Everything I dreamed

I realize I haven't posted a recipe in quite some time. Obviously, we've still been eating. But I have to admit that cooking has somewhat slowed down what with having a baby, being fed recently by parents and in-laws, and getting a deep freezer.

But then the other day I discovered these magical (green) beans that I knew I needed to share.

When I first saw the recipe in February's Southern Living, I thought that it looked good enough to be clipped: simple, unique, and flavorful - exactly the kind of food I love to cook, and, of course, eat.



They turned out to be everything I dreamed they would be and more: crispy, salty, lemony, herby, addicting. Oddly enough, they reminded me of Chinese green beans - the kind that are fried until they are wrinkly - salty with soy sauce and slick with oil, in a good way. But these beans weren't greasy and they didn't have soy sauce; in fact, part of the appeal is that I can't quite put my finger why they taste the way they do.

Usually when I read a recipe, I imagine the taste in my mouth, adding layer by layer of flavor as I read through the steps and as each ingredient is added to the pot / pan / whatever. But this didn't taste like what I imagined it would and I still can't exactly explain how the science of this recipe makes for its outcome.

Anyway, all that to say... You should make these. They are like green bean fries. Kenny likes to pop them into his mouth and pretend he is showing off to his friends that he is eating a hot pepper, whole.

Fiery Green Beans
adapted from Southern Living

1 lb fresh green beans or haricot verts*
2 T olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T chopped parsley
1 T chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1 t dried crushed red pepper
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange green beans on single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet (I used my Silpat). Drizzle with olive oil; toss. Bake 10 minutes.

While beans are in the oven, mix together lemon juice with herbs and crushed pepper.

After 10 minutes of baking, increase oven temperature to broil, and raise the oven rack to the highest setting. Broil for 5-7 minutes until browned in spots. (SL says they will be "crisp-tender.")

Remove the beans and combine with lemon herb mixture. Season with salt and pepper and an additional drizzle of olive oil.

We served it with salmon (baked with marinated artichokes, red peppers, lemon, tomato, and green olives).


Aaaand, randoms:

• An article and comic on the "Seattle Freeze." Kinda sad I didn't know this before we moved here. 
• Did you know you can make popcorn in the microwave in a regular brown paper lunch bag? Apparently I am at least five years behind the times because this was written in 2010. Mind blown. 
• Our deep freezer has inspired me to do a better job with fridge and freezer inventories. (Elizabeth, I'm growing up! I'm learning to embrace leftovers!) I've started to work my own template which I can share if anyone is interested, but this cute drawing was too fun not to share.
• Before I found this recipe, this is how I used to make green beans. (Woah, when did NYTimes recipes change their look? I can't say I'm a fan.)

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* Costco is a lovely place to get a 2 lb bag of haricot verts for a great price. I promise if you do this, you will make the first pound and then make the next pound the very next day. Or hour. 

Three straight days

It's been a while. But after 6,000 miles of travel I think I'm ready to be back. Theo seems to have inherited my homebody nature. (That is, being an extroverted homebody.) When we go out, he often cries until we're home and then there's a sweet relief when I tell him we're almost back to his favorite place. He even seems to know that it's almost over when we drive over the last three speed bumps before our house.

I apologize for the hiatus, but we have a reason. We traveled to Richmond around New Years, and for three straight days we were subjected to non-stop celebrations: a repeat of Thanksgiving for David's relatives from Korea who missed their turkey dinner (as if we hadn't had enough this year), Theo's 1st birthday, and David's grand-parents' 60th wedding anniversary. We basically had to roll home.

When you go to Mama Ro's, you pack your stretchy pants.

(That was Twitter-worthy, am I right?)

We had lobster ravioli, baked salmon, and beef tenderloin - and those were not the three separate celebrations. No, we had all three during one meal.

See? I have proof.

But I guess for those of you who know us, you're not really surprised. What is almost unbelievable, though, is that our Theo is now one!

I went crazy when I saw this baby Rex at Nordstrom!

David's mom did an incredible job of setting up Theo's tol.

Hehe, you can see David holding him up.

She tried to replicate David's party from 31 years ago.

I say she did an excellent job.

Poor Theo got croup on his birthday (apparently it's a common Korean thing for babies to get sick around their first birthdays - my mom-in-law says it's because everyone focuses on the party and neglects the baby) and we ended up in the ER that night. I fell asleep on the patient bed. (Not as tired as I had been a year ago, but tired nonetheless.)

Anyway, we still can't believe our little baby is a walking (!) and "talking" little man.


