15-Day Juice Fast Challenge

Today it a grand day. Not only is it Juan and mine's 10-month anniversary. (Yes, we celebrate by the month, we're cheesy and proud of it). But what also makes today special is that we are embarking on a 15 -Day Juice Fast Challenge! Are we crazy? Yes, most certainly, but we're excited to start and decided to do it because we like pain.. Well not exactly..We actually got inspired to do a juice fast from our friend Mary, who's a juicing convert, and after watching the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Go watch it. It's amazing!What are the benefits of juice fasting or just drinking fresh juice with your meals?? How about --> better skin, more energy, better sleep, better digestion, improves mood, reduces pain in joints, healing of your body, some people claim it also can cure diseases and cancers.It almost sounds too good to be true, but what I like about it is that is logical., And I love logic. It make sense that if you're drinking pounds and pounds of vitamin-filled, micronutrient-rich vegetables every day, that has got to be good for you, right? It is better than pretty much any meal that you could eat.For example while I'm juicing, it is easy to drink a bag of spinach or lettuce, 3-4 large carrots, plus much more in a day. Even if you consider yourself a healthy person, You probably don't eat that many vegetables because who can really chew that much? Your jaw might fall off, and I like my jaw, thank-you very much! ^^Ok so are you intrigued? We are, so now we're going to try this hard-core. Even though adding juice to your diet is helpful, why not go hardcore and jump all the way in, and really get our bodies, squeaky clean? So we are, and we're drinking juice, juice, juice for the next 15 days without any solid foods. :-)Exciting! And hard.. Apparently the first 3-7 days will be difficult because your body is angry at you for feeding it nasty things so to pay you back it say "Let's detox!" And detox can mean....headaches, flu-like symptoms, body aches, diarrhea, constipations, bad moods, acne,  and.. About anything. It just depends on how toxic you are. If you're really toxic then you may have many days of detox.But after the detox symptoms lessen and in return, your skin improves, you have incredible energy, your joints start to heal, you have better digestion. Basically your body goes into a process of full-body restoration. That's amazing and worth a few days of pain to try.Inge's hopes after 15 days:More energy, be more clean inside, better skin, and have the satisfaction of finishingJuan's hopes after 15 days:More energy, be more clean inside, loose weight, and have the satisfaction of finishing---> Are you curious how do it too? Here's a few BasicsHere are the Basics for Juicing or Juice Fasting.1) Drink 80% vegetable juice and 20% fruit.2) Greens, Greens, Greens, Greens, juice them! They are so good for you. Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, etc. Why? The chlorophyl in these plants are key elements to strengthen your blood and bones. Greens also give you lasting energy. They are like healthy espresso that lasts all day and don't give you nasty coffee breath and cheaper. ^^3) On a fast, drink as much juice as you want. (1-2 Gallons a day) Fill yourself up with fresh juice. You're not trying to loose weight, you're trying to restore the well-being of your body.4) Start your fast on a weekend so that you can rest in bed while detoxing, and protect your co-workers from your gorilla mood.5) Drink at least 2 Liters of water, the more the better this will clean you out AND reduce your detox effects6) Another away to reduce the effects of detox is to do coffee enemas to detox your liver.. Yes, it's true. The hose up your butt, thing. It supposedly does wonders. I can't vouch for it. I haven't done it yet. However, I may be coerced into doing....Next Post: Tomorrow, I'll give Juicing Resources - Juice Recipes, Juicing Tips, and for the adventurous out there Coffee Enemas help too. :-)With all of these greens we'll be able to fly by the end of the month ;)

Share your thoughts :-)

Comment below to share any tips for juicing, recipes or health in general. I'm curious to learn more about how to maintain a health and try new things. :-)

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Read The Juice Fast Series 

1. Juice Fast Introduction2. Juice Fast Day 1 ~ Juicing Resources3. Juice Fast Day 2 ~ Special Guest4. Juice Fast Day 3 ~ Think Long Term5. Juice Fast Day 4 ~ $$$6. Juice Fast Day 5 ~Juice Your Greens7. Juice Fast Day 6 ~ Keep Going8. Juice Fast Day 7 ~ Give Your Veggies a Shower9. Juice Fast Day 8 - Coffee Enemas and Detox Dreams10. Juice Fast Day 9 ~ Lazy Saturdays and Honey Masks11. Juice Fast Day 10 ~ What To Do with Juice Pulp? 1 of 212. Juice Fast Day 11 ~ Juice Fast Challenge: Day 11 - What to do with Juice Pulp? 2 of 213. Juice Fast Day 12 ~ How Do you Start to Eat Again? Step One = Make a Plan14. Juice Fast Day 13 ~ Happy Days!15. Juice Fast Day 14 - Cranky Days! & Transition to Food16. Juice Fast Day 15 - Before and After Photos 

We Dream : Anna Polak

We Dream #1 : Anna PolakKrasnoyarsk, Siberia Russia

“Life is short, you must enjoy good food.”

