Caturday #8

Hello and Happy Caturday!

So I know I have mentioned before that Niko may be out to kill me, and after this week I am thinking he is definitely plotting something. Every time I turn around it seems I can never find him or I see him perched on top of something just watching me with eyes like he is going to attack. One time he actually did go in for the attack and got ahold of my leg pretty good. Another time he launched and dug his teeth right into my arm as I was taking a small nap. It's quite a disturbing way to be woken if I do say so myself. I really wonder what goes through his head and what he is thinking about. Overall, I am guessing this week I must have been super annoying to him. Hopefully next week goes better for me.

Until next time...

Out and About!

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

So this past week I was soaking in all the time I got to spend with Ben. It often seems that we have conflicting work schedules with little time to be together and enjoy life.  Now, I am not sure how you feel about your spouse, but Ben and I are best friends and we really do enjoy hanging out together. Ah...it was really nice getting a whole week!! Now, back to reality :(

Today, I wanted to share some great moments from the weekend. Although the Lunar New Year is past, the celebration did not stop!

 Our local Chinatown Center hosted a huge celebration with lots of dragon dancers, fireworks, and blessings for the local stores.

 

Dragons are believed to bring good luck. In Chinese culture, it is said that the dragons represent power, dignity, and wisdom. There is a great deal of respect for dragons as you can see here.

 

It's is believed by many shopkeepers that the dragon dance contributes to the prosperity of their store. As you can see, the dragon dances were held in front of the stores here in Chinatown. 

Bombing of the Dragon also occurs during the dragon dances. It is believed that throwing firecrackers at the dragons will bring even more luck and prosperity for the upcoming year. The more firecrackers that are thrown, the more blessings! All of the red debris on the ground is from the popped firecracker.

Now, of course we contributed to the little Texas bakery too. We tried these cute and tasty little strawberry and chocolate bread treats!


I thought it was pretty cool that the strawberry pastry had the heart shape in the bread. Can you see it?



YUMMY ^_^

They are standing on top of each other!

Check out all of these firecrackers!

Here is a video of one dragon dance I really enjoyed!

 

After the Lunar New Year celebration festivities, Ben and I got to relax for a bit and catch up with each other at our favorite place Chuy's!
(Had a girl's night again today...gotta love these purple margaritas!)

Gotta love margaritas with some chips and queso!

After a couple of lovely drinks, we got to head to a Texas STARS hockey game! They are always lots of fun and this time we got to sit right down by the glass! Gotta love it!

Texas STARS!

Thanks for catching up with me and my weekend adventures! 

Until Next Time...

Caturday- Oh Niko!

Hello and Happy Caturday!

Well...All I can say this week is Oh, Niko!

He likes to get in after I get out

Where's the Niko?

Mine!

 

Until Next Time...

설날

Hello and...

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

Given that today is the Korean New Year, I thought I would share my Japchae recipe with you during this celebration. Enjoy!

Korean glass/starch noodles

Japchae
1 small onion
3 medium carrots
3 cup shitake mushrooms
1 bunch spinach
4 oz fried fish cakes (optional)
2 eggs
1 lb. Korean glass/starch noodles
1/2 lbs sirloin beef
2 clove garlic

Japchae Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Prepare Japchae Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for use later.

Prepare beef: slice beef into very thing strips and set aside. Take 1 clove garlic and mince. Mix garlic in with sliced beef. Add 2-3 tbsp of Japchae sauce mixture and let marinate while preparing other ingredients.

Prepare vegetables and eggs: Slice onion, carrots, mushrooms, and fish cakes into thin strips. Crack 2 eggs and mix with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside vegetables and eggs for cooking separately.

1. Coat pan with vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. Add eggs and swirl onto pan to create a very thin layer. Cook for about 1 minute or until set. Gently flip over and cook on opposite side for 1 minute. Gently place on a plate and set aside.

2. If needed again coat bottom of the same pan with oil and place over medium-high heat. Add in sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes and set aside.

3. In the same pan, coat bottom with oil if needed and place over medium-high heat. Add in sliced carrots. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 3-4 minutes and set aside.

4. Next, take sliced fish cakes and fry in oil for about 3 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

(Note: This is completely optional, but I love them!)

*For reference: Be sure to check you local Asian market in the frozen foods section for packages of Fried Fish Cakes.

5. In the same pan, coat bottom with oil if needed and place in sliced shitake mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 2 minutes then set aside.

6. In a pot, bring salted water up to a boil. Add uncooked spinach and cook for about 10-12 seconds or until a bright green color. Remove from boiling water and place into ice water immediately. Carefully squeeze out excess water from the spinach. Add in 1 clove of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Enjoy!

7. In a pan, coat the bottom with oil and add in beef mixture. Cook for about 7 minutes or until meat is cooked throughout.

8. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and place in Korean glass noodles. Cook as directed on package or for about 7-10 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. If necessary, you may need to cut noodles to make them easier to manage when eating.

9. While the noodles cool, take the cooked egg and roll up into a cylinider shape. Slice egg into thin strips and set aside.

10. Once the noodles have cooled a bit, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add in the Japchae sauce mixutre and combine. Get your hands in there and mix everything really well.  Add in more sesame seeds to top off your dish and your done!

Until next time...

Caturday #6

Hello and Happy Caturday!

So, this week I have finally picked up some medicine to help me breathe better. It is so wonderful to not have to run around everyday with congestion bogging you down. On the other hand, what this does mean is that Niko is out to get me! I swear this cat either loves me or is taking action to kill me! How, you might be asking? I am very allergic to cats....yes I know, Niko is a cat. But how can one ever say "no" to such an adorable little bundle of fun!

When Niko was little he used to sleep on my neck. He would stretch his little body over my neck and just fall asleep. It was so cute....and annoying! Being completely allergic to him made my nights and mornings rough! I would wake up in the middle of the night sneezing or not being able to breathe and I would wake up in the morning with the puffiest face on earth!

Now, I have adjusted to his fur and dandruff alike and am better about being around him all the time. However, when I am having other allergy problems Niko doesn't help at all. Wait...this means that I am pretty much ALWAYS having some sort of breathing problem :(

I have started noticing that when I am having troubles breathing or what not Niko will tend to sleep in his own bed or in the closet away from me. I guess it's because I snore...you know not being able to breathe and all. But, when I get the wonderful meds in me that help me sleep like a baby guess who is right on top of my face...NIKO!

Since he has gotten bigger, he doesn't really fit across my neck anymore but he still likes to try for it...so basically he just sleeps on top of my face.

And...we are right back to square one with the non-breathing issue. Either Niko leaves me alone cause I snore and he gets his beauty sleep, or I get no sleep because he is on my face. Oh, he let's me know he needs my face too. He has this trick of standing on top of Ben's chest to make Ben not be able to breathe which wakes me up enough to roll away from him and then Niko attacks my face and nestles in to his deep sleep. What a schemer!

So, is it love or is it a plan to kill :/ 

Until next time...

Hotels are Booked

Hello and Happy Monday!

So, we have finally settled on where we are going to stay. It seems like it has taken forever to choose where but I think we have settled on staying in Seoul for the trip and we will take a few day trips back to Wonju, where I was born. My adoption agency let me know that the Eastern Social Welfare Institute has a place that adoptees can stay at a cheaper rate; however, since Ben is coming along with me, I was thinking it may be better to just stay in a hotel. Plus, who knows how different it is already going to be going back to Korea, something somewhat familiar may be great to come back to at the end of the day.

With that being said, we are going to be staying at the Ibis hotel in Myeongdong Seoul. I think that should make for some interesting nights too.  If you have any good advice, tips, or things to know about the area feel free to let me know. We ended up choosing this location and hotel since it sounds like it has great access to and from the Incheon International Airport and it is close to some 기차역 too.

Yep, that's right learning bits and pieces of Hangul as I go along :) It feels so weird to even include Hangul in this blog. I mean it's nice from my point of view, but it is a strange feeling too. It just seems that every time I have tried incorporating little words here and there with my adoptive family rejection of the culture is all I have faced. It's very unfortunate and I think it's overwhelmingly sad to think that your own "family" can't even be encouraging....but that's it a whole other story for another day.

On the flip side, Ben has been a huge help with learning Hangul. He has been great about pushing me to learn but giving me the space to take it at ease. I am sure that I am making it more overwhelming than it needs to be, but learning the language just feels like it is connecting me to who I am...and that is a scary feeling. It's so hard to explain and I am not even sure if this makes sense or if anyone else can understand, but it's been easy not knowing my past this whole time and now it is just a scary feeling to think that the pieces of the puzzle are slowly being completed. I mean, what happens once you know? My brother in law mentioned the other day that it is nice to know about your past and I am really beginning to think that it is very true...just scary too. Anyways, time to keep working on learning more Hangul! 

Until Next Time...

Caturday #5

Hello and Happy Caturday!

← Just for Fun....Help me Caption This

So today I am awkwardly proud to share this hilarious photo. Now this is the pose of the week of all of you cat models out there. I mean wow...come on now Niko! I am sure that he was cleaning himself but keep in mind that I was snacking right next to him while he is doing this. This past week Niko has really been sitting in some inappropriate positions while I am eating. It makes it very uncomfortable to enjoy your meal while you have a cat next to you plopped down with his junk all out.