Dear Theo,

We cannot believe you are one. You are one crazy, mischievous, loving, sweet little boy. We love how you smile and babble, how you look at us from out of the corner of your eye when you are doing something sneaky. We love your crooked, toothy grin. You are so affectionate, but you don't exactly love to cuddle (unless you're feeling crummy). You more like to wrestle. And I guess we have Rex and your uncle Kenny to blame for that. You already know I love your thick thighs, which is why I never put pants on you. Your dad loves your pork chop feet and vienna sausage toes, and everyone wants to eat your cheeks. It's hysterical when you shriek from a crazy game we play such as peek-a-boo with the mirror, or riding around on someone's shoulders in circles around the house as someone taunts you with food you can't quite get to. It's hard to put into one letter all the feelings we have for you, but just know this. Our hearts are full because of you.

We love you!
Mommy, for the both of us

Did just that

A couple of weeks ago Chelsey had Theo and me over for noodle soup with dumplings and vegetables. I commented on how delicious it was and she said that they have it often, as an easy lunch - maybe every weekend. So I suggested that we should have a dumpling party sometime. And last Friday, we did just that.

I had made dumplings before and found it to be relatively easy, moving along quickly especially when you have friends to help. But because our friend Kelli was sick and not able to make it, our ratio of only two moms to three kids had the effective impact of being more difficult than trying to make dumplings by oneself, without any kids.

I should grant that we had one very good helper:

I think she helped make more than she ate ;)

Despite the kids running around us, it was super fun, and my only regret was not preparing the whole 5 pounds of meat I had purchased, and only mixing up filling with 4 pounds. (We might have as well done more work while we were at it, especially now that we have a deep freezer. More on that to come.)

On the other hand, this one definitely ate more than he helped produce.

Also, funny enough, the day before the party my mother-in-law called to tell me she was mailing me six bags of freshly made kimichi. She asked if I would be home in the morning to receive the package. Why, yes! 

As you can tell, we ate while we worked. As David always says, "Do not muzzle an ox..."

My dear mother-in-law included frozen oxtails in the package, "to keep the kimchi cold." Uh-mazing! We definitely started the oxtails in the slow cooker that night and drank soup/pho all day long on Saturday.

Well friends, you can tell we are having way too much fun around here. BUT, I need your suggestions on what other kind of "food preparation party" I could have with other (mom) friends. Leave a comment and let me know your ideas!



P.S. Stephie, this reminded me of "Shanghai, take a bao." You're so clever.

P.P.S. Sharon, I'm trying to figure out how to work you into this. Really, I am.

P.P.S. Barta, this reminded me of Din Tai Fung, Josh, and "delivering a consistent product."

Heart and soul

As I was hot-gluing scraps of coffee sack burlap onto an old binder I use as my planner, my sister-in-law texted me this link to Passion Planner.

Oh. Em. Gee. How did this lady break into my brain, heart and soul?

Can you have a planner crush on someone?

Gimme gimme gimme, I need, I need, I need.

Anyway, full disclosure, I am sharing this on the blog in order to hopefully win a free PDF of the 2015 Planner, but it also just looks like an amazing project and I would be remiss to not share it.

So go check it out!

You can even download a free print-out of the weekly layout here.

Call us overachievers

I apologize for the hiatus. We've been really busy over here, having early Thanksgivings both in California and here at home in Seattle.

You could call us overachievers.

This year we experimented with having Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night. I once overheard a co-worker say that his family did it that way. It seemed brilliant to me - get all the hard work done on a day everyone is working anyway, and then enjoy all of Thursday off, when everyone is home from work and school.

So we tried it this year. Knowing that I would have an almost 11-month old on my hands (and under my feet), I started preparing almost a week in advance.

A new rug I couldn't resist getting to spruce up the place for the holiday. My father-in-law called it Theo's magic carpet.

So last week my friend Karen came over for dinner* and we hashed out menu plans and decorations. I told her that I'm not into the "newfangled stuff" - I love brussels sprouts (not being sarcastic), but in my opinion they do not belong on a Thanksgiving table.

We agreed on a classic menu of turkey, gravy (two boats, just being realistic here), mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, peas, and rolls.

Sketching out which serving dishes I plan to use helps ensure I'm not stressing about it at the last minute.

Karen offered to bring appetizers (spanakopita (!) and eggrolls) as well as Connie's Corn Casserole, which turned out to be the most amazing thing we had ever had. At the table, Kenny dubbed it "corn butter."

"Corn butter" on the bottom right. David generously offered for it to be placed next to him.

With everyone at work/school and a baby who doesn't nap very much anymore, I knew I needed to plan ahead as much as a could, down to the details.

