE!

2011-04-14T19:44:00.000+08:00

Well, well, well... if it isn't another sabbatical for me. Actually it isn't. I'm sorry to those who have been waiting for new stuff to go through. But I believe I will need to be out for a couple of weeks more. You see, we (my family and I) are currently packing up all the stuff in our 56-year old house. We will be moving to a new house about a year to two from now. So, what's the hurry? well, were moving to a transition house by the end of April or the start of May. Anyways, I've put a stop sign for cooking at the moment and will get back to it once we've settled in... so for now, i would have to be happy with a sandwich or a trip to the mall to get my lunch and dinner! But, everyone else! keep cooking...

Ode to The Baker King

2011-03-25T18:06:00.000+08:00

After watching the series "Baker King" I decided I'll try my hands on some home-made bread. Baking is one of my many passion but this is the first time I've ever tried making BREAD! The closest I ever got to making bread was the time I made home-made pizza and some flat breads [Roti/Chapati] but I don't think that counts. So, I pulled out my favorite cookbook: "Simply Italian" [Sophie Bambridge] and navigated to the pane e pizza (bread and pizza), which is the same book I used when I made my home-made pizza. Technically speaking, to date, I have already made 2 batches of bread using the same recipe. The first batch I made wasn't exactly a success.

Italian Bread [first try], looks a bit rustic, with the floured top

Batch 1: Success?

For the first batch, I tried to follow the shapes that were shown in the book for classic Italian bread rolls (ciambellini, cylindrical, oval and round) but this is how it turned out. I had no idea what I was doing and just figured that maybe I should just make my own shapes and it turned out quite well. Also, If you look on the right column you'll see that one of the bread has a gaping top, I originally wanted to form that as an oval roll but couldn't figure out how to do it, no matter how I tried shaping it into a lemon, it wouldn't stay that way, so, I tried to shape it into a lemon and then didn't know what to do with the gaping slit in the middle, so i stuffed it with some cream cheese and Christmas ham and then decided to do it for some of the left-over dough, most of the rolls you see on top have cream cheese and ham stuffed inside. Overall, it turned out quite tasty. The book suggested that if you want to have a good crust to form on the bread, you have to create steam while the bread is baking, so during the baking part, I sprayed water in the oven every 15-20 mins. even though the book only suggested to spray a little water into the oven at the beginning. Anyways, The crust turned out well enough. The bread had a crusty outer layer and the inside was soft and creamy. The only problem was that after the bread cools down, it starts turning a bit tough. It somehow ended tasting like a baguette, good enough for me.

Anyways, a couple of weeks after making my first batch, i decided to do the second batch, and try making it softer (i guess). My aunt the baker suggested that the problem may have been on the yeast or during the kneading part. She said that if you keep adding flour while kneading, it'll turn tough after baking. So, for the second batch, i decided to increase the amount of yeast for the starter. Instead of using 1 Teaspoon of dried yeast, I increased it to 2 Teaspoons. Also, during the kneading part, I added as little flour as I could. I could already tell the difference while i was kneading the dough. This batch was lighter and fluffier that the first one and i could already tell how it would turn out.

second batch

For the second batch, instead of going for the rustic look, I wanted this to look prettier. Instead of dusting it with flour, i decided on an eggwash to give it that golden look. The shapes are so much cuter as well and the round rolls were easier to make because of the softer dough. During the baking process, I followed the same process with providing spritz of water but did it every 10-15 minutes, I also placed a bowl of water in the oven for the duration of the baking process.

cylinder rolls

just making fun shapes. I tried making a braid and made it into a donut braid instead.

For this batch, there are no filling. It's just plain ol' Italian bread rolls. But, I still ate it with cream cheese. This batch was definitely softer and stayed soft longer than the first batch. I must warn you, that for this particular recipe, don't expect cottony soft bread. It's not that soft. Anyways, I'll be looking through some other recipes for soft breads. So, for the next few days, I'll probably be Googling and watching some YouTube videos for Yummy bread recipes.

for the bread recipe, please click on the RECIPE TAB on the TOP of the page.

Fabulous @ 23!

2011-03-23T22:33:00.000+08:00

I feel fabulous at 23... Last March 20, I celebrated my 23rd birthday and, thought of making something special for myself. At first, I wanted to make a 3-layered fondant cake with the topsy turvy theme from Alice in Wonderland, but, seriously, with only a day to make it and for someone who never made fondant before, I admit, it's a little ambitious. So, i decided to level it down a bit. I wanted to make a cake, which was easy to make, not that hard to decorate but still make it turn out like it was bought from the store.
I started with the idea of making a mini 3-layered cake, instead of the full-scale size. So, more or less i was headed to the cupcake department. I looked through "Hello, Cupcake" and "What's Up! Cupcake" for ideas, and there was one which i liked a lot. It was made of 1 mini cupcake, 1 regular sized cupcake and 1 jumbo cupcake, put on top of each other to give it a 3-layered cook look. But, the problem was, i dont have a muffin pan for the mini cupcakes and the jumbo cupcakes and i dont want to buy one for now. So, back to the drawing board. That's when i decided to look through my pans and see what i could use. I tried stacking the pans together to try and see what i can make, and tada! i decided on this.

The baking was the hard part. Instead of going with my usual banana cake, i decided to push through with a new recipe which my aunt provided (Carrot Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting). I started making the cake at 6 pm and finished the crumb coat frosting at around 8 pm [I cheated! I didn't make the frosting, i bought a ready made one from Betty Crocker]. I know it's really small and all but the frosting part was the hard part. I tried to give it a really clean finish, but seriously, I can't perfect that overnight. Maybe with more practice. Anyways, after doing the crumb coat, i topped it off with the second coat and decided on different colors for each layer. Bottom was Dusty Rose, Middle Part was Teal and the Top part was Pretty Purple. and for the finishing touch, i decorated it with gumpaste cartooney flowers with the cutest colors ever (violet and lime green). Finish product? I liked it a lot. It was absolutely adorable.

Bottom: Dusty Rose Middle: Teal Top: Pretty Purple
If you look closely, the cream cheese frosting is melting. It was sooo warm that day, the moment i took it out of the fridge, it started melting and i didn't have time to clean it up anymore. Oh well!

The blue candle started melting on the gumpaste flower.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

DONUT, Eat...

2011-03-12T12:32:00.000+08:00

Baker King has finally ended and let me tell you, the ending is quite unpredictably predictable? (oxymoron ...i know). As you may know, I've started out my love for Korean cooking with Korean Dramas (refer to K(orean) Kraze), and one thing I've noticed about the plot[s], is that the bad guy always gets the girl! Maybe the writers think that its too predictable to let the good guy get the girl. But the weird thing is, they set the whole thing up so that the girl looks really good with the bad guy. Take "Boys over Flowers" as an example. The main character Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho) is the bad guy [rude, obnoxious, irritating], and then the supporting character Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong) the good guy [gentle, supportive, really hot] and then add in the girl, Geum Jan Di (Goo Hye Sun). Now if you're familiar with the plot, Jan Di fell in love with Ji Hoo at first sight, but Ji Hoo was going through a rough time while Jun Pyo was making Jan Di's life miserable, fast forward to being star-crossed lovers and Jan Di chooses Jun Pyo. Another example would be "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince." Choi Han Kyul (bad guy-main character) is cocky, self-centered and obnoxious, add in his cousin Choi Han Seong (good guy, very nice though not as cute) and add in the girl Go Eun Chan, and then fast-forward: Choi Han Kyul gets the girl. You get my point.

