Eating Dinner With My Family

I neglected to save the address for this burger, so my apologies to the blogger for not being able to send readers to their site for the recipe.  The burgers were good, but I thought missing something.  I decided it was the Swiss cheese I bought for this, but isn't in the recipe, and so was left off when I did the actual cooking.   Despite the feeling it was missing something, it was still pretty good.  Best thing about this recipe is that my son, a very vocal kimchi hater, loved it and had no idea there was kimchi in it and I got to say I told you so:). Korean-inspired Burgers with Kimchi and Sriracha Mayo KIMCHI REUBEN BURGERS 1 1/2  pounds ground beef 4 cloves garlic, minced about 2 inches fresh ginger,  grated with a microplane 1 teaspoon sriracha 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt fresh black pepper to taste 1 cup kimchi, divided SRIRACHA MAYO 1/3 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade 1-3 teaspoons ...

Talk about a first world problem!  We are just jaded enough to crave new favors but have had enough tasty food (burgers particularly)  that it takes a bit to wow us as well. This burger is good. It's probably great but we just have a hard time feeling like giving an accurate opinion to anyone outside the family. Ok ramble over. It's good. Enough said. The sesame seeds in the burger were interesting. It's also a great way to be introduced to Kim chi.  Worth a try for sure.  I Bulgogi Burger   1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1/4 cup sesame seeds 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons gochujang 2 tablespoons sesame oil 5 scallions, chopped 5 cloves garlic, grated 2 tablespoons ginger, grated 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 6 burger buns 14 ounces kimchi. roughly chopped Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (everything except the beef, buns, and kimchi) and...

As you may or may not know I love Korean food and a bulgogi just might be my favorite of all the dishes. This was a good dinner!  Totally yummy!!  If I had any criticism it would be that I didn't get enough, and I would have liked some more veggies.  (Not really for flavor but for health).   It is pretty easy to make too.  The only real preparation that needs to be done is the marinating early (or do it overnight like I did).  I did use the optional pear, I didn't taste it in the final product but I think it must have done something.  Kimchi Bulgoi Dubbap Recipe (Kimchi Bulgogi Rice Bowl) For Bulgogi tenderloin or rib eye tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)    (I used soy) sesame oil large cloves garlic Ilarge onion Asian pear (optional) agave nectar or honey mirin black pepper For Sautéd Kimchi napa kimchi gochujang (Korean red chili pepper (she said you could leave this out if you don't feel like running to the o...

I gave my husband a list of possible dinners and he picked this one. Boy was it good!  The boy and I thought 4+ but the hubby gave it a solid 5!  We have made a Korean pancake before ( Korean Scallion Pancakes) and they were yummy, but my friend, who is Korean, suggested I add some seafood to the pancake next time I made it. I found this recipe from Food & Wine. It has kimchi too. Yay!  I made jasmine rice with this, and Korean Quick Pickled Cucumbers .  The original recipe called for squid, but we opted for scallops. (I love them;).  This was pretty quick & easy too. The hardest part was the frying, and I left that up to the fry daddy (my husband;)  They did require the sauce, which while I liked, I would have liked some more heat in them.  In the notes for the original recipe, they suggested thinly sliced chilies to the sauce, if you wanted more heat.  I think I would have liked some sriracha or Korean Pepper paste)  We did make on...

I was very excited for this recipe despite two prejudices I have.  1) I think crockpots are, well, a crock.  I think they are a one trick pony but since my old girl still works, I haven't tossed her.  2) Yes, short ribs are amazing, but their fatty, connective tissue laden selves give me the willies, but despite my issues, I was looking forward to the dish.  Why?  Korean, taco, sriracha, homemade pickle, hello?  I don't know what the recipe for ambrosia is, but I bet it reads similar.  I halved the meat amount you see below, as we are only 4, but I kept the rest of the amounts the same.  I now have a container of beef fat (separated from the liquid) and the cooking liquid in the freezer to take up space until I think of a use for it or I go to war with my kitchen again.  These tacos lived up to their promise.  I did to the "optional'  liquid reduction the author did.  I think it is necessary! (oh and I halved the amount fo...

I have no idea where to start on this one!  I guess I should start with I couldn't wait to try it, but was worried that the kimchi would be a problem for my less than cabbage loving boys.  I was a little worried that I would hate the meat, as I do not like how fatty a ribeye is.  Then there were the protestations of my husband that thinly slicing the ribeye (his favorite steak) was sacrilege!  Then there was my trepidation over making fries. (which my husband did brilliantly!)  So as you can see, while excited, I was also very nervous about this dish.  I knew it was going to have a lot going on flavor-wise; it is from a Korean/Tex-Mex food truck.  The result?  MY HUSBAND GAVE IT A 5!  We  never give out a 5 star rating.  My son and I were thinking a 4.75 since we are usually so reluctant to give out a five, but my husband gave it a 5 without hesitation.  You might be thinking why did my son and I hesitate on that last...