David and I broke down the cleaning and set-up tasks and spread them out over the days before The Dinner. When we finished an item we got to move the post-it note to the back. (Ah!)

This was by no means the complete list.

And I didn't stop there. I also made an Excel spreadsheet. Yes, you heard that right.

I totally nerded out and it was awesome.

Planning ahead allowed me to develop shortcuts that made the day of so easy. Here are the things I would do again next year in a heartbeat, whether or not Thanksgiving was on Wednesday or Thursday or in the middle of November:

• prepare all the vegetables for the stuffing the day before. When I cooked the stuffing, it was like a cooking show as I dumped already chopped veggies into the pan. (BTW, Mom, everyone loved your stuffing recipe.)
• start the stock for gravy and stuffing in a crockpot the night before. David also set the turkey in the roasting pan and in the fridge the night before so all I had to do was pull it out.
• make the mashed potatoes a couple hours before dinner and keep them warm in a crockpot. (Karen lent me hers so I had two to work with.)

Also, next year I'm definitely asking my sister-in-law to bring dessert again. She made the most amazing pumpkin cheesecake ever!

Diana thought she made a mistake and put "too much" sugar in the crust, but we just proclaimed that PAULA DEEN MADE A MISTAKE when writing the recipe and didn't include the amount Diana used.

We had a lovely dinner with way too much laughter. I asked Kenny to serve the mashed potatoes. He kept trying to give people HUGE portions. By the end of the meal, we were calling Kenny a "potato pusher." Karen caught David "trying to go horizontal" after the meal. We ended the evening with drawing names for our gift exchange and sharing what we were thankful for. (Kenny was - you guessed it - thankful for potatoes.)

I called my parents this morning. They were on the road driving somewhere for breakfast, and because my mom and I had hosted our Thanksgiving there two weeks ago, my dad named us the two most relaxed moms on Thanksgiving day.

Karen said it best when she said that having our dinner last night was like "getting our homework done before it's even Saturday."

I'm looking forward to this day lounging with family and eating leftovers. On the menu so far is turkey pho for lunch (!!!) and turkey enchiladas for dinner (!!!!).

My mom got these cute animal placecard holders on a missions trip to Africa.

So I heartily commend to you having Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday nights. 

Happy Thanksgiving all!

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* We had a true Dave Ramsey dinner, beans and rice and torn-in-half napkins. Actually, truth be told, Karen tore off and used the "less used" portion (her words, not mine) of a paper towel David brought back from the hospital cafeteria. I tried not to feel too embarrassed, but in actuality I have to love the shared frugality Karen and I have. 

Safely say

We really did it: a whole week of Mexican food. Caldo de pollo, carne asada tacos, lots of beans and tortillas. 

I even did a copycat of my favorite dish from a local Mexican restaurant. I'm not sure I should call it my favorite dish, because technically, I've never actually ordered it before. As I reached over to pick off of my sister-in-law's plate (on my birthday, I should add), I told my friend Coleen, "This is a dish I feel too guilty ordering, but not too guilty stealing off of someone else's plate."

Pollo ala crema

But aside from all those yummies, I was most surprised and delighted by a simple recipe from Liana Krisoff's Vegetarian for a New Generation. Her chipotle potato tacos were easy to make, full of flavor, and very satisfying (to the belly and the wallet as well).

Purple potatoes from our CSA box

It's actually very economical to eat one type of cuisine for a whole week because you don't waste ingredients. In the past we have thrown away bags of tortillas, wilted (let's be honest, rotted) cilantro (it's the worst), and other such odds and ends. But this week, nothing was for naught. Our Mexican week ended (or has it? Kenny wonders) with homemade tostadas and refried beans.

I can safely say we consumed almost 100 corn tortillas this week.

Can I blame Theo? Actually, this picture was from the summer, when Kathy made flour tortillas from scratch. The recipe is a good one.

At some point I want to tell you about the BEST SHREDDED BEEF TACOS EVER but I think that will have to be a post of its own. So for now, you'll have to be content with potato tacos. (Carbs on carbs is always a good thing.)



Chipotle Potato Tacos
adapated from Liana Krissoff's Vegetarian

I kept calling these "chorizo potato tacos" because "chipotle" and "potato" was such a tongue twister for me. But of course David laughed when I started to tell him, "I really want to make this recipe from the Vegetarian cookbook, these chorizo potato tacos..."

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 T oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t Mexican oregano
2-3 T minced canned chipotle peppers*
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
sour cream, for garnish
optional garnishes: cherry tomatoes, queso fresco, limes
corn tortillas

Par-boil potato chunks: cover potatoes with cold water (I added salt) and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until just tender.

