Random Adventures part 1 + Kookin' in Korea - Kimchi Chigae

It's VACATION time! Ok, it's technically not vacation yet. Although school is out, I have to work a city wide week long summer camp with....6th graders. Yay.  I don't have patience for 6th graders. They're usually grumpy from going through the change. Plus, they always seem to do things my 3rd graders already know not to do. But, I'm hoping with air con at the new facility we'll all be in better moods compared to last year. Cross your fingers!

Since I haven't written anything in awhile I've decided to write two separate post with random stories and adventures from the summer.

Summer camp at my school:
This past week I taught English camp at my school and because I was responsible for making and teaching a few lessons, I was actually quite busy. For the 1st and 2nd graders, since they're so young, we worked on phonics and did a little arts and crafts project I found on pinterest. For a year and a half I've been saving toilet paper rolls and was finally able to use them. For our last class we made toilet paper roll animals! I forgot to take a picture of the animals once they finished, but they all turned out pretty well!

This little guy could have cared less about his octopus. He literally spent the entire class mixing paint and making different colors. I see an up and coming painter!

The 3rd and 4th graders spent their classes learning about and making piñatas. It was very messy, but I hope/think they had a lot of fun!

Step 1: make

 Step 2: paint

Step 3: break

and for the kill...

I didn't take pictures of the 5th and 6th graders since they're very "camera shy." It's also very hard to keep their attention so we played The Price is Right and learned about the five senses. I managed to keep them excited and not bored, but one student definitely tested my patience by always standing up and walking around the classroom in the middle of the lesson.

Cirque du Soleil
A few weeks ago myself and some friends attended the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show. It was my second cirque show and I was originally ecstatic! I don't want to say I didn't enjoy it because in the end I did. But for me it wasn't what you think a cirque du soleil show is. I've attended The Beatles show and it was AMAZING! Just what you think a cirque du soleil show should be....large, magical and takes over the entire venue. Although the MJ show wasn't necessarily this it was still very enjoyable. Instead of large and magical it was more of a stage concert paying tribute to Michael, which in the end was still damn good! I had nosebleed seats at both shows and since the venue for The Beatles show was smaller and the show was larger it was completely fine. However if you want to see more of the MJ show either bring binoculars or pay a lot more for better seats. I love you MJ!

Kookin' in Korea - Kimchi Chigae (김치찌개)

Kimchi chigae (김치찌개) is a very popular korean dish which literally means kimchi soup. It's one of my favorite dishes in Korea. I ate this soup so much my first year I literally became sick because of it...no bueno. In the past I've attempted making this soup, but because I used any kimchi it was not good. Like, not at all. This time around it turned out pretty well and is actually a really easy recipe.

I've wanted to learn how to cook kimchi chigae for a very long time and after months of bothering my coworker he suggested I come over and his mother teach me. So one random Sunday I went to his home and was taught how to properly cook kimchi chigae!

Need:

fermented kimchi, 2 cups chopped

green onions, 2 strands

hot green chili pepper, 2-3

smashed garlic, 2 tbsp not pictured

1/2 white onion, chopped

pork, 6-8 oz

red dried pepper powder/flakes, not pictured

water

serves: 4 people         time: 1.5 hours

The most important part of this recipe is the kimchi. In order to achieve the proper taste, you must purchase the correct type
발효된김치(fermented kimchi). You basically need a well ripe/fermented red kimchi. There is something known as white kimchi. DON'T use this!

1. In one large pan, fry the pork pieces and fermented kimchi together without oil. I was told you fry the two ingredients together for flavor. Cook for ~5 minutes or until meat starts to change color. Other optional meat include tuna and tofu. If you choose to use tofu add at the end (about 10 minutes before finishing) to prevent over cooking. If using tuna, you may cook at the beginning with the kimchi.

2. Once you see the meat change color pour enough water in the pot to cover all pork and kimchi. Cover with lid and let boil.

3. While the meat and kimchi are boiling cut all other vegetables: onions, green onions and peppers. Optional vegetables include mushrooms, sprouts and sesame leaves.

In the past I've attended a Korean cooking class and was instructed to cut an onion. EASY. Except as I started to cut the onion like this...

the instructor slapped my hand and said, "America, good! Korea, no good." I was then instructed to cut the onion like this...

 So, for a more authentic looking dish you can cut your onion in long strands like the picture above and below.  Also, when cutting the green onion I was told to cut at an angle.

After you've finished cutting all vegetables put everything in pot including garlic and add more water. Add enough water to cover everything in the pot. Cover with lid and let boil. Cook for about 40 minutes to an hour.

For extra spice and flavor you can add red chili flakes or red pepper. Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day fun + Kookin' in Korea: Breakfast Skillet + Artichoke & Olive dip

I've been back to work for two full weeks and it's looking like it'll be a pretty good year! Why? One, within the first week I received our school's schedule for the year. THE YEAR! I never received a schedule last year and never knew what was happening until it happened. Two, my first encounter with my new co-teacher was me walking into the English classroom watching her frantically clean and organize everything. How awesome is that?! Today, I attempted to clean and she yelled at me to stop and physically made me sit down. She doesn't really speak English and my Korean is horrible, but with a few hand gestures and sounds we still manage to teach pretty well together and have a laugh doing so.

I spent the weekend in Seoul with friends celebrating St. Patrick's Day. It was a blast. Actually, probably too much fun considering I was not feeling well the next day. At the festival they had a raffle with the first prize being a trip for two to Dublin, Ireland. I don't usually win things, but Vanessa and I decided to split the tickets. We took our chances and we WON! Okay, we didn't win a trip to Dublin, but we did win one free nights stay at the Sheraton Hotel. We'll take it!

