Catie: I am The Kitchen MASTER.

Orrr... actually not.

Since my oatmeal cookies failed miserably.

Tip: Oatmeal cookies taste better with butter inside of them, as opposed to, you know, sitting on the counter..

My banana bread is on the verge of terrible failure as well.  It said to put it in a large loaf pan, but I knew better.  I shouldn't have listened.

There's a lot you can bake in a toaster oven without adapting.  A lot.  The only exception I know of is bread.  I guess I didn't expect quick bread to rise very much, but it did, and now it's but centimeters from the top element and although the top is VERY dark, the bottom isn't cooked.

Alas.

Such good intentions.

Still, I had a few successes prior to the failures.  I made a triple batch of granola, which equals kind of a lot of granola and definitely a lot of work.  With a toaster oven instead of the real thing, it's a little more like making 6-8 batches of granola.  Granola is annoying, period, though, which is why I made so much.  I just hate being tied to the kitchen, stirring it every three minutes.

Still, it is worth it.  It's delicious and I've missed having it around.

I also made granola bars with dried cranberries, walnuts and pecans and some mini chocolate chips.   They aren't like store bought granola bars.  Maybe they're more like oatmeal cookies in bar form.  So, I guess it's just as well that my oatmeal cookies didn't turn out.  The granola bars are delicious.  And, so we won't feel compelled to eat every single one of them by tomorrow, they're in the freezer.

I also have my yogurt incubating, by now a regular Monday happening.  I can't believe we go through what must be a half gallon of yogurt a week, but we do, using it for buttermilk in recipes, and as sour cream in recipes and on other things like tacos.  It's cheaper than sour cream (8.00US for a tub) and tastes nearly identical, though it is a little runnier.  I make it with cream, though, so it doesn't have the thin flavor of regular nonfat yogurt.

On the stove, I have my second batch of chicken stock going and it turns out (duh) that it's a whole lot easier to pick a chicken if you just let it cook long enough.  Then it practically falls apart for you and it doesn't take an hour.

It's still disgusting, especially when I have to de-neck them (I don't for stock, but I do for roasting), but I'm getting used to it.

The difference between chicken broth and chicken stock, I found out today, is bones.  Stock has bones and broth doesn't.  I didn't know there was a difference, but I made stock.  I've boiled two whole chickens, as well as a couple carcasses leftover from roasting.  Also, I heard the tip somewhere that you should save all the ends and weird pieces from your celery, onions and carrots, and boil them for stock.  I have been over the past little while and it's so nice not to have to throw a real, live carrot, onion and celery in there.  It always felt like such a waste of a delicious carrot.  That, combined with saving the carcasses, makes homemade stock almost free!

And, the longer we're poor, the more I learn the value of FREE.

Especially when it comes to food since I like food.

Also on the stove, is some enchilada sauce for chicken enchiladas tonight.  It's a little more like.. chili or something, without the dried ancho chiles, but.. we do what we can.  We'll see how it turns out.

Speaking of enchiladas for dinner, I should go and actually make them.

Look who's coming to visit in two weeks!



I'm pretty much excited.

Hopefully we'll find interesting enough things to do...  The more I think about life here, the more I realize that chicken stock and granola are pretty much it.

Haha.

It makes me happy.  I'll have to think of something more than that for people visiting though.

- catie

Catie: Let's pay a visit to the Statue of Limitations.

Our latest interest has been the Myers-Briggs test.

Actually, the fake Myers-Briggs test since... we aren't willing to pay $30.00 just to have a computer define us with four letters.

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I'm sure pretty much everyone I know has already taken it.  I'd taken it before, too, but I couldn't remember my letters.  It's kind of funny to read an in depth description of each personality type because it's a little uncanny.

Anyway, we took our free test here: http://similarminds.com/jung.html There are probably better ones, but this one worked pretty well.

For a more in depth description of each type, we went here: http://www.personalitypage.com/portraits.html

In case you've never taken it, there are four categories: Introverted/Extroverted, iNtuitive/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling, Judgding/Perceiving.  That breaks down to I/E, N/S, T/F, J/P.

In every category, you're rated higher in one or the other based on how you answer the questions and that gives you your letters.

Ben is an ISTJ: Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging.  And, apparently, according to our picture there, is "doing what should be done".  He'd be pleased to hear that.. let's NOT tell him. ;)

I'm an ISFP: Introverted (we're an outgoing pair, aren't we..), Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving.  Yes, apparently I see a lot of stuff, but I never share.  I don't know what that means.  Except that maybe I don't like to share... but I don't think that's true.  Until Ben tries to eat my chocolate.

Well.