Anyways, getting back to my celebration of the end of the Baker King, I made some Donuts. Donut[s] is one of my all-time favorite food in the world. When I was little, my mom used to bring home some after work, and I've always loved it. My favorite flavor is hands down chocolate glaze (Dunkin Donuts). And like most things i do, i Google[d] the recipe. If you Google it yourself, the first one it'll give you would be a site called Secret Donut Recipe, Although I wouldn't call it a secret anymore. Anyways, while I was writing down the ingredients, I was a bit hesitant about the potato, I never really thought of a potato being used as an ingredient for Donut. The guy who made the website said, the potato is the secret ingredient, and I believed him.

THE DOUGH

Sauce Bowl (improvised cutter)

soda cap (improvised donut hole cutter)

Like the guy who made the recipe, i also, don't have a donut cutter. So, i used a sauce bowl which is just about the right size i wanted, and a soda cap to make the holes in the middle. You can use whatever you want.

final count: 14 regular donuts 7 mini donuts, 14 regular donut holes and 7 mini donut holes

I couldn't make everything regular sized, so for the excess dough, i made mini donuts and instead of rolling out the donut holes to make more donuts, i cooked it the way it was. Now, as for the total count, the donut guy said it would yield around 10-12 donuts i think, i made more because i rolled out the dough a bit thinner than it was supposed to be (really up to you).

Now, for the cooking part, make sure you have enough oil so it floats. You don't want to pan fry your donut (its not bacon), you'll end up with a donut that burnt on the outside and raw in the inside. And, never forget to turn the donut. you'll know when to turn it by checking the side of the donut, if it starts to get that golden brown color, then start flipping, if its not golden brown yet and you flipped it already, easy! FLIP IT BACK!

FINAL PRODUCT. (i made it with Vanilla Glaze)

For this batch, the regular sized donut i made with vanilla glaze and the mini donuts and donut holes i flavored with cinnamon (picture: its in the zip-lock bag, i was too lazy to plate it).

mini donut and donut holes (cinnamon flavored)

a closer look

Anyways, for the donut recipe, it turned out great. And, yes! the potato made all the difference. And as for my Korean Drama addiction, I'm feeding it as of the moment. After Baker King ended, I watched "Mischievous Kiss" to relay my moment of madness and my obsession with the ever gorgeous KIM HYUN JOONG (Yoon Ji Hoo in Boys Over Flowers / band: SS501).

for the Donut and Vanilla Glaze recipe, press THIS

Baby Corndogs and the Baker King

2011-03-01T21:55:00.000+08:00

I've been craving for a corndog since forever! Why not just get one you ask? It's not that easy. You see, from where I'm at, the corndog they sell at the mall, are not that yummy and the microwaveable ones, isn't an option either (they're so expensive!) And so, like all the food I crave that I can't buy, I make them! So, last Sunday was a blessing, I finally found a store that sells cornmeal. Finally! I remember, when I was around 13 years old, I tried making it for the first time, the batter turned out so liquidy that it didn't stick to the hot dog and it just turned out like deep-fried hotdog. Anyways, this one turned out better than I thought it would.

the HOT DOGS

the batter

fry baby fry!

Now, as you can see, I don't have anything interesting to tell you regarding the process. It went as smooth as a baby's bottom. Batter did not need that much mixing and all the measurements were just right. If you look at the picture of the finished product, you'll see that its not the smooth kind of corndog. That's because for most corndog recipes, you'd be asked to use cornflour or cornmeal that's been ground extensively. In this particular corndog recipe, I used medium ground cornmeal which consist of the cornflour and some corn kernels that weren't ground finely. It's really up to you as to which type of cornmeal you want to use.

finished product

I was able to make 16 baby corndogs. On the lower right part of the tray, I made some home-made honey mustard sauce.

Anyways, I was watching 6 more episodes today of Bread, Love and Dream (Baker King). And so far? More tears and more trials... But, finally he found his mom! Also, the girlfriend? I'm not sure if I like her. She's seriously disturbed. And I still think the hag and the side kick should be punished. Severely. I can't wait to finish the series. And to celebrate, I wonder what I should make? hhhhmmmm.... some bread perhaps?

a closer look at my baby!

For the baby corndog recipe and all other recipes of food you have read on my blog, please visit the RECIPE tab.

Bread, Love and Dreams

2011-02-27T23:02:00.000+08:00

I have been crying my eyes out for the last 3 days. Doing what you ask? Watching my new favorite K-drama called Bread, Love and Dreams, but commonly known as Baker King. Yes! my dear readers, this writer is a sentimental fool, among other things. I cry watching sad movies and I hate movies that don't end happily. Anyways, for those of you who haven't seen this drama, I can give you a little rundown of the plot, but can't tell you how the story ends since I'm still in episode 21 (out of 30). Kim Tak Goo <Yoon Shi Yoon> (main character- very handsome fellow) is the son of the president of Samhwa Enterprise, a legend in the baking industry, and his mistress. Technically speaking since he's the eldest son of the president and shows so much talent for making bread, his father wants him to inherit the company. Like all drama series, there is always a villain, well in this case, theres a lot. First is the president's wife. This evil hag who couldn't produce an heir did everything she could to have a son (to the point of actually getting one from the company's Manager Han). But, too bad, her son came too late, he ends up being the younger brother (thus, can't inherit). Second is Manager Han, the evil side kick. He does all the dirty work that the evil hag asks, including making a baby (actually, he's in love with the evil hag), killing the president's mistress and also killing Tak Gu. And the third villain is Tak Gu's "half-brother", Goo Ma Joon <Joo Won> (who is equally handsome but needs an attitude adjustment). He plots and plots and plots to make Tak Gu fail everything, but never succeeds. Ha! He, of course like most manic jealous younger half-brothers wants to steal his girl, his pride and everything Tak Gu has, which isn't really a lot. Let me put it this way, Goo Ma Joon: lives in a huge house, get's everything he wants, went to school in Japan, and is very talented as well (but not his dad's favorite), Tak Gu: is very poor, no family, no education, lost his mother, and has been living alone in the streets since he was 12 years old.... hhhhmmmmm.... makes you wonder right? Well, that's because Tak Gu has manners, never gives up and is very responsible? and Ma Joon is a coward and a sore-ass loser.

Baker King Kim Tak Gu / Bread, Love and Dreams

And so, the drama starts with the Evil Hag (President's wife) giving birth to yet another girl, frustrated and everything, she consults a quack doctor and asks what she could do to give birth to a son, Mr. Quack tells her that he's not telling. Evil Hag gets upset and offers money and whatever, Mr. Quack then tells her, that with her husband, no matter how many kids they have, it'll never be a boy. And so, Evil Hag decides to have an affair with Manager Han, Mr. Quack tells her, that she will have a son, but so will her husband, with another woman. Thus the births of Tak Gu and Ma Joon. Through out the episodes, Tak Gu goes through a million trials, including but not limited to the following: starving to death, getting beat up , almost losing his sense of smell, taste and sight, losing his girl (well, not really), and almost dying (all the time). Not only does he have to go through so much trials with becoming a baker, he also has to evade death from Manager Han's attempt to murder him every single episode. I know, the story line, when seen this way is a little heavy to put up with, but, like all the K-dramas I've watched, it teaches you a million and one lessons. You see, Tak Gu is the kind of person that, even if he can't smell or taste, still makes bread. If you try to murder him, he will forgive you. And, if you tell him to meet you at 6:00 PM, and you're not there, he'll wait till you actually come even if he has to wait till midnight. Practically, he's the best boyfriend for anyone. Anyways, all I want to do right now, is finish the series, and see how it ends. I hope it ends happily, if not, then there's one very pissed off girl in this side of the world.

Birthday Pie?