Age: 26Occupation: Formerly a journalist in Russia, but now studies the Korean language and Food Management in South KoreaFavorite Habit: Eating good food and drinking dry red wine.Favorite Food: Meat and savory baked goodsParent’s Occupation: Restaurant ownersChildhood Dream: To be an animal doctor

When I met Anna for our interview, I immediately noticed her bright eyes and effortless sophistication. She is a women with many passions, interests and with a vision. She comes from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, the third largest city in Siberia, with a population of almost one million people. After she graduating, she worked as a journalist. Yet after just two years at a Russian newspaper, the work lost it’s thrill, and she felt that she needed to look for something more. Her friends suggested that she learn a new language, something Asian, because she loved Japanese culture. She took their advice and started a Korean language course. A few weeks into the course, she learned that her professor was going to South Korea for 2 weeks, and invited her to come. She went, and she immediately was enchanted by the country.She loved it so much that she moved to South Korea to study its language and get a degree in food management. She will be live in Korea for five years.When I asked her what her dreams are in the 10 to 15 years of life, Anna's eyes grow brighter and brighter. She has many dreams, and they stem from her priorities: family and her belief in tolerance.Why tolerance? I ask. Because when you have tolerance, you don’t have to hate people, she said.She explains that when she was young her father left her family, and she didn't meet him again until she was 16 years old. When she met him again, she asked him why he had left and never contacted her. He couldn't explain it, she said. This hurt her, and every time that she was around he father she would feel sad."I hate feeling sad. I don’t want to be sad when I’m with my father; I don’t want to cry," she said.So Anna decided that she must learn to understand and tolerate him so that they could be friends. Regardless of what he had done, he was still her father, she said.This principle guides her not only in her family relationships, but even with strangers who are rude or unkind to her. She says that she tries to find tolerance and understanding for everyone, and not care about their opinions, so that they won’t effect her day or life. And I think this is the wisdom which allows her to dream so freely.What are her dreams, you ask? Well, let's see.....In the future, Anna sees herself as a farmer and a restaurant owner in New Zealand or somewhere similar  She wants to live in a two-story house with farmland, 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, and having a chef husband. "He doesn’t need to be beautiful just have a strong body and mind," she said.Her restaurant will have simple food, she says, but have spectacular ambiance."Atmosphere is important," she says while taking a moment to look upward, as if she is envisioning the details her spectacular future restaurant.Anna goes on to explain why atmosphere is vital."Why does ok food, eaten at a friends house taste soooo good?" she asks. "because you’re surrounded by people you love in a familiar, comfortable atmosphere. This is why good food can taste great."So if you're in New Zealand in the next 10-15 years look Anna up, she will for sure have the most delicious of restaurants on the island.Here are a few images from a photography shoot that I did with the lovely Anna Polak. She’s could be a movie actress, couldn’t she?

About: We Dream

Dear Sister, Please tell me you Remember!

  So I got this email from my sister this week. Here is how it went...Heyyyyyyyyy Inge,We are trying to remember what you put in the salad that you made for Christmas last year... it was soooooo good and I really want to make it again. Please say that you remember???? :)My first response?? Oh, Did I make a salad last year? really? I forgot that I even helped with the cooking...Oh and you liked? cool... hehehe because usually when I cook, I just put random things together and pray to the Lord above that they taste good and luckily! Last year's Christmas,  I managed to score a hit.. Good timing, God! :DSo I couldn't remember for the life of me what salad I had made last year.. Until I went back into time in my pink polka dot time machine and realized for Christmas 2011 I was then obsessed with Thai food.. And then the pieces of my salad making brain started to come together :) I love time machines, don't you? They are all the rage in Korea now.. I named mine the super Western Digital Harddrive... ;)So here is my response to her recipe request... just incase you feel the need to make A Thai inspired salad for Christmas or any other day of the year ;)Hello, Hello!