I really dig Korean food.  I am still trying and learning, but so far, me likey!  Last night's meal wasn't the yummy goodness I associate with the Korean food I have tried, so I decide to try again.  Tonight's clean up item (see Sunday's post to read my declaration of war on kitchen clutter:) frozen meatballs.  I know, I know.  Why, in the name of sanity, would I have purchased such a thing??  Well, sanity had nothing to do with it and lets move on.  So, what was I going to do with my little processed balls of meat?  I head to the web and look up different Korean sauces, and find a wing glaze I think will work nicely. (The recipe for the wings I based my meatballs off of can be seen here .)  I'm a little embarrassed to say they were delicious!  The prefab meatballs also made this supremely easy.  The hardest part was the 3 minutes I grated ginger.  (tip:  buy ginger root, peel it, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze ...

If you read my previous post, you will know I am a woman on a mission.  Every meal, I vow, to get rid of something cluttering up my pantry or fridge!  Now, I can't get rid of too much in one meal if I want it to taste good, but one thing must go!  Today, being Meatless Monday, I am getting rid of an ancient piece of dried kelp.  I don't think it is the seaweed called for in this omelet, but in it goes!  Unfortunately, the kelp was the part of the dish that made it kind of meh.  Mostly because it was one long sheet.  I think I would have preferred it shredded up and mixed in, or something less massive.  However it gets made, it needs a sauce.  I used a little soy and sriracha.  It sure looked pretty, but the flavor a bit less so.  I love the idea of a rolled omelet.  Next time I make one, I am trying it rolled.  My darling husband cooked tonight, so I hope it wasn't too difficult.  He didn't say it was Korean Rolled...

While I happened to love this dish, there were some issues to note and some of the family weren't as enthusiastic.  This was a quick and tasty meal if you keep one thing in mind, the last ingredient line is the only sauce/ seasoning that this dish really has.  Without it, there is just a little bit of soy sauce and sesame oil.  I had a fermented pepper paste. (see picture below) that I had gotten for my friend's Korean Pork BBQ.  I seem to remember looking up 'spicy Korean red bean paste' when I first got this recipe and my stuff came up as an image, so I used that and it made it wonderful.  My husband thought with out the sauce it was a 2 and with it a 3.  I thought with the sauce a 4.  My blog, so I call it a 4:D.  The most amazing thing about tonight's dinner, MY BOY LIKES SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS!!!  This from the kid who gags at the thought of mushrooms.  He has enjoyed their flavor when they are ground up in something, but has always sai...

     Before I started cooking this, which I did pick because of the leftovers I had from Friday night's meal, I figured the cost of the entire dinner.  Ham 1.65, Scallions .60, Kimchi 2.00, Rice, .51,  Eggs  .42 Total= $5.16 but kimchi and rice was leftover so they would have been wasted if not used so I almost don't want to count them.  Complete the meal with even a fancy bag of mixed salad greens $3.00 and make your own dressing. Oil, vinegar and salt and pepper are considered part of a stocked pantry.  Meal total $8.16.  I have a bit, not much mind you, of the pork left too.  I could have used it in place of the ham.  Instead I thought I would either serve as a lettuce bundle for each of us or mix it into the rice.  I decided to save it and eat it as lunch because it is just too darn good to throw in with something else.      The rice was good.  I had made it once before and didn't r...

My MIL and her husband were passing through town on their way north.  Since my son and his friend are going to stay with them for a week in the summer, we thought we would invite our friends to meet my MIL's husband.  My friend requested the Korean Pork BBQ recipe.  (Gratefully obtained from another friend)  Now my BBQ is a pale approximation of the way it is made by the friend I got the recipe from, but it is still yummy!  Since we were having a large gathering, I decided to try and make more Korean dishes to accompany the pork.  My friend that gave me the BBQ recipe recommended a Korean pancake to go with it,  Boochimga.  I couldn't find anything with that spelling, but I found 2 recipes for a Korean Pancake.  I made both.  The scallion one was the better of the two.  I also make some quick pickles that I LOVED! I didn't use the kirby cukes recommended, and I didn't seed the ones I did use and they were great. I did...

I knew that this won't compare to the Korean Pork BBQ recipe that I got from my friend, but was eager to try it none the less.  It was not an OMG recipe, but it had several things going for it.  One it is a fairly light dish. (it is from eating well, click on post title to go there site) It is also a fairly quick dish.  The thing that took the most time was slicing the steak thinly. (the freezing helped expedite it)  I know that the butcher at Publix would do this for me; that would shave a lot of time off the recipe.  The other thing that could slow someone down it chopping the veggies, but if you have one of those 'slap chop' type things, it will be really fast. I did make one change; I didn't use as many mung beans as called for.  I doubled the recipe so it would have required EIGHT cups of bean sprouts.  It looked like I had 3 cups, but the package said it was only 2.  I think that was plenty. I made a half a box of linguine for it and mi...

This recipe comes from a Korean friend of mine.  One season, her son and mine were on the same soccer team.  I first tasted this dish at our traditional end of season soccer party.  Everyone loved it!  I have made it once before.  I don't think it is as good as hers (and it most likely never will be), but I got a little closer with this one.  One thing that made a huge difference, (and it is something she was emphatic about) was that the meat was cut much thinner this time.  Last time I went to Publix, (not my regular one mind you but one close to where I was taking the boy) and the very nice teen behind the butchers counter tried his best, but it was way to thick.  My friend says she gets her's shave cut at the Publix by us, but this time I went to Ray's Quality Meats.  I called ahead to see if they could go the pork in a "shaved cut".  They were super nice and helpful.  They put it in the freezer and hand ...