2011-02-22T13:20:00.000+08:00

As far as birthdays and cakes go, i bet you've never heard of a birthday pie. Technically speaking, its just a plain ol' apple pie that my uncle requested for his birthday. I know right? unusual would be the right word to use. Anyway, on this particular day (around January. As i said before, I'm writing some of my backlog blogs) I was on a very long conversation with my sister on the phone (from 11 pm to 5 am) and totally forgot that I was baking a pie the next day. So, trying to decide between getting some sleep or baking a pie before 8:30 am, I somehow ended up with baking the pie. I reasoned, that since birthdays are an annual thing, better make the pie than suffer guilt of a broken promise! Thank God I made the Apple Pie...

making a pie crust is always messy business

just threw in what I wanted, it's really a no-brainer recipe

not as neat as i wanted it to look, but due to time constraints, i just had to deal with it

the finished product! you wont even notice the patchwork i did with the holes

Heart of the Matter

2011-02-16T01:04:00.000+08:00

Another Valentine's Day, without a special someone... But, instead, I've been given more; I have special someoneS... with an emphasis on the S. Last Valentine's Day, instead of the usual bouquet of flowers, the chocolates, the love sonnets and the candle light dinners everyone usually get, I got to spend a fun night with my Family and some of our closest friends eating, drinking and listening to LOVE SONGS sung by us of course. With everyone belching out from Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” to Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” I would say, FUN isn’t the only word to describe the whole night. With last year’s special Valentine’s Day feast becoming such a success, everyone just figured out that sometimes, “the more the merrier” is really the way to go. Everyone of course didn’t go home empty handed, in spirit of the celebration, everyone received a special gift from everyone else. There were heart-shaped chocolates, teddy bears, flowers, and mugs with heart designs. With all the excitement of planning the potluck dinner the night before, I decided to make something special for my DATES. I wanted to make a cake with all the icing flowers and maybe some fondant icing and go all out with it but, reality struck me, thank God; I honestly did not have enough time. So, instead of making something new and difficult for the first time with TIME against me, I decided to tone it down a little bit but still make it special. In the end, I decided to make Valentine’s Day Cupcakes.

The idea was brilliant, I will make my specialty cupcakes (Banana Walnut Cupcakes) and then to make it unique, I would decorate it individually to make it look all Valentine-y… So, for the topping, I needed some creamy Vanilla Butter Cream Icing, which by the way, I have no idea how to make. And so, I went hunting in YouTube (as always) for some delicious vanilla butter cream recipe. I found a couple which I liked (because it was easy and didn’t require too many ingredients) and decided to trim down the find to the yummiest, in terms of look and simplicity. Since most of the recipe looked quite the same, I determined that the best way to go from there was to summarize the ingredients used, in other words, I took some of this and some of that to finally have the ultimate recipe. With the VBC recipe in hand and the knowledge of what to do the next day, I was finally able to sleep, which was around 5 in the morning…

Like most great events that took a day of planning, things don’t really go as smooth as you want it. Let’s start with the time I woke up, at noon. With two dozen cupcakes still to be made, some vanilla butter cream and some decorating, I was in serious trouble. So, with no other option, I took a deep breath, climbed out of bed and started with the cupcakes. I had all the ingredients at hand, which made everything from measuring to mixing the batter quite uneventful. And, with luck on my side (as I started thinking) I then decided to play with the food coloring and make the cupcakes a different color. I was trying to decide between pink or red (thinking of red velvet cupcakes) and thought of red being too strong, I went for pink. And so, the whole baking process went as smooth as it could get, the cupcakes turned out great and had an extra dozen cupcakes, although the color turned out to be normal (it didn’t really bother me one bit). With all the baking done, I placed the cupcakes inside the fridge to cool it down and to make it easier to frost later (without the crumbs falling off).

it looked more pink in real life

perfect

So, I moved on to get my VBC ready, this is when I started to panic. With the recipe calling in for softened butter (but not melted, which means it should be in room temperature) I remembered too late that my butter was still in the fridge, I took it out immediately (like it would help) and was pushed back 30 minutes waiting for the butter to be soft enough for the recipe. So, when the butter finally melted!!! I continued on with recipe and placed it in the mixer. Just when I was going to start putting in the sugar, the mixer broke… can life get any harder? I honestly wanted to throw out the butter and just not continue on with the icing. But, disheartened I may have been, I’ve always hated giving up. So, I went through all the kitchen appliances we have, until I found a curious little thing that was called a THUNDER STICK (don’t let the name fool you), a weird name, yes! But it was all I have. The thingamajig was like, if a blender, a mixer and a food processor would have a kid, I guess this would be the end result. Thank God for geniuses! And so, with the thingamajig on hand I tried going through with the whole mixing thing, and I take back what I said earlier (about thanking God for geniuses), the whole thing was a disaster, powdered sugar everywhere, it was a nightmare. And like I said before, disheartened I may have been, but I’ve always hated giving up. And so, with so much time wasted already with stupid machines that either break or don’t work at all, I ended up using an old fashioned whisk, and it worked like the bomb! Lesson learned: Don’t trust appliances…

very yummy vanilla butter cream

and so, with my VBC all done though the color was off white which doesn’t matter since I was going to color it anyway and my cupcakes chilled, everything was ready! I placed some VBC in three separate dishes and decided on purple, pink and turquoise for the colors. End result? Well, they’re not as pretty as I wanted it to be, but I believe with time and practice, I can definitely make them look sooo much better.

With everything ready and dinner came to an end, it was time for dessert and like always, everyone was pleased (they love my cupcakes, as everyone tries to order them all the time after I gave out cupcakes for Christmas) the Cupcakes were delicious, as always, and though the decoration wasn’t how I wanted it to be, the Vanilla Butter Cream tasted like heaven, it turned out so yummy! I think I just need to make it look prettier next time. After, the celebration ended, just about 12:30 am, everyone were exhausted, dancing and drinking and having such an ecstatic time, and that is the heart of the matter, Valentine’s Day isn’t only about chocolates, flowers and romantic strolls on the beach, it’s about spending time with the people you love, and that’s exactly what I did!

everyone doing their wacky cupcake pose!

Only in the Philippines # 1: SINULOG!

2011-02-12T01:01:00.001+08:00

I have decided to add a new topic to my blog, and it is exactly what the title imposes. ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES ... These are events, things, people, customs and everything else that you can find, only in the Philippines. There are many unique customs and events here in my country that may either leave you in awe or shock you to the very core and I want to share every single one with you starting with Sinulog.

Sinulog is an event celebrated every third Sunday of January as the feast of Sto. Niño (Child Jesus) in Cebu. People all around the world, both Foreign and Balikbayans (Locals working/living abroad) flock the streets of Cebu to celebrate this fiesta and show their devotion to the Sto. Niño. As of the origin, Historians say that even before the conquest of Spain, natives have already danced the Sinulog in honor of their wooden idols and anitos. Then, Ferdinand Magellan came and introduced Christianity to the natives (of which a certain Rajah Humabon and his wife Amihan, later Queen Juana after her baptism, along with 800 of their subjects were all converted to Christians). Historians now say that during the 44 years between the coming of Magellan and Legaspi, the natives continued to dance the Sinulog. These time, however, they danced it no longer to worship their native idols but a sign of reverence to the Santo Niño, which is now enshrined at the San Agustin Church (renamed Basilica Minore del Santo Niño).

The Altar at Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

An image of the Santo Niño

Although the event is often celebrated with blue skies and sunshine (thanks to the prayers of the Carmelite Sisters and a handful donation of eggs) this year, was not as lucky (which people state: "the government forgot to donate the eggs") as evidenced by the sudden downpour of rain for the whole week. But, Rain or Shine, people donned their trusty umbrellas and celebrated anyway.