Ok so the most important thing in the salad is the dressing...So here is the deal, traditionally it is a Thai dressing which uses basil but I used cilantro last time your choice both are good :) Here is the dressing recipe, but this is just one serving :) Make lots more.. :D and mess around with the spicy, sweet, sour, salty balance to your liking...

You can make the dressing with the blender if you like..

Dressing

1 Garlic4 tbsps soy sauce4 tbsps fresh lime juice

with cilantro or basil a big bunch4 tbsps palm sugar or white sugar (put this sugar into a couple of TBS... of warm water to dissolve it.)

fresh chili, quantity as desired

Salad ingredients - you can change as desired ---

All of these are prepped separately and then put on the salad after... not a lot of mixing going on..

1. Boiled Eggs

2. Avocados

3. Onions -- mixed with salt and soaked in lime juice.

4. Red Bell Peppers mixed with salad greens...

5. Blueberries

6. Strawberry slices

7. Orange slices

8. A saute of mushrooms and onions

9. Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Mix the salad greens with the dressing

Put all of the other goodies on top and then put extra salad dressing on the top :D

How do I remember this salad so well?!?! because I'm a genius of course! photographic memory! could you expect anything less from a real Hooker? ha! No do you want the truth? Luckily, I took a photo and that is the only reason I remember this.... And I attached the photo to the email

P.s. Are you happy you have a cook and photographer sister in the family? I'm not even home this year, and I'm contributing to the Christmas dinner merriness! Boom.. I impress myself... hehehe

Love you guys and I hope it turns out even better than you remembered maybe put some delicious bacon on it to take it up a notch? good idea, eh?

Merry christmas and send me a photo of your salad creation! :D

p.p.s. I remember as well that we had eggs benedict last year? wow! sooo good ! I want to learn how to make those!

Ukuleles @ MaeLoeGyi in Mae Sariang, Thailand

MaeLoeGyi Vegetarian Restaurant and Guesthouse in Mae Sariang, Thailand is a place that I could hang-out in all day long eating, listening to ukulele tunes and enjoying the sweet company of Net, her family and all the other guests who pop in for a taste of her delicious food. :) If you ever find yourself in Thailand, Mae Sariang is worth the trek just to try a bowl of her delicious green curry or grilled tofu salad. Yum!

Dreams of Summer

Yesterday was the first snow of the year! So beautiful, so magical, so nostalgic and of course, soooo cold that your nose and hands might just decided that life is not worth living anymore and say, 'Adieu!'All this winter land whiteness has made me think of Summer and all of its delicious salads. One of my favorites this summer? Anything with Blueberries and Red Bell Peppers! Yummy! Just in case that you live in Heaven (ie you can find fresh blueberries even in December) Then have a go at this recipe. Delicious, delicious! :)Now I'm off to bundle up and find some hot chocolate!But first here is the recipe. Quantities are to your tastes and creativity :)Baby Spinach & ArugulaHalved Orange SectionsChopped AvocadoSliced Red Bell Peppersand a Healthy drizzling of Olive Oil, splash of Balsamic Vinegar, pinch of Salt and Delicious fresh-cracked Black Pepper :) 

Friday's Refrigerator Inspirations :)

