Passing the Freetime

As you may have guessed by now, I really enjoy cooking up new creations as well as the good ol' classics. I am the type of person who needs a creative outlet - whether it's cooking in the kitchen or even water coloring in the kitchen.

I have been getting fancy with my sushi skills.

Homemade pesto pizza, thanks to yet another great care package from Nick's parents.

Inspiration stuck and the next thing I knew I was turning butter into caramel. The only problem was that my tinsy oven could barely hold this large batch.

With a little finess, I made this recipe into a tasty success.

Now I know what you may be thinking... 1) why are there briefs on the toaster oven? and 2) what does this have to do with cooking? Well, this has less to do with cooking and more to do with the fact that when in a pinch and without a clothes drier, this is the best alternative to Nick wearing wet briefs to work. Unconventional, sure - brilliantly effective, you bet!

 

 

 

The kitchen also double as my art studio. It's a little cramped but I make the best of it and Nick doesn't complain about a little India Ink in his food.

In preparation for spring, I cleared out my flower press. These are what I picked from our house in Minneapolis just before moving to Korea.

Complete a 10K: Check

Without having my road or mountain bike to get my butt in motion, I have had no other choice but to follow the bandwagon and take up running like many other foreigners here. Running is not my first choice but I feel it is better exercise than no exercise at all.

Having knees that aren't in the best of shape makes things a bit more challenging but I have little to complain about next to Nick. Between us (both 25 years old) we have had four knee surgeries - one right knee ACL for me and three left knee Meniscus for Nick. We have accepted the fate of our future children.

All that aside and with about a month worth of 'training' under my belt, I set out to complete my first 10K (6.2mile) run. Official time 1:04:16.

Attempting to tie my timer chip onto my laces. Being the rookie that I am, it was more difficult than one my expect. The temperature dropped into the 40's this day, so I didn't hesitate to bundle up!

Let the race begin!

World Cup Stadium Gwangju, South Korea.

My running partner, Shanna Howse, and me post-race. Metals in one hand and flying the V with the other.

My reward. The first burger I'd eaten since January. Delicious.

My second reward. Nick knows how to treat his lady well.

On May 1st I will complete my second 10K run in the Boseong Green Tea Marathon. Wish me luck!

Baking - The Only Way Possible

As soon as I opened the care packages from my mom (see previous post), and photographed their contents, I wasted no time getting to work on my first baking project. In anticipation, I had my recipe picked out and 'pantry' stocked with all necessary ingredients. So away I went baking Half-way to Heaven Peanut Butter Cookies. Nick loves peanut butter.

Baking in Korea is not quite the same as baking in the States. Most sweet treats involve rice as the main ingredient and for an extra slash of flavor, red bean is often added in the mix - they get pretty wild over here (I will go into more details on that in a later post). That said, most things necessary for baking are pretty easy to come by but they are packaged into tiny portions. In the above image starting from the lower left, you can see powdered sugar, flour and baking soda. The cost of these items aren't too outrageous but the powdered sugar gets a little pricey at about $1.50 per bag. All and all, the cost is well enough to support the occasional baker like me.

The first thing I realized was that I did not have any measuring spoons... so the palm just had to do. I have since acquired a set of ml spoons that are a slightly better replacement than my hand.

brown sugar, lots of chunky peanut butter, raw sugar, egg, butter.

If I would have let him, Nick would have just eaten this.

Now this is the true test of baking... only 4 cookies at a time!

So I cranked my little Electrolux to 200° C and away I went.

The filling: creamy peanut butter and powdered sugar.

Not so easy to 'whip' with a fork. I have since also acquired a whisk.

Success. The first four cookies are cooling on my makeshift cooling rack on top of the dishes rack... I desperately lack counter-top space.

Luckily the cookies only need to cook for 8 minutes but to kill time I was surfing Pinterest on the IPad.

Adding the creamy topping.

Delicious. An afternoon of hard work produced 7 peanut butter sandwiches. Well worth it in my mind.

