All posts filed under: blog

Minty Hot Chocolate

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All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. -Charles M. Schulz Disclaimer: This post was supposed to be published on the week before Christmas, in fact, the original name for this recipe was Christmas Morning Minty Hot Chocolate. However, I didn’t have time to actually try this hot chocolate until Christmas morning.  Consequently, the posting of this recipe was delayed until now: My 2014 New Year’s resolution was to quit coffee. I had had coffee before coming to Korea but only rarely and usually iced. The very day I arrived in Jochiwon (my current town), I started drinking Maxim Coffee and it was love at first taste. I arrived in Korea the last week of May and spent a delightful week visiting my brother in Gangwondo. On the 1st of June I lugged my huge bag to Jochiwon by train. When I arrived, the co-ordinator from the Office of Education picked me up and brought me to my school. I was so nervous that when she asked me if I was …

Salmon and Pesto Toasties

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All sorrows are less with bread. – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Happy New Year, everyone! I’m so sorry that this post is late! I had wanted to get it out in time for New Year’s Eve but I’ve been exhausted since Sunday and all I’ve done is work and sleep. Even on New Year’s Eve, I managed to only stay up until 11:15 before passing out. All the festivities combined with STILL being sick (5 weeks and counting!), my body gave in and cried for sleep. However, it IS a New Year! Wow, 2014 was great and weird and wonderful. 2015 seems to promise as many adventures as 2014 did: the end of somethings as well as a lot of new beginnings. For one, come June I’ll have access to a proper kitchen again! Thanks, Mam! I haven’t quite decided all my resolutions, I’ve been too tired and too busy but I’ll sit down next week and write them out. How about you? Did you make any resolutions yet? Regardless of what your resolutions are, I wish …

Maggie’s Fried Onion Bits

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Banish (the onion) from the kitchen and the pleasure flies with it. Its presence lends color and enchantment to the most modest dish; its absence reduces the rarest delicacy to hopeless insipidity, and dinner to despair. – Elizabeth Robbins Pennell Onions are one of my favourite foods and, so, I completely agree with the above sentiment. It’s rare for me to make anything savoury without onions, and fried onions are a particular favourite. One of my favourite holiday dishes is Green Bean Casserole. I love the taste of the beans combined with the tang of the fried, salty, onions. I was only introduced to this dish when I moved to America in 2001. I couldn’t believe how good it was and when I would come home from college I would insist we make it. However, as mentioned previously, I have sisters who hate mushrooms which meant instead of using cream of mushroom soup, my mom made Cheesy Green Bean Casserole—which is even more tasty. When I came to Korea, I wanted to make my mom’s recipe, as I much …

Christmas Roundup

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Hi all, Happy Christmas and a fantastic 2015 to you all. Here are my recipes for this season. There will be some more added for New Year’s Day but in the meantime checkout the below recipes. I will be making the mushrooms, fried onions and the refrigerator cake for Christmas. Although not technically a Christmas recipe, my refrigerator cake will be served on request from my friends. I hope you enjoy it as much as they do! Tomato, Lentil and Orange Soup Apple and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Maggie’s Fried Onions Bits  Decadently Delicious Refrigerator Cake

Tomato, Orange and Lentil Soup

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Soup is the song of the hearth…and the home. -Louis P. De Gouy Christmas is here! I am so excited! After all, December is one of my favourite months—Christmas and my birthday rolled into one glorious wintry month! So, in honour of both those great events I have dedicated this month to Christmas inspired food. First up, things have been insane lately: before Thanksgiving even hit Korea, I had been sick almost a week. Now, it’s over two weeks later and this cold is hanging on with its icy toes. It doesn’t help that the weather has completely changed over the last week or so. Before Thanksgiving, the weather was a bit cold, but mostly decent and you could do things like go for an 8k walk. Since the 1st December, though, snow has hit on average 5 days out of 7. It’s much colder and this hasn’t helped me to recover at all—despite mostly staying inside, wrapped in a blanket, with the ondol (floor heating) and space heater on full blast. To top it all off, …