Cebuanos and non-Cebuanos alike –pay tribute, give thanks and offer petitions to the Child Jesus, or Santo Niño. On January 15, 2011, Saturday, starting at 1:30 p.m., devotees will gather in the Basilica del Santo Niño and pray the rosary as they walk in solemn procession before the image ofthe Holy Child. This will end at 6:00 in the same place where it began. This is symbolic of the very essence of Sinulog – that everything that God has given us can only be offered to Him in return.

My Family and I started the celebration with the procession, which happened on Saturday (the day before Sinulog) The rain was horrible at that time. The streets were flooded and even though people were half-soaked, we eventually reached the end feeling light hearted (on my part, it felt like all my sins were lifted from my shoulder... Thank God) Sunday came, we started the day with Mass, and then strutted off to the main road to join in with the dancing. As always, the participants never fail to surprise me. Every year, they come up with the coolest costumes, floats and props. These are some of the pictures I took for Sinulog 2011.

I love the whole Beehive idea

Dancer Bees carrying their flower prop

a picture of one of the festival queens

One of the Contingents

love the costumes: its like a cross between Spanish and the Natives

Winner of the Float Competition: IPI. They had the whole Avatar thing going on.

like I said, RAIN or shine...

Although the parade is only for one day, it doesn't mean, Sinulog is only celebrated on this particular day. It starts 2-3 weeks before this parade. I'm talking about Cebu Night Life parties with local bands performing, Mr. & Ms. Cebu Competitions, Barbecue in the streets, singing contests, Sinulog dance competitions and many more. Sinulog is definitely one of the events you shouldn't miss. It blends culture, tradition and beliefs. Truly, Only in the Philippines.

For more information about the history, events, participants and anything about Sinulog, visit http://www.sinulog.ph/

I'm Back...!

2011-02-11T03:32:00.000+08:00

I've been on a 14 month hiatus without writing blogs. This is horrible... This all happened after I started my Job. Now, I know most people would say, "why not write during the weekend?" or "why not write your blogs when you get home from work?" Well, to answer that, number one, I work during weekends, which is absolutely crazy, I know. Number two, I couldn't write after work, because I was so sick of actually looking at a computer for nine whole hours, when I got home, I didn't even want to be near anything that resembles a computer! Not to mention, that I was simmering inside from talking to a lot of people who never made sense... (i.e. The Customers... I worked as a Tech Support for printers, but for which company? I'll never TELL) Now, these so-called Customers, call in, asking the stupidest questions, not to mention, some of them are already screaming the first nanosecond somebody picks up. I'm glad I quit. :) Although, I would say, that I'm glad for the experience, I feel like i can do anything now.

And so, after my very abrupt resignation last month, I browsed through all my files in my computer. I saw a couple of pictures that were dated somewhere between December of 2009 (which was the last time I wrote anything) to January 2011. These were pictures I took of the food I cooked up, saving it for my little blog, but never got the chance to write. Oh well, I have time now... :)

I'm just glad I'm back!!!

Good News From Maangchi!

2009-12-09T17:52:00.001+08:00

Just got my good news from Maangchi today, or more likely, i just read her email. I am now featured in her website! yipee!
When i started this Korean Food Kraze, i started searching the internet for recipes, well, if you've read my first blog, you'll know exactly what i mean... If you haven't, then you should... LOL. First 3 food i made were Jajangmyeon, ddukbokkie and Bibimbap... and i was so happy i made them, i posted a tweet thanking Maangchi for the recipe and a link to my blog about it! And guess what? she thought it was awesome and asked me if i wanted to be featured in her website... along with my fellow Korean Food Fans! I'M SOOO HAPPY!
i mean, it might not be a big deal to anyone else, but it is to me! hehe... THANK YOU MAANGCHI! :)

here's a link to Maangchi's Avid Fans

Thanks again Maangchi! woohoo! I'm a Korean Food Fan! Can't wait to try out more recipes!

Meat My Friend

2009-12-05T22:11:00.000+08:00

I have officially entered the real world. I started work last Monday, and to celebrate my success, i took out my over marinated Bulgogi and heated up my grill! Perhaps it was too early to celebrate but, i couldn't help it...
The meat have been marinating for almost 3 days, and since i am working now, i don't know if i could find time to make it.
I planned to make my Grilled Bulgogi with some Kimchi Fried Rice, but then again, my life is never easy is it? I ran out of Kimchi... so i decided to just make it with some Shanghai Fried Rice, with the Chorizo and Egg, which turned out quite yummy!
And then, i took out my grill... oh wait! WHAT GRILL??? I wanted to make the Bulgogi as authentic as i could, but couldn't buy the Korean Stove Top Grill anywhere... ---i know, my life sucks huh? but then again, I've always been smart enough to find alternatives... although, grilling it over charcoal, like we Filipinos do to kebab would've been my next choice, i think at that time, i was too lazy to find the grill bars? and burn up a pit fire. So, i ended up GRILLING? my Bulgogi on a frying pan! LOL...
The end result?

looks yummy huh? it looks good, but tastes even better... this was the only good picture i took, the rest were blurred and the lighting sucked... probably because i was starving! Not to mention, i forgot to take a picture of the Shanghai Fried Rice... LOL... oh well, there's always next time right?

this is the grill i was talking about! I seriously need it! I've been from Korean Store to Korean Store looking for this God-forsaken piece of kitchenware and i still can't find it... i wonder if i could order it online? hhhmmm.... definitely something to ponder about!

So what's next? Let's see... i still have to make some Pan fried Tofu, Japchae, Samgyeopsal gui and Soegogi gui, not mention i have to perfect my gyeranmalyee...
so many food, so little time... i hope i can find time to make all these next week... :)

keep cooking everyone! :)

My Little Dumpling

2009-11-28T14:55:00.003+08:00

I now dub myself, "DIMSUM SAVVY" for this month, i have totally outdone myself... i rolled kimbap, and now, made some dumplings... i thought it would be very hard at first, but was very surprised to see my first dumpling being flawless... no holes, no tears, it was perfect! for me at least... i even mustered up the courage to make the other shape for the soup... i'm very very proud!!! LOL, call me a fool if you have to, but this totally made my week...

I made the classic shape for my fried dumplings and the hat looking thing for the soup... i remember holding my breath every time i started making one, it was nerve racking at first, but then, i started enjoying it... I was happy with how i made it, i mean, it's not as perfect as the ones you see at a restaurant, but it was definitely a "moment" for me...

The taste? well, it was refreshing, very healthy and quite low in fat, if you replaced the meat inside with just tofu... which i didn't... LOL... i think i still have to get used to eating tofu, as i am not really a big fan... well, technically speaking, eating it with something else is alright... but alone? well, i have issues with it, but i'm definitely contemplating on it...

So, what's next on the menu? we'll see!!! :) excited much!

I Made Sick Food

2009-11-24T22:12:00.001+08:00

Five days ago, i caught the flu from i have no idea who...i had a fever and a headache then after i got better, i then got a cough and a really nasty cold... Maybe it had something to do with the fact that i went to the premiere of NEW MOON with a fever... but i didn't regret it, i think those who have seen it would absolutely agree with me. Besides the fact that i was drooling over Taylor Lautner and his "ehem" hot new bod, the movie was sooooo much better than twilight, and having read the whole saga, i was quite happy with the result...
So anyways, as i was saying before being distracted with my new craze for Jacob Black! I was having a hard time breathing because i had such a runny nose. It baffled me when i was trying out the internet diagnosing or whatever... and for some reason he gave me a diagnosis of SEVERE PNEUMONIA and POSSIBLE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME?????? I was like what? ITS A FLU!!! i think i would know if i had pneumonia or ARDS seeing as i had an X-Ray 2 days before and I did have a full medical check-up... wouldn't the doctor checking me know better? i mean right? plus, it helps that i am a NURSE... i think i'll know if i have pneumonia or ARDS...