In true form of my mother, after a day of baking I needed something salty and savory. So I cracked open some Garlic Tricuits, added some cheese, pesto, tomato, onion and baked until hot and melty. Mmm-mmm.

Rations From Home

Nick and I are quickly approaching our three month mark here in South Korea. During this time we have been fortunate enough for receive a steady supply of care packages from our parents and aunties. Recently we hit the jackpot when my mom sent us three large boxes FILLED to the brim with cravings from home.

Roughly 30 pounds of goods that needed to be carried home from our academy 15 minutes away. Luckily the boxes fit nicely into my awesome Envirosax bags! I have the Origami Pouch Set - use them most everyday.

The inventory:
dry roasted almonds
dry roasted peanuts
spicy peanut mix
sour gummy worms x2
beef jerky x2
Triscuits x3
old fashion oatmeal
Oreos - Double Stuf, naturally
valentine heart candy
Greek salad dressing!!
salt and vinegar Pringles x2 - for sharing at work
Flavor Blasted Goldfish x2
peanut butter cups
face wash x2
deodorant
deck of Uno cards - my middle school students desperately wanted to play this game
my art supplies!! ranging from pens and pencils for sketching, watercolors, paper, brushes, India ink, illustration markers, acrylic primary colors, and two design books - let the fun begin
last but not least, a cute Valentine's Day card sending lots of love

Now it is a matter of will power to not devour every last crumb in one sitting.

Kim A Yun's 1st Birthday

Last Saturday we were invited to the birthday celebration for our co-director's daughter, Kim A Yun (her English name is Elise). We were not sure what to expect before arriving, but ultimately Koreans celebrate first birthday's similarly to Americans... but with a few distinct differences:

1. The child selects their future profession.
2. No gifts are opened.
and sadly, 3. They aren't encouraged to jam fists full of cake into their faces.

Just like back in the States, every party needs an invitation. This invitation however, was one to remember...

... it would not be Korean if a text message wasn't somehow involved.

The party was held at an Italian style restaurant that was rented out for the celebration. We were surprised at the number of people who turned up - around 60 plus in total. As sad as it may sound, I can confidently say that at my last five or more birthdays combined I maybe had 60 guests in total.

It was apparent that gathering as a large group of extended family and friends was important. Even if they were only able to stay for a short while, people from all across the country came to join in the celebration of Kim A Yun's big day. Being that we have just gotten to know her in the past few months, it was wonderful to see great selection of photos Tim put together from her first 365 days in this crazy world.

Baby baby Kim A Yun.

How can you not love a little one covered in tulle??

It may be hard to notice, but she is wearing a different hat and outfit in every single photo. Photo shoots are serious work here.

We asked, but never got a clear answer what the Dutch shoes were for. They are quite reminiscent of home.

One of the main highlights of the first birthday party is the traditional selection of future profession. Basically, the child is presented with an array of objects from money, thread, a stethoscope, etc. and whichever they choose first will be the career path or lifestyle the family can expect them to follow. The money clearly promising wealth, the thread representing working in the traditional arts, and the stethoscope signifying a career in medicine.

The tray full of trinkets and toys to pick from.

Before she had her pick, the immediate family members were asked which trinket they hoped Kim A Yun selected. The grandparents were divided between money, stethoscope, and a gavel (law) for obvious reasons.

However, to everyone's surprise she picked the microphone. This gem indicates that little Kim will grow up to be a K-Pop (Korean Pop) singer!

She just needs to work on her form a little and in no time she will be dominating the K-Pop scene. But I am sure Tim can wait for this day to come...

Korean Wonder Girls.

Finally, as I mentioned before - I was saddened to see that the birthday girl was not able to dive face first into a plate full of cake. This priceless moment completely made up for the whole thing....

Tim's 6 year old nephew licking the cake.

He was good entertainment throughout the afternoon. Each time he walked by our table, Nick and him would have a brief stare down followed by them sticking their tongues out at each other. I will let you guess which one initiated. Late into the party, I was casually circulating the room taking photos. As I glanced over to the cake table, I saw this little troublemaker look left, right, and left again - I immediately knew what I was about to witness and simply could not put a stop to it! No regrets.