Anyway, we think everybody should take the test and post their letters in the comments because we want to know them!  If you know them without taking the test, that's fine, but tell us your letters!  We're interested.  We've even been taking the tests FOR some of you and we've got you all figured out... That's right.

You can read our "portraits" here:

Ben: ISTJ

Catie: ISFP

Tell us your letters!   Do you realize how long we've been here?  We probably don't even remember what any of you are LIKE.

We need the reminder so we'll recognize you when we get home.  Otherwise, we'll see you at the airport and be like, "You LOOK like my mom, but my mom is Feeling, not Thinking and she's MUCH more Extroverted..."

And you wouldn't want that.

- catie

Catie: Lemon Cream Cupcakes

I know nobody likes my cooking anymore, but it is still delicious.  So there.

[caption id="attachment_511" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="yum?"][/caption]

While I did sub maple syrup (in the cake) and honey (in the frosting) for the sugar and whole wheat flour for white, these were seriously amazing.  It was a real recipe to start, so you could just make the real thing: Lemon Cream Cupcakes.  Like normal people. Unfortunately, we're just not that boring. :p

In the interest of AWESOME, I tried The Pioneer Woman's (speaking of awesome... check her out: thepioneerwoman.com) The Best Frosting I've Ever Had instead of the frosting in the recipe and The Best Frosting sounds weird because it has flour in it, but it is NOT weird.  You should believe me, 1.) because it is the pioneer woman and she does not lie about food, not ever, and 2.) because I LIKE good frosting (not store bought) maybe better than anything in the world and apparently better than my teeth since I keep eating it...

I picked this frosting at first because I thought I could substitute honey for the sugar, which I did, and it turned out so much better than I expected.  I kept hearing that it had the texture of whipped cream, but I disagree.  I think it has the texture of really, really good buttercream like the light, airy kind I make out of my cupcake cookbook that's, like, 1/2 butter and 1/2 whipping cream.  For the lemony-ness, I added about a tablespoon or so of lemon juice (would've added more but I was pushing it with the liquid additions..) and about 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and it is SO killer.

I like cupcakes.  I make cupcakes.  I EAT cupcakes.  I do not lie about cupcakes.

[caption id="attachment_512" align="alignright" width="225" caption="I like lemon..."][/caption]

I asked Ben if he'd eat them before I made them (not so lemony, that one..) and he said he would, but I did not expect him to be quite so enthusiastic once they were done.  Between last night and breakfast this morning, he's had 5.

It should mean something that I used whole wheat flour and they're STILL all light and airy and yummy.  And the frosting is all light and airy and yummy and I expected it to taste like whole wheat, but it doesn't.  Although, being my crazy self, I soaked both recipes about 12 hours before making them.  It helps to soften the edge of that "whole wheat" taste and also makes things bake up much lighter (extra baking powder helps as well..), in my opinion.

[caption id="attachment_513" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="cupcakes for breakfast! and somebody's tired of having a camera in his face... oopsy!"][/caption]

These are going in the repertoire.

Forever.

- catie

Catie: They're all copycats!

Well, now everyone in my family has a blog.  It's nice.  Now I don't have to talk to them to know they're still alive.  It really simplifies my life. :)

Julie Swallowtail: My mom, in Pennsylvania, rockin' out to snow and gravy boats.

Miss Mayah Says...: My sister, Sarah, and quotes from Mayah, the almost-four-year-old.

Just Something We Do: My sister, Mel, and her husband, Rob, livin' it up in Libya.  Or.. y'know, mostly traveling everywhere BUT Libya, but she's coming to visit to me, so I'm down with it.

Allendar's Magnificent Creations: Jeff and his amazing creations.  You might not understand any of it, but I think that just reinforces how super smart he is.  He speaks a whole 'nother LANGUAGE.  I never even knew...

Right now, I am embroidering without an embroidery hoop.  Not some of my best work as embroidery puckers without a hoop, but.. I'm making do.

Check out the suh-weet blogs.

- catie

Catie: Recipe - Fried Bananas and Whipped Cream with Cinnamon Mandarin Sauce - um, hello? Yum.

Okay, so we've cut back on sugar even more and I was doing fine with it until I decided to cut wheat out almost completely.  I kept reading that of all the grains in the world, wheat is probably the worst ever, so I decided to experiment.  I've now been off it for.. I don't know, maybe a week?  I didn't notice anything at all different, so yesterday I decided to eat a piece of toast -- whole wheat toast, one piece -- and about 1/2 an hour later I thought I was going to die a slow and awful death.  It was weird.  Sort of like the last time I ate ice cream after being off sugar for a couple weeks and it made my whole body itch like a plague of.. itching fire.  Anyway.  Gross.  Sorry.  Moving on.