It's pretty rare to see Niko sit like this but he did for quite a while and wasn't licking or moving....just watching me eat. It really creeped me out for a bit.

I am not sure what may have been going on in his mind at the time...was he interested in my food? Was he thinking about something naughty? Was he just chillin'? All I can say is..."Geez, just like a man!" Gotta love the TV remote right next to him too. Reminds me of something I would see in a cartoon or movie. Anyways, I am really not sure what he had going on but feel free to let me know your thoughts...it's fun to think up captions for this photo. I haven't been able to all week but my mind has been racing with lots of possibilities.

Until Next Time...

 

Yummy Chicken Katsu

Hello and TGIF!

What a week it has been! So sorry for the delay folks, my computer has been out of commission for a bit. Ben got a new power supply something or other and blah, blah, blah...he switched our cases, so there was quite a mess. Thank goodness for happy hours ^_^

The joys of living with a computer nerd ^_^

Anyways on to excuse #2 for late blog postings: work has been such a whirlwind and my mind has very much been into this all week. There are lots of ideas and I work with such a creative team most of my thoughts have been in our "work bubble" this week.

And finally excuse #3: I have also decided to start doing something again. By something I mean something active. Geez...photos really make you realize what is going on with your body when you do a whole lot of nothing. So with that being said, it's time to get back to the grind of working out. I have decided to start waking up early and working out before work. It's amazing to get it done and then come home 12 hours later and know that all you have to do is finish up and rest for the day. I am really enjoying this, but....it's only been a week so let's not hold our breath. I am really great at committing for 4-6 weeks and then life happens and I just don't make the time. My other thought is that if I am going to be lugging myself around Korea, better get this body of mine ready! Wish me luck because at this point I sure could use it :)

Regardless...I am back and ready to share more! In an effort to eat crappy this week of course I had to make my most delicious chicken meal ever. Now, for the most part I completely dislike chicken. I don't ever want to eat chicken anything...I will politely eat it, but underneath it all I just am grinning and baring it. I have a great dislike for it after so many years of having to eat it all the time. BUT...there is one exception to this chicken hatred which is Chicken Katsu. OMG! I LOVE Chicken Katsu! So, I figured I would share this recipe for you today. I hope it changes some of you chicken hater's minds too...Enjoy!

Yummy Chicken Katsu
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1.5 cups Flour
1.5 cups Panko
2 eggs
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Vegetable oil

Katsu Sauce:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1/4 Sugar
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

For Katsu Sauce:
Mix ingredients together and bring to a boil in sauce pan. Set Aside to use with Chicken Katsu.

For Chicken Katsu:  
Use a knife to cut the chicken breast lengthwise. Cut the breast in half and flatten by using a mallet or other pounding utensil.  Once the chicken has been thinned prepare you stations:

Next, get plates and a bowl ready for the flour, eggs, and panko. As you can see, we will want them to be in this order. Be sure to season the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper for flavor. Mix 2 eggs together and place is a bowl in between the flour and panko.

When your chicken is flattened, begin breading the chicken by first dipping both sides of the breast in the flour mixture. Once both sides have been coated, dip the breast in the egg mixture. Make sure that both sides have been coated with the egg mixture. Once the egg mixture is coated, dip the breast into the panko crumbs. Make sure that both sides are evenly coated with panko. Coat all breasts in this order and set aside.

In a large frying pan or skillet, pour about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil and heat. When the oil is hot you will be ready to start frying. To check-before frying the chicken breasts, place small panko crumbs in oil. If oil sizzles, then you should be ready to start frying!

Gently place a couple of chicken breasts in the oil and fry. Only fry a couple of breasts at a time so that the temperature does not drop too low. Fry on both sides until golden brown and no longer pink in the center or about 4 minutes on each side.

After frying place on plate and let cool for a few minutes. After cooling, slice chicken length wise and serve with Katsu sauce! 



Now, for myself, I only like dipping small portions in the sauce as I think it can be overwhelming, but regardless it's a tasty meal.

In the end, you should have something like this....Yum! Gotta lock that Jasmine rice too. Now that's what I call a delicious dinner.

Be sure to try this out and let me know your thoughts on this recipe!

Oh, with this meal I just had to make Ben some brownies! I am really BAD at making brownies and I have never understood why. I mean I thought I was doing exactly like what the package says. Yes, that's right I am not going to even attempt to make them from scratch if I can't even make boxed brownies! Anyways, I decided to try one more time and closely follow the directions and....OMG! Finally! I have not really been reading these before I guess. I finally realized that it does matter when you add the egg, exactly how much of what oil and water to use, AND what kind of pan you put them in. So...tips to making successful brownies just follow the directions. We have finally had some great brownies after many failed attempts. Thank goodness my brownie dilemma is finally over!

Until Next Time...