My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Forest Gump

~~~~~~~

I'm not sure what to call this maybe Mini omelettes or mini Spanish Tortillas or a Rice Patties? I not sure. But when it comes down to it I think that Friday's breakfast magic should be donned 'Left-Over Amazingness' with a Cucumber Salad :)How did the recipe pop in my head? Well it came from a combination of influences, but on Friday morning while getting ready for the day I had some serious inspiration. I was thinking about all the things that were in the refrigerator and all the ingredients started singing and dancing in my head and boom! This is what happened..Magic! :D

Left-Over Amazingness

I sauted chopped onions and shredded carrots <-- largely shredded together.Then I threw in some jalepenos...for spiceA 1/2 cup leftover of potato stew.A wee bit of chopped hamThen a wee bit of chopped-up omelet from the day before.Then 1 or 2 cups of left-over riceSaute and saute some more... add oil and water and salt until things are cooked/taste to your likingNext I took 3 eggs and beat them in a big bowlThen I added the rice saute mixture to the egg bowl, and mixed and mixed and.added fresh green onions. and mixed it up.Heated a saute pan with Olive OilAnd scooped out cute mini omelet rice patties to sizzle in the pan until brown on each side...(I also covered the pan with a lid for a couple of  minutes to let the steam cook the insides ) :) Next time I think I might put tofu or sweet potatoes or maybe cheese. Any more ideas? Mushrooms, perhaps? 

Cucumber Salad 

For the salad everything goes in one bowl.. Easy, easy!

I shredded 2 cucumbers in a bowl.

Minced 1 jalepeño.

Shredded 1/2 an Apple

Salt

Juice of a small orange or clementine

Bites sized pieces of an orange

Put my favorite dressing Sesame Dressing

A little bit of Yellow Mustard

Mix, Mix, and Taste for more spice, sweet or salt, and then plate.

Plating goes like this... = 2 Leaves of Lettuce, 2 Omelet Patties, a small mountain of salad, and garnish with Apple slices, and drizzle with extra dressing or Olive Oil... Enjoy! :)

Try this with your own leftover and tell me what different things you create! :D

A Coffee Date - Barista Parlor

 

Had an absolutely lovely Friday morning sipping coffee, talking about life, and doing an impromtu photo shoot with my dear friend Chanell. We found ourselves - after a few ::cough:: U-turns  ::cough:: - at one of the newest, most hippest, coolest, hang-outs in all of Nashville. Barista Parlour.

--- Well I believe it is new, but you know me... I've been in Asialand for the last three 3 years of life. And everything here seems as new as a bean sprout to me. :D But regardless of age, this new coffee place is fantastic. You should check them out when you come to Nashville next. They're on facebook, so no excuses. Get your butt down here!

You know that I mean that in the kindest way possible. ^^ facebook page --> http://www.facebook.com/BaristaParlor

Photos taken on the awesome I-phone by both my amazingly talented artist, musician friend Chanell and myself.

**Today remember to enjoy every second of life that you have. It's worth the effort. :)

Back to the Kitchen

Yesterday I spent a lovely day of cooking madness, helping my dear friend Net out in her vegan/vegetarian restaurant Mae Loe Gyi in Mae Sariang. In the process she taught me some of her most delicious recipes. It was a wee crazy busy but super productive. I even came up with a new salad to add to the repertoire.  It was a lovely day and worth every bit of suffering that comes with not having the time to eat breakfast or lunch on account of all of the customers clamoring to eat Net's delicious food. :)After a hard days work in the kitchen, we finally got a chance to rest our tootsies and enjoy Net's amazing Vegetarian Khao Soi and the new creation Salad. I included the salad recipe if you fancy trying it out.  But sorry, dear friends, the Khao Soi is Net's recipe which I am shamelessly hoarding. You may only taste it if you come to visit me in Thailand. :) And please allow yourself the freedom to experiment with the salad. Strict recipes zap all the amazingness out of cooking.  The Salad of the Day Recipe...1) Mix the following ingredients in a bowl.1 Onion sliced very thinly2 small chile peppers minced2 green onions sliced4 Tomatoes cut in 8ths1/2 cucumber chopped1 red bell pepper sliced1/3 fresh cashews or favorite nut.2) Add the following to your bowl of veggiesDressing:1-2 Juice of Lime1 Tbs. White Sugar1 Tbs. Soy Sauce2-3 Tbs. Hot Water.3) Then Mix in3/4 c. Deep Fried Mushroom Meat-substitute. It's delicious you find the right substitute brand or try your favorite meat in bite-sized pieces.4) Then mix in -->2 tsp toasted rice powder (optional) Look in a Asian grocery storehandful of mint leaves5) Taste it to adjust your desired sweet/spicy/salty balance...6) FINALLY.....Prepare a bed of lettuce,pour the salad on top of the bed and garnish with2 boiled eggs quartered, a sm handful of mint leaves and a sprinkling of toasted rice powder ENJOY! ^^ 