So, for the past few days, i stayed home, rested to my hearts content and drank a lot of fluid...finished a whole box of Kleenex and... marinated some BULGOGI!!!
i know, so far out right? well, i cook when i'm sick... i was supposed to make my Bulgogi Barbecue and Stew today, but seeing as i am sick, i might as well postpone it for a while, plus, it'll marinate longer... so, what i did make today was PORRIDGE... very healthy Abalone Porridge with Potato Side dish...

Truthfully i'm not a porridge kind of person, but i remember when i was little, my mommy used to make me porridge with squash when i was sick, and since me as a child didn't exactly like the squash or any vegetable for that matter, i usually had my porridge with ba'-hoo... i have no idea if that's how you spell it...it's basically pork that's dried and powdery that i love more than anything... i think some call it pork floss, my aunt from Taiwan used to bring a lot of it when they came to visit.. and i remember my dad calling me the ba'-hoo monster... because i would eat it all the time. I had it with just plain rice, sometimes bread and most of the time, i just eat it as it is...

My Sick food... the porridge did work wonders... i had this for dinner while watching my favorite show (Family Outing) and i could feel being rejuvenated. What i love about it is that, it's not too heavy on the stomach, it was very warm in contrast to the very cold weather, plus, my runny nose, isn't runny and my throat is feeling soooo much better...

The potato side dish, i'm not so sure i'd call sick food, but it was really good... the original recipe calls for just plain 'ol potatoes, but i had sweet potatoes and added a bit of some plain ones... i think it turned out quite well, and maybe it's a bit weird for most of you having two carbs for dinner, it was actually pretty good, though i don't think it works well for those who are watching their weight...

Overall, i think my sick food was great, i didn't feel like barfing, i tasted flavors again today, since my clogged nose had been preventing me from tasting anything for the past few days. And, i am feeling soooo much better everyday. i think i'm gonna have to continue with my sick food for a few days before i can make my bulgogi barbecue or even the stew... I have a whole lot of soups that i'm excited to make... Wish me luck! and... keep cooking!

New Moon Flu

2009-11-24T22:10:00.000+08:00

I had a splitting headache, i had a fever, i had my period plus, throw in some sniffles... BUT I HAD TICKETS!!!! what was i supposed to do? i have been waiting for months to see this movie! I wasn't gonna let anything stop me from seeing it. I even watched Charlie and Chocolate Factory when i had the Chicken Pox and i wasn't even sure i wanted to see that movie... so no FLU is gonna stop me...but, if the movie turned out worse than TWILIGHT... i would've sued...
I had my outfit ready for the night, i actually bought a shirt to complement? with the movie...

i loved this shirt from the moment i saw it, till i spilled popcorn on it... a few days before the premier, i told my friend who is one of the biggest twilight fanatic, about this shirt, she dragged me around so i could show her where i bought it, and YES! she bought the same one... LOL...

it was a fun night.. and i wouldn't have missed it for the world... The long line, the running in the theater to get a good seat, the screaming girls (including me) every time Taylor Lautner appeared on the big screen half naked... it was very very hhhmmmm, can't even find the word to describe it... But, definitely fun!

Besides the point that i was having a fever (though it doesn't look like i am having one), or that i was in pain (dysmenorrhea)... The eye candy in the movie was enough to bring out a person in a coma to stand up and watch it on the big screen...I know what the shirt says, but i'm definitely moving to the wolves' side...

I'm a Convert!

I may love Edward Cullen in the book, But I Love Jacob Black on Screen...

I Wanted Some Fried Chicken...

2009-11-18T18:09:00.000+08:00

...So i made some... After days and days of being idle, plus the fact that i did go job hunting and i got sick... i am now somewhat recovered and cooking again... forgive my absence, i did try...

Chicken is a staple in every ones diet (well except those who are allergic to it, which i find very sad). I love chicken, and so far, i haven't met anyone who doesn't like chicken... it's the easiest thing to cook, easiest thing to eat and it's actually the cheapest...i think... you can find it everywhere...

So, to put some twist on the regular crispy fired chicken, i added some sweet and spicy sauce, some nuts, and some sesame seeds... it's called Dak Kang Jung or Sweet and Crispy Chicken.

But, it is never that easy for me is it? I actually had to run to the market today to make this.. i forgot to buy some ginger, and of course... i have NO chicken in the freezer!!!
So i went to SM, went grocery shopping for about 10 mins. was shocked to see the new bags the supermarket provided...

I was pretty happy to see they're starting to use the brown paper bags. it's actually friendlier to the environment, plus! you can use their green bags and you get extra points on your advantage card... yay! for SM!

So anyways, i was also happy to make this dish, it gave me the reason to finally use my new found ingredients that i bought two weeks ago when i went to the Korean grocery... I already used my sempio white vinegar making the kimbap last week, and i wanted to open up the corn syrup this time. i actually bought a big bottle so i wouldn't have to keep looking for it if i ran out...

Final verdict?

it was really yummy! it was like main dish and dessert rolled into one... i had 3 of my favorite things in it, nuts, sesame seeds and chicken! I had great chicken today! I had this with just steamed rice and water, and it felt like it was one of the best dinner i had... i think i'll try it with some soup next time, i don't know what would be good... one way to find out! ...keep cooking everyone...

A closer look...

HAVE YOU SPOTTED THE CRUSHED RED PEPPER?

A Rolling Success

2009-11-13T00:21:00.004+08:00

I've always wanted to learn how to roll sushi, and today was the day i did. It was very fulfilling i might add and definitely a dream come true.
Ever since i was young-er... I've always admired those little rolls i had every time i eat at a Japanese restaurant. They were neatly made and looked like some dude in the kitchen spent half an hour rolling them to perfection. And today, i was that dude (or dudette) in the kitchen, and i felt his pain...
When i decided yesterday to make the "kimbap" , it kept me awake the whole night, agonizingly remembering the days when my sister and i tried making sushi...believe me, the memory still haunts me.
And so, setting aside my bad experience and putting on my game face, i woke up early, well earlier than expected, and made rice...which was a nightmare. FYI, the rice they use for sushi and maki and kimbap and whatnot, are short grain starchy-sticky rice, which helps in sticking things together for the rolls. And because the fates hate me, i had to work with long grain unstarchy-unsticky rice... i then had to Google "How to make Long Grain Rice Sticky," which then gave me the result of "Do Not Attempt To Make Sticky Rice with the Long Grain Kind..." Why do they make my life so complicated? and so, because i was too lazy to go out, and buy some of the sticky kind rice, i used the long grain anyways, just to laugh at fates face! ha! and it worked...
After searching the internet over and over again...it gave me the answer of soaking the rice for 30 mins. before cooking it... and that's exactly what i did... and voila! i made long grain sticky rice!!! eat that "Do Not Attempt To Make Sticky Rice with the Long Grain Kind..."
And so, Following my dramatic attempt to make sticky rice, i now had to move on to an even greater dilemma, the rolling!
You have no idea how many times i replayed the video of maangchi (my korean cuisine mentor) rolling the kimbap.... i stared and stared and stared at the computer monitor memorizing each and every step... and i believe it paid off... The Final Verdict? I'll let you decide...