Heat up 2 T oil in a pan, then add onions and a pinch of salt. Saute until onion is nicely browned. Then add cumin, oregano, garlic, potatoes and last tablespoon of oil. Cook until they are hot and as crispy as you would like them. Finally, stir in chipotle and taste for salt.

Garnish with lots of cilantro and serve with tortillas and sour cream


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* Liana's trick to pre-mince a whole can of those chipotle peppers at once and store them in a glass jar in your fridge is brilliant. Can you imagine how delicious they would be on eggs for breakfast?

Not supposed to

I've always loved eating "strange" food. I was that child who willingly ate - sometimes even requested - ginger, pig's feet, bitter melon, intestines. Even with stuff I wasn't sure about at first, like cilantro, I would keep eating it, because if it was something my mom liked - and she has great taste - I wanted to like it too.

(Fortunately for me, I married someone whose favorite bowl of pho contains ONLY TENDON.)

Sometime around late elementary or early middle school, our family went to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Sunnyvale, CA. We ordered menudo, and at that time, I don't think that my parents explained that we were eating tripe. Or it could have been that I didn't know what tripe was, anyway.

Either way, I distinctly remember having this feeling that I am enjoying something I am not supposed to like.

After recently sharing a bowl of birria (goat stew) with a friend at a tortilleria that also serves menudo, I was inspired to try making it myself.

I had trouble finding a recipe that looked solid at first glance. After all, most abuelitas aren't sitting around blogging; they are making tamales. So I had to read a variety of sites, gleaning the best aspects of each and trying to figure out the overall concept of what makes menudo menudo.

Fortunately for us, it turned out well. Piping hot, spicy, and flavorful, we enjoyed bowl after bowl with fresh corn tortillas from the tortilleria where I originally had the birria. As we scooped minced onion and cilantro into our bowls and squeezed in limes, we laughed and called it Mexican pho.

(Now you have make this, right?)

So, if you are so bold, I heartily recommend this to you.


Menudo, or "Mexican pho"
loosely adapted from The Domestic Man

Using a pressure cooker is a great way to make this happen faster, but of course if you don't have one, just use a regular pot or dutch oven, and plan for it to take a whole afternoon. Better yet, make it the night before and let the flavors marry.

3-4 lbs beef marrow bones (some recipes combine beef bones with pork neckbones)
1 lb honeycomb tripe, cut into 1" pieces (you can definitely use a lot more, but it is surprisingly expensive considering they are innards!)
4-5 dried guajillo peppers*
1 1/2 white onion, divided (one chopped into large pieces; half diced for garnish)
4 cloves garlic
1-2 cans white hominy, drained
1 T oregano, Mexican preferred, plus more for serving
cilantro, minced, for garnish
lime, for garnish

Bring beef bones to a boil in a large pot. Let boil for about 10 minutes, skimming off any fat and scum that rises to the surface. Then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, or 45 minutes if using a pressure cooker.

Add tripe and cook for another hour or two (less with a pressure cooker).

While the meat is cooking, destem the peppers and cover with about half a cup of boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes to soften. Then blend with the chopped onion and garlic.

Add chile sauce and oregano and continue to simmer. (You can also add the cilantro stems, but be sure to fish them out before serving.) About an hour before serving, add drained hominy and simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with warmed corn tortillas, cilantro, onion, and lime.

We had some shredded cabbage from tacos so we threw it in the soup as well. Not as essential (like the cilantro/onion/lime is) but it helps bulk it up and add some greens. (Stephie, if you slice up your tortillas into "noodles", you will essentially have Mexican jjampong!)

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* I had previously been intimidated** about cooking authentic Mexican because of all the different kind of chiles, but I decided to be an adult and learn a little bit. I'm sure there's a million other sources for this kind of information, but after simply reading this one post, I felt quite a bit more sure of myself. Guajillos are fruity, and mild: in fact they were so mild, that I had to add more chiles - including a chipotle - to get more of that spicy flavor I was going for. I really think you could use any combination of chiles for a great flavor, but if you already know you want it mild, start with guajillos.

** Now that I know EVERYTHING ABOUT MEXICAN COOKING my family is going to be stuck eating it for a week straight.*** The last time I went crazy like this was after we visited Little Saigon in San Jose. For a week our house was filled with grilled meats, spring rolls, egg custard, pandan waffles... you get the drift. This time I think I'm going to try pozole, caldo de pollo and probably a lot of these recipes.

*** I already have all the Mexican cookbooks they carry at the library on hold. This train has left the station..