Watermelon Salad Love

It's Monday here in Thailand, and Monday is always a good day to express Love right? It helps the Mondays go a wee bit better than if you had less love. And how do I choose to express my love on this lovely Monday? With a salad of course. I can't think of much else in the whole wide world that I like to make and eat than a nice big amazing salad. Three times a day, if possible.I am a little or perhaps a lot in love with salads. I am in fact twitterpated with salads. Yes, twitterpated is a word. Google it.I love salads so much that eventually I'm plan on opening my own salad restaurant, but that shan't be for years in the future, in a foreign land, with odd looking people surrounding me. For now I'm very happy with my picture taking ways. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to have you come along with me on my salad escapades. Perhaps you'll even be a brave soul and try to make AND eat one of these creations? Gasp! Perhaps, but I shan't get my hopes too high, it is only Monday, you know.My first salad of choice? Well I opened up the refrigerator last night and the food started speaking, ::what? the food doesn't normal speak to you too?:: Well this is what my food friends introduced me to.

Mr. Cashew, Watermelon*, Coconut Salad

* cultural note * My Thai brother says that Watermelon is a lady's fruit, but I disagree. He is just jaded because he is Thai, and the only fruit he still likes is durian and rambutan.  Lames choices of fruit lovin' if you ask me.

The recipe follows the pictures :)

Ingredients:

(change amounts to personal taste + experiment please! that's what makes cooking so fun!)

1. 2 cups seedless or seed watermelon cubed

2. 1 cup fresh coconut meat sliced

3. 1 cup tomatoes sliced in eighths

 4. 2 cups sm. white radishes found an asian grocery store.

Amazing, amazing!

5. 1 small onion sliced thinly

6. 1/2 cup cashew nuts halves + 1/4 cup (saved for garnish)

7. olive oil + salt to taste

prepare and mix first the first 6 ingredients. Toss the salad with the olive oil and salt to taste.

Then make it all pretty like with a drizzle of oil and 1/4 cashew nuts to top it off!

Dreams of Coconut Curry and Tea Leaf Salad!

I recently made a life goal to learn how to eat and cook as many different foods possible.. My first challenge was Korean food and now my current one is Thai food! Oui! How delicious it is! Good thing I have to bike everywhere I go.. If I didn't, I might soon become Inge super~sized with all the delicious coconut curry that floats around this place and tempts me with its devilish smells.The next challenge is figuring out how I can fuse Korean and Thai Cuisine?., Now this is a quandary!And don't you dare suggest that I add fermented kimchi to coconut curry! I might just excommunicate you from ever eating delicious food again! And yes, I have that power. I know people in very, very high places., very important people who can make you eat only kimchi for the rest of your life.. Kimchi with nothing but rice! Muahahaha :)

~ Chiang Mai, Thailand ~

Lovely Friends and Food

I recently got the chance to go visit my foodie chef friend Gail for an entire weekend of eating and talking about all the different delicious foods there are in the universe. It was a lovely time! Here are some pictures I took on Gail's sweet I-phone of the awesomeness that we created. p.s. thanks to Gail for taking the picture of me. ^^

Korean Food Challenge, Home Stretch, Baby!

With only a short time left here, I've made it my mission to cook and eat as much Korean food possible... Except for my major fail.... Yesterday, I went to an Italian restaurant, while in Korea ::gasp!:: but it gets much worse! at the Italian restaurant... What did I order? A Greek Salad? What is wrong with me? I must have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed,  forgot to drink my morning coffee and walked under a ladder all in one day! But I'm hoping my failure will be forgiven because I've been hard at work on my Korean food cooking list and I'm almost finished! So close that my next food update I may be finished, finished! Asah!p.s. thanks to the lovely Lisa and Rosi for coming over to dinner and eating and cooking with me! ^^ 

Delicious Food and even better company...

My lovely co-teacher and her husband invited me to their country abode a few weeks back for a peaceful night filled with my favorite chicken soup, pottery and hours of chatter about life.. A beautiful night.

The Cooking Mission... Marches On!