Not one, not two... but eight! i rolled eight kimbaps continuously on my first try! I was so proud that i just had to stop and give myself a pat on the back...I feel like a Jedi Master of Rolling ( i am so lame). Okay! maybe that's taking it too far, but you have to admit, for a first timer (sushi bad experience doesn't count), i'm pretty good. It actually gets easier when you get the hang of it, and it helps that i had a video that pointed out all the wrong things we did before.
So basically, I would conclude that i'm not an expert... I may have rolled eight, but looking at the time spent... I'd have to say, i need more practice, and practice i will do...

Please excuse the uneven edges. That's what happens when you use a knife that can't even cut through cotton... I need a new knife.

Here you see a picture of my adorable grandmother eating the kimbap i made...
My ama is sooo cute...

Having rolled eight kimbaps, i had leftovers that even i can not finish on an empty stomach.
So, i decided to bring some to my dad's office, where hungry people are waiting to be fed...LOL. I did a relocation program on the kimbaps in my handy dandy lock&lock. When i got there... it was like magic... now you see it, now you don't! My dad's office buddies gracefully returned my lock&lock and told me to return with more kimbap! they actually loved it!
...and i gave myself another pat on the back!

An EGGccentric Idea

2009-11-11T18:56:00.002+08:00

Boredom does bring out the best in you. A few weeks back, i was watching Family Outing, and i saw them making rice eggs... they basically cooked rice in the egg... it is what it sounds like...
the final product? Really adorable egg shaped rice with a subtle taste of eggs. When i made the first batch, i posted them on my facebook account, and a lot of people were fascinated. My aunt and my sister said they'll try making it, but no feed back just yet... They did ask a lot of questions regarding the procedure, so i decided to make them again and do some documentation with it... somewhat like a step-by-step procedure/instructions...and here it is:

Step 1: prepare the needed ingredients and materials:
* 3 eggs (depends on how many you can consume)
* water
* sauce pan
* chopsticks
* uncooked rice
* bowl
* egg holder (you don't really need it, i didn't use it the first time)
* knife (with a pointy tip)

Step 2: place one egg in the egg holder. on the top part of the egg (with the peak), slowly chisel a small hole with the knife.

Step 3: keep chiseling until the hole is big enough for the chopstick to go through.
Step 4: To drain the egg, simply insert the chopstick in the hole and repeat the process until the shell is empty (or you can leave a little bit...whatever makes you happy)

Step 5: Put in the rice. (i recommend you put in dry rice, if it's wet, you'll have a lot of trouble putting it in...) Put in about half of the egg space. don't put in too much, remember, rice expands when cooked, the egg will break if you put in too much.

Step 6: pour water in the egg... you'll know when you've put enough, it'll overflow...naturally!
Step 7: prepare the pan, fill with 2/3 water. put in the rice egg and boil like you do hard boiled eggs. Cook it in medium-medium high heat for about 20-25 mins. , or at the same amount of time you cook rice.

Step 8: Enjoy!!!

oh yeah, what to do with the egg? i meant the egg white and yolk? you can practically do whatever you want, i usually make egg rolls with it, but if you prefer scrambled eggs, or omelets, then go right ahead... :) I had mine with some rolled eggs (takes a lot of practice, and i'm still practicing...it looks un-neat) and some oisobagi kimchi i made yesterday.

I'd like to know if you'll make some...tell me how it went and you can send me pictures. If you have any questions, leave it in the comment box and I'll answer as fast as i can! ENJOY!!!

Kimchi Queen

2009-11-10T20:36:00.001+08:00

The first time i ever had kimchi, i barfed. i remember cursing that day quite much. i hated everything about it, the taste, the way it looked, especially the smell! But, that was about a few years ago. If you have read my previous blog, I'm recently in my Korean Kraze phase and "Kimchi" being a staple in Korean Cuisine... well, i had to give it another chance.

I just found out recently that kimchi isn't all cabbage, i mean, there's the cabbage kimchi and there are others made of cucumber and some made of radish. I decided to make the cucumber one, the oisobagi as they called it... i picked this one because, i generally love cucumber, and i did think i was gonna like this one. So, i got my ingredients prepared, checked my Korean Cooking Bible (www.maangchi.com) and got started...

the end result?

My first ever home made oisobagi or stuffed cucumber kimchi... it was absolutely delicious... it was fresh, loved the juice, there was no smell, and made wonderful magic in my mouth!
Now, if any of you ever visited Maangchi's site before, in her oisobagi recipe, she made some radish soup to go with the kimchi... and you know what? what the hell! the recipe was one of the easiest i know of, and i had all the ingredients available in my fridge, so i made some...
I LOVE MAANGCHI! She knows exactly what she's talking about! the soup was so refreshing... it was delicious...and it totally complemented the oisobagi... overall... i had one of the best meals and did i mention? this is soooo low in calories! plus! no oil...i am sooo proud of myself!

My very yummy dinner. Some freshly made oisobagi, refreshing radish soup and i had to have my bowl of steamed rice.

photos: by me

Candle-mania

2009-11-10T13:47:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, i had a dilemma. After my fun lunch date with my friends, they decided to extend the fun-ness, by going on a drinking fest at a park. the problem was, it was on the same day as my niece's 6th birthday. Now, most of you would probably go to the drinking spree, but i already made my promise to my niece that i was going to her birthday party... and i don't like breaking promises, especially to a kid...

Overall, i didn't regret going. the food was absolutely killer (c/o my cousin-in-law from culinary school), the company was great (met my new niece Kierstenne who is 3 months old), and my nieces and nephew were very entertaining. Especially my nephew, Juan Carlo 2 years old, who wouldn't stop putting out the candle... watch the video, you'll know what i mean... and, the children thought i was the best aunt too, coz i started blowing up some balloons...which they found interesting and loved me for it. Plus it helps that they thought i made the cake... when in reality i only decorated it. they're used to the fact that i always bake they're cake, but i didn't have the time for this one, so i bought a pre-made one and just jazzed it up with some decor.

He kept puffing and huffing even when my mom tried to stop him. Isn't he the cutest? He didn't even care almost getting burned with the lighter. And, i love how my birthday girl didn't mind sharing her moment with her cousins (she's such a sweetheart).

Do You Hold The Key To My Heart?

2009-11-09T23:46:00.002+08:00

photo: by me

Brunch, Filipino Style

2009-11-09T18:41:00.000+08:00

Great food+great ambiance + great company = ME HAPPY!!!

had brunch with my folks at a Filipino Restaurant, the food was great... we ordered some sizzling squid, sizzling fish (tanguigue), stir fried water spinach (ginisang kangkong), deep fried pig intestines (chicharon bulaklak), of course some rice and Coconut (Buko Juice) for drinks... yummy!!! :) enjoy the pictures!

on top, sizzling squid, the sauce is super yummy that you'd want to put some on your rice. left side, the infamous buko juice; i'm glad i live in a tropical country, i can actually get one whenever i feel like it without spending too much...(prices range from P8 to P100 $0.17 to $2, depending where you buy it). right side, pig intestines, mostly known as chicharon bulaklak, "bulaklak" in Filipino literally means flower, when you cook the intestines, it curls up and looks like a flower, thus the name.

sizzling tanguigue (fish), i'm not exactly sure what it's english name is, but this is one of my favorite fishes out there...it can be broiled (sinugbang tanguigue), cooked in vinegar -raw (kinilaw na tanguigue), placed in soup (sinigang na tanguigue)... take your pick...

besides rice, this is a Filipino staple... a table without this, would utterly be incomplete...
the "sawsawan" or dipping sauce? a mixture of vinegar (suka'), soy sauce (patis), and chopped onion, tomatoes, and peppers...
so, what do you dip? practically anything... fish, chicken, vegetables... you can even mix it in rice...

couldn't help taking a picture of the native Christmas Tree... made of abaca, ratan and some other organic materials...
topped with the Filipino parol or star...