Here are a few more photos of the whole family. Kim A Yun and her mother are wearing their matching traditional Korean dress called Hambok.

These were our party favors. I can't bring myself to use them though. It just doesn't feel right. Oh, maybe these can be used as our fancy guests towels!

New Years in Seoul - Amazing City, Amazing Company

Approximate Date: December 31, 2010 - January 2, 2011
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Details: Nick and Becky ventured to Seoul for a New Year's celebration with East Coasters, Amanda and Andrew.

The day before leaving for Seoul. Snowy Mokpo fountain.

The building next to our bank has country flags hung across the sidewalk. It was easy to spot this one, but we weren't too sure why it has English written on it.

At the train station at the weeeeeee hours of the morning. With the crazy amount of snow we had, we were ill advised to leave the apartment about two hours prior of our 6am train to Seoul. Our director thought for sure that it would be nearly impossible to catch a cab in the bad weather, so we left at 4am only to walk outside and instantly see three cabs driving by. Needless to say, it was a long day.

Breakfast on the train.

First good view of Seoul as we crossed the Han River.

Snow covered shrubbery near our hotel.

A place called Texas Bar. As much as I enjoyed Seoul, the only drawback was how pricey food and drinks were. At bars in Korea, it is expected that you purchase food, like an appetizer, with your drinks. This isn't such a bad thing when you are hungry like we were - expect that a small plate of nachos or chicken ran around ₩17,000 - ₩20,00. Ouch.

The lights around Boshingak, a historic pavilion in central Seoul, where they had a bell ringing to mark the beginning of the New Year - the year of the Tiger. This was a little less dramatic than we were anticipating. The bell was a large gong that you had to stretch to hear over the millions of people who gathered. As soon as the bell stopped ringing, everyone who pushed their way past us was now quickly pushing their way to get back out. All and all Nick and I enjoyed the experience but the best part was that with all the people gathered so closely, we stayed nice and warn! The video below is a group of traditional dancers prior to the New Year.

I don't think I have ever seen so many policemen in one place before. Luckily we didn't get to see them in action.

Amanda and I holding on tight so we wouldn't loose each other in the crowd.

Nick and I cuddling for warmth.

Amanda and Andrew blending in with the locals.

This is Boshingak pavillion where all the action was taking place. I am not current of my K-Pop stars (don't tell my middle school girls this!) but I guess this is a big Korean hunk. If only I knew who it was, then I would have some serious bragging rights.

'11. Koreans will use most any surface for advertising.

The Texas Bar from above had a troop of carriages. The best part we noticed was that the driver had a button to push that made the sound of a strange, electronic neighing horse... Maybe intended to draw in some clientele? It only accomplished in freaking me out.

This was a dog we stumbled upon living in a scooter dog house that has an empty wine glass perched on top. His name is Il Shami. Please, do not touch.

A nice photo opp at Cheonggyecheon.

Something about the holiday season says 'umbrella' to Koreans. I don't get it.

An interesting bench we stumbled upon walking through the historic Bukchon neighborhood.

We found this great pizzeria called, Pizzette, for lunch on our last day. Cutest little place filled with a great vibe and lots of love. The owners had some amazing photography of their two Golden Retriever's as wall decor.

Oh, pup pups. I miss Bauer :(

Half cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, and gorgonzolla) half black olives and pesto. Delicious.  

Changdeokgung Palace.

Changdeokgung Palace.

Nick standing with a sundial at Changdeokgung Palace.

 

Changdeokgung Palace.

An interesting wall we came across walking from Changdeokgung Palace.

More wall art.

We found the American Embassy. As we walked by I saw a McDonald's delivery enter the gates. I had to laugh.

View towards Namsan Mountain.

A wall of Hangul (Korean writing) in the King Sejong underground museum.

These are two traditional tea cups Nick and I treated ourselves to in Seoul. The award winning designer is named Yong Cheol Yu.

Each piece is hand stamped in white clay. This pattern was one of our favorites (within our price range) but much of this man's work was simply amazing.