You may think I've forgotten all my Korean cooking dreams, but you see I've been very hard at work over here in Korea land cooking! Why have there been no pictures to prove my words? The reason? Well.... I've had a few foodie failures! Yes, it's true, I think it's due to my cooking sins; I must have upset the Korean food gods by putting pumpkin and mushrooms in Kimchi Jiggae and pumpkins in my Spicy Mackerel Stew.. Pumpkin is my weakness, like honey is for Pooh Bear or Spandex for Superman.I've been having trouble following recipes because I always want to add different ingredients than those that are in the original recipe! And alas, my past few attempts I got over greedy and tried to add too many different ingredients, conflicting flavors, and well it turned out like poo. So maybe I'll go back to the basics next week? BUT it's sooooo hard!!!.. Repeat to self... FOLLOW THE RECIPE, INGE! ::inge, continues to mutter these four words over and over to herself, while slapping herself every time she reaches for the pumpkin.::After many failures and recipes mess ups.. I tried to make my favorite soup Soon-dubu Jjigae (A spicy Tofu stew) about 3 times and ickers! It just didn't come out right! I could have been because of the above problem of never wanting to follow the recipe. Why it just takes so long to read instructions. There are many better things to be done, like not reading the recipe, but alas my dinners were not tasty and after a while of nasty dinners I had to get it together, and Snap out of it! And thank goodness to the Lord above, I did! I figured out what my Soon-dubu Stew problem was. You see, I was trying to cook a Korean Soondubu Jjigae, when my soul longed for an exotic Thai Soon Dubu. So one morning at 7 am, just one hour before I was headed off to work, I came into my apartment from a morning walk and opened up my refrigerator and like a vision from Heaven, a recipe started to spill into my head. I started pulling out, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, shrimp, soft tofu, coconut oil, lime, cilantro, eggs, lime.... AND you guessed it, Pumpkin! and somehow in just 20 minutes I chopped, fried, mixed, stewed, and sprinkled until a dish that tasted so like Heaven that I was tears while eating breakfast! I scribbled the recipe down in Inge code, meaning it's short and confusing (because I hate both reading and writing directions, such waste of time). So one day, when I have my own restaurant, I can cook you this Heaven-sent dish! Please look below.. And wipe the drool off you keyboard, drool ruins electronics. I have experience ;)Ciao for now! My next week's cooking challenge? Kamja Tang! (potato and pork back stew) People say it's devilishly time consuming, but I got this right? Perhaps I'll substitute pumpkin for potatoes! Yum! And then my skin will turn even orange--ER. I swear, I've got to stop eating all these carrots and pumpkins, my eyes are loving me, but my skin, well, it practically glows in the dark! Which come to think of it could actually be fantastic! In that case, tomorrow's breakfast will totally be pumpkin eggs, carrot juice, and coffee with carrot milk and, and....hmmm.... carrots and gravy or perhaps sunny side up carrots?. But you see any way you flip carrots, they will always be sunny side up. Oh aren't they fabulous?!?!.. Ok, I'll shut up now :) Have a lovely day!  

Avocados + Mangoes = Happiness

This is the most essential math equation that you'll ever learn, who needs to worry about square roots or geometrical shapes when you know the equation to happiness. And a new friend of mine just gave me a whole lot of happiness! Thank-you very much, Denise! Do you know that in Korealand Avocados cost 3$ each and Mangoes cost 10$ a piece?.. More reason to love you girl! :) And in the spirit of summer and good friends, we had a picnic to celebrate all the avocado and mango lovin! I sure hope there was a typo in the Bible when it said that there are streets of gold up in Heaven. I think I would prefer a Heaven which has streets lined with Golden Mangoes! Now that, I could get into that!   

A Beautiful Fungus :)

I was off on another fantastic Korean food challenge! Ready to go! All the ingredients were prepped like soldiers ready for battle. I was going to make all sorts of fancy dishes and become the next Superwoman of Korean cuisine but then something happened.... I got distracted by the glorious fungus know as the mushroom. He called my name, and I melted. Such a charmer! I'll become a superwoman next week, but for now I am enjoying mushrooms.... in the most legal way possible, of course.  :)

100th post... Ni-Suh!