Restaurant: Chikaan Sm City Cebu
Photos: by me

The Sunday Habbit

2009-11-08T21:03:00.001+08:00

A lot of people my age don't hang out with their folks anymore, i don't get it. I'm not getting the part where they actually try to get away from their folks... Some people say it's because they're all grown up, some say they find them embarrassing, others? well, i don't know... There was once a time when i was a bit younger, that i used to find this very surprising, going through days and days without spending a whole day just with Daddy and Mommy (well, papa and mommy for me).

For as long as i could remember, Sunday is Family Day! My dad used to get upset when my sister or i plan something with our friends on Sundays. I remember finding it annoying because i wanted to spend time with my friends a lot. He used to say, "Spend the rest of the week with your friends, but give God and your Family Sundays..."

I'm actually quite happy with this tradition, especially in this world we live in. Some parents spend so little time with their children, and in return, children don't spend time with their folks either. I remember, my father used to tell my sister and i, that though he can't give us a lot of money, he has something more valuable than that... which was TIME...
I love both my parents for this, My sister and i used to think it wasn't so important, but we definitely realized that it has such great significance in our lives.

So, what do we do on Sundays? Why Sundays? well, i'll give you breakdown of a typical Sunday...
In the morning, we usually stay in and wake up late...
1:30 p.m. --- we go to church in our parish (St. Joseph)
at aboout 2:30-3:00 p.m. --- we go to the mall, eat our Lunch (i know it's late but were used to that time for lunch)
4:00 pm --- catch a movie (we've been doing this every single sunday since i was in 1st grade---so yes! i've watched a LOT of movies)
6:00-7:00 p.m. ---we go grocery shopping (for food and all the other needed stuff)
8:00 p.m. --- we go home...

I know it's not much, but the quality time you spend with your family is very worth it... you can talk about anything when you're walking around or when you're eating. it's also a way to keep track of what every ones up to. And the why on Sundays question? Church of course...

" a family that prays together, stays together..."

I may not actually be the very very prayerful one, but i am still a devoted Catholic, i'm still God-fearing... I go to Church on Sundays, First Fridays and Days of obligations (like Christmas, Mary's Birthday, etc.), i still pray before i go to bed and when I'm traveling, and i always have a rosary bead in my bag...

I'm very thankful for all these practices, it shows that my parents actually cares that i grow up to be someone respectable, someone with morals and someone who knows the importance of family.

Shopaholic Me

2009-11-07T22:19:00.000+08:00

As i promised, one blog ago... my impulsiveness deserves a blog...
if you haven't read the blog I'm referring to... this is the "excerpt?"

"So, while waiting for her text to arrive, we went around the mall, window shopping and chit chatting at the same time... we went into Rustans (somewhat like Macy's or Dillards, stores that sell designer labels and all that) just for fun... we looked around the make-up section (as it is my specialty, I'd like to think), the skin care section and for some reason, we ended in the ladies' BAGS section... ---I'm sorry to cut it short, but this just needs it's own BLOG!!!"

so.. to continue...

Now, i know what all of you are thinking...because i am a girl, i would absolutely without a doubt, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and utterly L.O.V.E. bags...

...you are absolutely RIGHT!

it was love at first sight when i saw it... i tried to resist! as much as i could... but i am human, and my will is weak...
i bought the bag... and i didn't regret it one bit. It was a good investment, it was on sale and i had the money at that moment (which was supposed to be for the boots i was eying at Linea Italia). The downside?

"i can't buy the boots..."

A Very Long Engagement

2009-11-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning went to church and prepared myself for the Lunch Date set with my friends. what I didn't prepare for, was an explanation about my current relationship status. My friend Clare told me she kept reading my blogs, trying to find out exactly what happened, and to her bad luck, there wasn't any... ---my explanation? well, I'm not one to talk(plus, i don't like dissing people on the internet...my momma taught me better than that!)... simple right? NOT! Questions after questions after questions came bombarding in... until i decided to give up... i said I'll write a blog about it (still thinking about it)... and this isn't it... I have too much good thoughts at the moment, and I had such a wonderful day, that i wont even dare taint it in crimson... <---too dramatic? i think so too...JUST KIDDING! so, let me start from the very beginning...

______________________________________________________________________

I woke up this morning went to church and prepared myself for the Lunch Date set with my friends. I have been excited about this since yesterday, when i got a tweet from Clare, telling me, Ayen, my other friend is in Cebu and we are going out for lunch... I didn't even hesitate one bit ( i guess it has something to do with the fact that I haven't been out and about for a long time...and) because I miss my friends very much... I haven't seen Ayen since March, and Clare? well, we see each other in school, and the longest sentence we said to each other was, "Good Luck for the Board..." as my poor memory recalls...

and so, at exactly 11:00 a.m., I took a shower again (from church), had my hair did and my make-up done and was all set by 12:30 (LOL). Took a taxi to Ayala and met up with my long lost friends! And after about another 30 mins. of walking around arguing where to eat (God! I was starving), we finally decided on Don Henricos (Pizzeria)... No pizza as Ayen said... and we still ended up there...

If you don't know what it's like to have six fully grown women, who haven't seen each other for ages, as table neighbors... then, you haven't been out that much! I would strongly suggest noise reducer earphones or eat somewhere else... Believe me, you will NOT have a quiet meal.

We ordered the food (which was very important at that time) and ate it (as anyone should)... after eating (this is where food loses it's spotlight) the "chickas" ---as we call it where I'm from... begins. Like any other gatherings, you talk about how everyone's been and what they've been up to... Clare and Shahana were in med school, Ayen just graduated, Jill and I are now Registered Nurses but still unemployed...and the list goes on...

Clare shared about her fellow med student who had a problem with bad body odor... one day, while they were taking a test, Mr. B.O. passed by her desk and she swore she wanted to puke...i guess the guy knew about his Odor-y problem because he gave the excuse that his Armani ran out... --- forgive the randomness, i just wanted to share...

Anyways, we ended up staying for about 4 more hours, chatting and sharing funny experiences, memories of long and winding roads... until it was time to leave (seeing the waiter's face in the corner giving us our cue), but we didn't want to say goodbye just yet, though the lunch date was over, we wanted to hang out for a few more hours (or so i thought).

We heard about our friend's business was opening on that very day (she's only 21) logically, since she's our friend, we decided to head out to her grand opening for moral support. So, while waiting for her text to arrive, we went around the mall, window shopping and chit chatting at the same time... we went into Rustans (somewhat like Macy's or Dillards, stores that sell designer labels and all that) just for fun... we looked around the make-up section (as it is my specialty, I'd like to think), the skin care section and for some reason, we ended in the ladies' BAGS section... ---I'm sorry to cut it short, but this just needs it's own BLOG!!!

so, to make a long story short... my impulsiveness got the best of me...again! i bought a bag, that was a bit expensive for me... basing the fact on, I AM UNEMPLOYED! but, it was a good investment... and i don't regret buying it.
and so, after all the rambling about in the store of temptation, we finally got the text, and we headed off to the opening. As soon as we got there, I wanted to LMAO for Ayen's sake... the sign says it all...

the day before our lunch date, Ayen had pizza...for Lunch today... she had pizza, and for our dinner? yup! you guessed it right! PIZZA!
Now, don't get me wrong... pizza is one of my favorite food in the world... but having it for lunch, and dinner on the same day? well, i was definitely baffled. Fate was definitely playing with us today. Did i eat it, you ask? well... OF COURSE! moral support remember... and i ended up being happy anyways... the food was delicious! kudos to Stephy, it was really yummy and we're absolutely proud of her and her managing this business... Especially since Food is also one of my interests... ( I was wishing I could make something like this at the moment...)