Kookin' in Korea - Breakfast skillet

As a teen I spent a lot of my time at work. 

Like any other youngster wanting to start working at the tender age of 14 HyVee was one of the few places which allowed this. Don't worry, I didn't actually start working until I was 16. If you're from the Midwest especially Iowa, you most likely worked at HyVee. The place where there's a helpful smile in every aisle. I worked as a cashier, but also spent my Sunday mornings working breakfast. They have awesome breakfast skillets. Not only do I love breakfast, but the other day I found myself really craving a skillet. It wasn't exactly like HyVee, but still pretty good!

Need:

potatoes

bell peppers, assorted color

onion

ham, can also use sausage or bacon

cheese

eggs

salt, red pepper flakes, 

pepper, garlic, parsley

*All items can be purchased at any mart. They are very easy to find.

1. Cube potatoes, both bell peppers, onion and ham. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to the pan and only fry potatoes. Add the seasonings you wish to use and cook. Cover with lid so potatoes will cook from within and not only the outside. Once potatoes are soft add all veggies and ham to the pan. Let cook. Add more seasoning if desired.

I've never seen breakfast sausage in Korea, but if using bacon I suggest cooking this first, chopping then adding it into the pan once the veggies have cooked.

2. While veggies are cooking make an over easy egg. Once egg is cooked and veggies are completely cooked top the vegetables with a little cheese and let melt.

3. Top skillet with egg and eat up!

Kookin' in Korea - Artichoke & Olive dip

Once a week I meet a few friends for dinner, but instead of going out to a restaurant we take turns hosting at our apartment. With eating rice and kimchi basically everyday it's a nice opportunity to enjoy a few foods from home. This week I desperately needed something to bring. After realizing I had a jar of artichokes in my cabinet I quickly googled recipes using artichokes. I came across this dip and hoped it would be good. Not only is it super super easy to make, but it ended up being absolutely DEL*licious!

Need

1 1/2 cup artichoke hearts

1/2 cup olives

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

*Lemon and plain olive oil is pictured, but I didn't use these items. Was completely fine without.

1. Pour all ingredients into blender. As I said above I did not use lemon or plain olive oil. Instead I used the olive oil from the jarred artichokes and that seemed to add a little more flavor. Recipes online said to use green olives, but I could only find black. Still think it worked completely fine. Blend and bowl.

2. Eat...a lot! Bread is homemade by my friend Suzanne. Like I said, very easy and really good!

Kookin' in Korea: Hummus

Happy spring vacation to me! Yep, that's right. I'm on vacation again. For those who do not know, South Korea's academic school year is different than the United States. Back home we typically start school in August and end in May/June giving us a little over two months of vacation in the summer. Where as in Korea, the academic school year begins in March and ends in February giving two weeks of vacation (spring vacation) between each school year. They also get a month long vacation in the winter and another month during the summer; this is on top of any public holidays we also get off. Point. I make out like a bandit when it comes to paid days off!

Hummus with a splash of lemon: 

I actually made this a month ago, but just haven't had time to sit and actually write this post. Hope you enjoy!

Things you need

2 cups chickpeas (hard find, but sometimes sold at local marts)

5 tbsp lemon juice

4 garlic gloves (3 tbsp)

1/4 cup olive oil (Costco and local marts)

1 1/2 tbsp tahini

pinch of salt
cumin (rare find, but sometimes sold in small marts)

Before you can actually make the hummus you must soak and cook the chickpeas and also make the tahini.

1. Preparing Chickpeas - pour 2 cups of dried chickpeas into a colander and quickly rinse. Once peas are rinsed pour into a bowl and cover with water. You do not need a lot of water. Just enough to cover all peas. Soak peas overnight or ~12 hrs. After soaking in water the peas will almost double in size. After soaking, rinse one more time and remove the discolored peas. Once you've sorted through the peas pour in a pot and boil for 1 1/2 hours or until the peas can be easily mashed with a fork. Once peas  have fully cooked set aside and let cool.

           Rinse                                                              Soak                                                  Boil

                   

2. Making the Tahini - the recipe does not call for a large amount, but it's nice to make more than necessary for other recipes. Tahini can be easily stored in a plastic or glass jar in the fridge. To make, first toast sesame seeds for about 8 minutes on the stove top. No need to use oil. Seeds should turn a darker brown; not too brown though! Be careful not too burn the seeds, you just want them to become a little darker.

Left: uncooked sesame seeds. Right: toasted sesame seeds. I personally think I overcooked the seeds. Shoot for a slightly lighter color.

Time to make tahini paste! Blend the desired amount of toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. Here I used 1 cup toasted seeds and 1/4 cup olive oil. Remember, I made more than the recipe requires.

A food processor may work better, but it's Korea. Who has a food processor here?! A small blender worked perfectly fine for me.

You may also have to add additional olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. Note - the tahini paste here is darker than I would have liked, but that's due to me over toasting the seeds. If your tahini paste is this dark you may want to think about adding less to your hummus. 

3. Hummus time - Once the tahini is finished. Add ingredients to the blender. First...

tahini, more olive oil (1/4 cup) and lemon juice. I used a combination of fresh lemon juice and bottled lemon juice. Fresh is preferred for a better flavor.

Now add garlic...

salt...

...and cumin. Blend.

Add the chickpeas. Blend. If hummus is too dry add water and maybe even a little more olive oil. Play with the recipe to find the consistency you prefer.  

4. Enjoy! Hummus is great with a variety of vegetables and of course BREAD!

You may also like to top with a little more olive oil, paprika, red pepper flakes, a squirt of lemon juice, etc. Play around with the recipe and see what you like!