It only took me foooorever and year to get here, but woot, woot to being 100 posts-old! You can send your congratulatory presents to my personal assistant in Asialand, a Mr. Lee. He's super cool, he lives on all things rice, and he hates, hates, hates, fruit and chocolate. He eats all my rice gifts and gives me any fruit or chocolate that comes his way. It's a perfect working relationship. If only he had an avocado tree, I might marry him.Well in all my excitement of being 100, I decided this was a perfect opportunity to cook a feast for myself (but who do I kid? Like I really need an excuse to eat). The celebratory menu?Spring Banchan, Spicy Mackerel Stew, Spicy Squid Muchim, and Candied Lotus Root! Spectacular. Breathtaking. Marvelous. Excellent.. So, So Awesome. Euphoric!. Ok. you have the permission to punch me now, but punch the left eye please, because the right one already has a nice bruise that came from my last annoying blog post. And it would just make my face look so much more level, if I had 2 black eyes instead of one. I really look like the dog from the little Rascals today. It is just not a very attractive look for me. I much prefer the raccoon-look. More chic., stylish., and you know, I am very chic. ;)But back to cooking. Well, I've been knocking out so many of these recipes that I'll be done with my Korean Cooking List in no time. Or more likely, I'll just get hungry and then I'll have to extend my list longer and longer.. oh darn!Here are the recipes and I have again modified some of them, and taken them from delicious to uber delicious land :) Yes, humility is not my strongest of suits.The Spring Banchan, Candied Lotus and the Squid Muchim (O jingo Chae Mu Chim) were not very modified. I have just a little extra garlic here and there, but the bigger heresy came from the recreation of the Spicy Mackerel Stew the recipe's below.Spicy Mackerel Stew ~ the original with my modifications is below... My modification? I've added chopped pumpkin and carrots along with the radish and I put 4x the amount of fresh ginger and put extra garlic. Next time I'll add  mushrooms to the mix to see what happens!

1 can (14 oz) Mackerel, strained and the juice reserved

1/2 lb Korean radish, diced into 1/4" thick slices

1/4 lb pumpkin

1/2 large carrot

1/2 onion, sliced

2 garlic clove, chopped

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp Korean soy sauce

1-2 TBS minced fresh ginger

1 tsp Korean chili flakes

1 Tbsp Korean chili paste (gochu jang)

1 Tbsp rice wine or Mirim

1tsp honey

8-10 cabbage leaves for wrapping, optional

Put radish, pumpkin, carrots and onion slices in the shallow pan, and place mackerels on top.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved canned mackerel juice with garlic, soy sauces, ginger, rice wine, and chili flakes. Sprinkle the sauce all over the mackerels in the pan.

Bring them to boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered, until the radish gets tender. Serve hot with rice and steamed cabbage leaves.

For the cabbage, Tear some leaves from the cabbage and cook them in the boiling water with some salt for 3-4 minutes until they get soft. Drain and rinse. Use these leaves to wrap around the mackerel, radish, and some rice.

Happy Cooking Everyone! And yeah for my 100th birthday! I look pretty good for 100, eh? That's what cheap plastic surgery does for you! and you wondered why I've stayed in Korea for so long? The surgeries, of course. They're cheap and fast!Oh and for those of you curious here is how the list is shaping up :) √'s mean I've successfully cooked it1) Kimchi (√cucumber, √cabbage, and spinach)2) √ KongNamul Banchan (Bean Sprout stir fry)3) √ Yuk Gae Jang ( Spicy Beef Stew) Probably my new favorite soup!4) Kamja Tang (Pork Back and Potato Stew)5) Dak Dori Tang (Spicy Chicken Stew)6) √ Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)7) √ Seaweed Salad8) √ Sauteed Sea plant 9) Soondubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew)10) √ O jing chae muchim (Seasoned dried Squid) So delicious you don't even know!11) √ Pan-fried Tofu12)√ Spicy Mackerel Stew13) JangJoRim (장조림)14)√ Spring BanchanLet the cooking continue!view my portfolio here

Father, I have Sinned..Kimchi Jjigae My way!