And so, this was how my day went... Lunch Date gone mad... Lunch date/Shopping Spree/Grand Opening!

Photos: all by me

Photographer Much?

2009-11-05T18:36:00.000+08:00

I was going through my computer's hard drive today, and i came through some of my old photos. I wasn't much of a photographer back then.. but then again, I'm not so much a photographer now. But, nevertheless, photography is very interesting to me.
What kind of camera do I have? you ask... well, it's not an SLR, and i definitely don't belong to a photography club or have i ever been to a photography class (well, not yet). But, WITH camera, is better than NO camera... right? (and it helps that it is digital). I remember getting scolded,for taking pictures of places and things instead of people...I can still hear my dad now... (telling me it was a waste of film...) ---soooo old school.
Just check out my pictures... (comments are very welcome...constructive criticism and good ones)

this was taken during my trip to Bantayan Island, Philippines last March 2009 with My Friends i was a little bored on the boat... (it took us 3 hours to get to the island)

a view from our room... (people mistake this for sunset... this was during sunrise...)

on my trip to the Grand Canyon last March 2008...

the flower i got from my boyfriend --- well ex-boyfriend... 2 valentine's day ago...he got me my fav. flower... (lilies)

...these would have to do, till i buy my SLR... any suggestion for good quality ones? Nikon or Canon?

I Thought Wrong

2009-11-04T23:37:00.001+08:00

The BBC believe most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions:
Look at the list and mark the books you have read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (x)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (x)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible - (X)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (x)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (x)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (x)
34.Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (x)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (X)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (x)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (x)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (x)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (x)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

...12 boOks???? ARE YOU SERIOUS? ...

...and i thought i was a bookworm... LOL

How Many Have You Read?

Daesung's Back

2009-11-04T22:22:00.000+08:00

most of you probably don't know him if you're not into Kpop... he's from Big Bang, and last month, he got into a car accident... so anyways, I was eating my Cincinnati Chilli and watching Family Outing, and I was very very happy to see him back!!! hahaha... my day is absolutely complete...

just wanted to share with you guys... hehehe...

East Meets West

2009-11-04T18:28:00.001+08:00

a couple of days ago, i was trying to find some frozen rice cakes for a Korean dish i was planning to make (ddukbokkie), and it took me forever to find... and when i did, i was so happy, that i bought 2 huge packs... i think i did regret it later on, from when i bought it, i only used half of it and the rest are taking up soo much space in the freezer... i wrote to maangchi (the person i got the recipe from) and asked her what else i could do with frozen rice cakes, she told me i could just store it up,or put it in stews and what not...
...maybe some of you would probably ask,"why not make more ddukbokkie?" well, to answer that question... it's not exactly on my top food choices for everyday (not that i dont like it...i do) but, it's one of those food that i'd like to eat when about a whole month passes or maybe 2... honestly, it has something to do with the sauce, the ddukbokkie sauce is a little thin, i guess you can say that, and i'm the type who wants the thicker version of most sauces (something to do with texture in my mouth). and so, i've been searching on the internet for hours on other recipes, on some article, a blog maybe,on what else i could possibly do... and i haven't stumbled on anyone who has the same dilemma as i do... instead, i keep getting redirected to chili and spaghetti sauces and all that... and it suddenly hit me!!!

ddukbokkie is somewhat sweet and spicy, and i realized, why not make spaghetti sauce and just make it sweet and spicy. there are a lot of differences from both dishes but i really did think it could work...

so for dinner today, i prepared my ingredients for my very first Cincinnati chili. if you're not familiar with it, it's a bit different from Texan chili. i mean, ingredients wise, it it quite different. Cincinnati chili has cinnamon, some chili powder, honey, and some chocolate... you can just search it online and you'll know what i mean...

and so, i whipped up some Cincinnati chili, i boiled the frozen rice cakes like you do to pasta, and... tada! EAST MEETS WEST... i made Cincinnati Rice Cakes...
if you're like me, and you want an alternative... give this a try! i would strongly recommend it...

if you want the normal ddukbokkie recipe, just comment and i'll post it next...

K(orean) Kraze

2009-11-03T22:35:00.000+08:00

It all started with "Boys Over Flowers" and the ever gorgeous Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong). I was in my 2nd week of in-house (for the board exams) when my roommate's boyfriend brought with him his ever trusty PSP, packed with "Boys Over Flowers" episodes... at first i was a little reluctant, as you may call it, to watch with my friends, as i have sworn myself to studying and i always thought that "korean novelas"??? as it is called where i'm from, is a little weird, a little cheezy for my taste...but, i started watching it anyways.

Maybe it's because of being imprissoned for 21 days in a dorm full of girls with nothing more than my iPod for entertainment, or the fact that all 3 of my roommates are in love with KIM BUM (can't remember his name in BOF). But, i was practically as addicted as they were... i mean sure, the guys were hot (which is new for me...), and the plot of the story was somewhat catchy. not to mention the very very cheezy lines the gorgeous guys deliver... total knock out for me... i hated to admit it, but i was caught in the K kraze as i'd like to call it.

and so, days passed and i wanted more episodes of BOF, but none came and my obsession grew bigger... (okay,maybe obsession is too strong.) the day after i went home from the in-house, was like a breath of fresh air... i remember searching high and low in the mall looking for the complete set of DVD with the subtitles(as i cannot understand korean), but they were nowhere to be found... my only salvation... i found 2 blocks away from my house ---if you're where i'm from then you know exactly what i mean. but anyways, i bought my DVD for Php80... which would convert to about $2 more or less... cheap ha?

and so, for the next few days... i was stuck in my room, watching the 25-episode drama... seriously...finished it in 3 days and wanted more...and so, i went online, searched for Ji Hoo (as he is my favorite F4) and stumbled upon the band SS501... ( i guess by this point you can trace as how i got to know the other Kpop Idols : DBSK, Shinhwa, Super Junior, Big Bang, F.T. Island, 2 AM, 2 PM, and all the others).

And, like any other FANGIRL, you watch the shows they're in... Family Outing, Infinity Challenge, Idol Army, Full House and Star King to name a few... and then, another Kraze came over me... i noticed that every time i watch most of these shows, or most Korean Variety Shows, there is always FOOD... I've always wondered how Ddukbokki, jajangmyun, bibimbop, etc. tasted. As at that time, i was only familiar with KIMCHI... (which i absolutely detest - hate the smell, i can't stand it ---i'd wanna eat it, but the smell gets to me every time). so, like any other person, i started searching for Korean Restaurants... to my dismay, they don't sell jajangmyun, bibimbop nor ddukbokki... what the hell was i suppose to do?

Maangchi to the rescue... i started searching online for recipes and all that, and i stumbled on www.maangchi.com, which by the way, is an all korean recipe website and, lucky me, she speaks english really well... it was easy breezy... i got the ingredients listed, i downloaded her videos, i went off to the market and bought most of it... i had some slight bumps with the other ingredients, such as the frozen rice cakes, cosari, and the black bean paste for the jajang, but luck is on my side these days... i found a korean convenience store (Assy? Mart) a 3min. walk from where i live, and they had what i was looking for...

i made my first bibimbop (picture above)... and it tasted amazing...then i tried my hand on Ddukbokki and finally, some jajangmyun (pictures above), that i had for dinner today... they were all GOOD...(yes! i made all those)

my K Kraze is a definite knock out... i started from Boys Over Flowers to Cooking Korean Cuisine... I wonder what's next?