Yes, it took me 3 whole weeks of cooking Wednesdays to finally deviate from God give Perfection or in other terms, the Korean recipe! I did it my way this time AND because I did, I have committed a sin, and I shall never be forgiven. No matter how much Kimchi I eat or how many times I finish my entire rice at school. I have committed the ultimate sin. God will have no grace for me.This sin is almost as bad simultaneously walking under a ladder, opening up an umbrella indoors, throwing away your rice and then cursing your mother to her face. Ohhhh! it's bad.. but OH! it was worth it!. I'm surprised it took me this long to sin. ;)So I have deviated from the right way to make Kimchi Jjigae, a most sacred fermented stew that is sipped all around wintry Korea, day in and out. Legend has it that it keeps you not only healthy and happy, but it also gives you mad chopsticks skills so that you can attract the proper mate and then marry in 2 months time. I swear it's true!How did I manage to mess this soup of the matchmakers up? You see, I have not only added mushrooms, but I also added Pumpkins! Yes, I'll never marry! I'll be an old maid for life. Gasp, yes! You have permission to Gasp again! ::Inge, pauses to hear the crowd gasp, again and again:: I should be slapped in the face, thrown out of the country or worse, be forced to clean a Kimchi factory with a toothbrush.Expect more delicious unholiness from me in the future. What will I do next? Perhaps make riceless bibimbap..?  ::all the Koreans in the room gasp and say "You wouldn't dare, Inge!" "Ha, just watch me! Muahahaha!" So here's the Traditional Kimchi Jjigae recipe from www.maangchi.com and just throw in some delicious Pumpkin and Mushrooms to take it up a notch!Ingredients:* 200 grams of Pork belly (about 1/2 pound)* 4 or 5 cups of chopped kimchi* 1 tbs sugar, 1 tsp of hot pepper flakes, 1 tbs hot pepper paste* onion, green onions* half a package of tofu* sesame oil and waterOk, let’s start!1. In a shallow pot, put some chopped kimchi and juice.2. Add sliced onion, hot pepper paste, and hot pepper flakes, sugar, and green onions.3. Pour water until all ingredients are submerged.4. Close the lid of the pot and boil it 25 or 30 minutes. (first 10 minutes will be high heat and then turn down the heat over medium heat)5. Add some tofu and boil it 5 minutes more and put some sesame oil right before serving.Ta Ta for now!

My Crazy Cooking Mission ~ Part 2!

It was a mad Wednesday morning! I had had no coffee; I had just one hour before I had to go to work to create 3 different Korean masterpieces; and I hadn't even gotten out of my pajamas!This  Wednesday Cooking Mission? Bean Sprout Panchan, Sauteed Seaweed and Fried Tofu.Could I, would I make it? or would I fail and be miserably late for school and be sent to the principle's office to stare at his white concrete wall? Please God, NOooooo! ::inge shudders as she thinks of the last time that happened!:: I had no time to dilly dally, fart around, smell the roses, nope. none of that crap!. There was no time to quench my thirst or to run to the loo! I barely had time to swallow my own spit, but lucky I managed that task because drool is just gross.So as I was furiously washing, chopping, frying, and crossing my legs and jumping up and down so I wouldn't need to go to the water closet, my computer rang! Low and behold it was my sister Emmy calling all the way in Amer-i-ca land. She was making an Indian curry for dinner at that very moment!Sigh, my heart melted! In fact, it melted straight onto the floor. What a mess! So as I was cleaning up my heart from my floor, thank God it's linoleum!, she proceeded to ask me of life and how to cook her curry.As I made up fantastical stories of my Korean life full of daisy picking and the proper method to follow her recipe (basically recipes are dumb), I scrambled to chop pounds of garlic, onions, bean sprouts, sea plant and whistle in order to distract myself from using the powder room..Somehow in that hour, I managed to not only talk to her,  but make all of these dishes perfectly (ok, ok, you're right, one dish was over salted~it tasted like I a glass of sea water ~ but sea plant is supposed to taste like that, right? ), then I managed to eat everything in record time.  I'm a champion food chewer, but my jaw is still sore from all the bean sprout chewing, I put my shirt on frontward and got to work on time! It was a rock star kind of Wednesday. Well except I never found time for the whole bathroom break...Ok, so here's my list of Korean food that I have committed to cook before I leave the land of Kimchi and Visors.. And my progress so far!My next mission? Well my Napa Cabbage Kimchi is getting quite fermented. In fact, it is almost 2 months old... I am so proud, my little baby is growing up! So I am thinking about a nice pot of Kimchi Stew.. What do you think?1) Kimchi (√cucumber, √cabbage, and spinach)2) √ KongNamul Banchan (Bean Sprout stir fry)3) √ Yuk Gae Jang ( Spicy Beef Stew) Probably my new favorite soup!4) Kamja Tang (Pork Back and Potato Stew)5) Dak Dori Tang (Spicy Chicken Stew)6) Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)7) √ Seaweed Salad8) √ Sauteed Sea plant 9) Soondubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew)10) O jingo Chae Mu Chim (Seasoned dried Squid) So delicious you don't even know!11) √ Pan-fried Tofu12) Spicy Mackerel Stew13) JangJoRim (장조림)14) Spring BanchanLet the cooking continue!view my portfolio here