So, cutting out wheat has made my sugar craving SKY ROCKET.  Your body basically ferments wheat into sugar as soon as it begins digesting.  I read somewhere it's such a quick transition that if you hold a piece of bread in your mouth for just a few seconds and let your saliva work on it, it will start to taste sweet.  So, obviously, it was giving me some sort of sugar.. thingie.  And, obviously, it wasn't a good.. thingie, judging by yesterday's breakfast.  Still, in the interest of staying sane, I HAVE to eat something that tastes sweet SOME of the time.

Thankfully, my standards for sweetness have gone down a lot (in that I don't require a whole hot fudge sundae to be able to breathe) and fruit usually works great (especially these mandarins... I am telling you, they are the fruit of the gods).  So, I went through my trusty new Nourishing Traditions cookbook and found this Fried Banana recipe.  I tweaked it a little to  leave out even more of the honey (Ben found some raw honey at the market -- amazingly -- so I would've used that, but I'm trying to save it for when Ben's allergies kick in later this spring, plus.. it just didn't need it), to make enough for just two of us, and because it called for creme fraiche (or piima cream), which we didn't have on hand.  It was still super yum.

If you like bananas.  And whipped cream:  You will like this.

Also, I know I'm all weird and creepy now (I creep myself out with all the "Real Food".. ness.), but whipped cream really isn't bad for you.  It's best raw, straight from the cow, and ultra-pasteurized is basically useless, but... the fat is really good for you.  It's natural fat, so it burns quickly, keeps you full a long time and is full of calcium your body can actually absorb.  Plus, it has butterfat, a rich source of vitamins A and D, two vitamins that are real hard to come by naturally in anything but egg yolks and butter, and the sun, but that's minimal.

So now you know.  You probably don't care, but I do, because it means I get to eat whipped cream.  So there.

Fried Bananas and Whipped Cream with Cinnamon Mandarin Sauce

2 very ripe bananas, large

2-3 T. butter

juice of two mandarin oranges

1/4 - 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped with vanilla and about a teaspoon of honey




Peel bananas and slice lengthwise (we sliced widthwise because I didn't read the directions).  Saute in butter and transfer to a pyrex dish (or.. glass lock-n-lock..as the case may be).  In a small bowl, mix mandarin juice and cinnamon.  Pour over bananas and bake at 300F for about 15 minutes (we baked it about 20, just.. know your oven).  Serve in bowls with a dollop of whipped cream.

I wish I had pictures, but I didn't think of it until... we'd eaten all of it.

It's a little rich, so keep that in mind.  I shouldn't have eaten a full bananas worth, it made me a little ill.

Ill in a good way.  You know.

- catie

Catie: Things I would make if we were rich...

I took for granted all the fabric and craft stores of America.  I still don't know how I feel about giant chain stores coming in and killing off the little guys, but right about now, I would kill for a Michael's or a JoAnn's with their miles of buttons and bias tape and fabric for less than $10.00 a fat quarter.  The warm weather makes me really want to sew, but the problems of not having a sewing machine or actual lengths of fabric to work with leave me a little stranded.  Usually, I'd go buy a sheet if I really couldn't afford a bunch of fabric and I wanted some (thrift store sheets make dresses for $2.00), but Korea doesn't make sheets.

Haha.  I'm at a loss.  And while it can be infinitely frustrating, yarn has proven easy to come by.  And that's just amazing.  It seems like every time I round a corner there's a yarn shop (okay, not really, but I'm being positive).  I've found four so far, plus E-mart, which has a little.  The fourth one I found at the big, fat traditional market last weekend when we went down there in search of buttons.  No buttons were found, but we did find a bazillion bolts of silk and other shiny, traditional Korean wedding dress (Hanbok) fabrics.  I hold out hope that somewhere in the literal maze of shops I might find some affordable fabric someday.  Someday.  When we're rich.

Anyway, today I went looking for an orange extract recipe and, somehow, stumbled upon a million Martha Stewart sewing patterns.  Some of them were not so cute, but some of them make me all bubbly inside and now I'm conniving ways to get around our financial barriers and utilize our dollar stores....

Until then, these are on my list of things to make, either when we're rich, or once I devise a most brilliant plan:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Sleeper of a Bag""][/caption]

This super cute bag is made out of one pillowcase and I want it.  I'd want to make it out of two, so it would have a lining and not be too thin, but......... Korea doesn't have pillowcases, only pillow shams... so.  Maybe next life.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Doily Tablecloth""][/caption]

I think this is cute.  Plus, it looks easy and quickly gratifying. At the Dollar Place, they have a bunch of doilies for cheap, so this one might actually be doable.  We'll see.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Bandana Tablecloth""][/caption]

Bandanas: distinctly American.  This one looks cute and summery and also very easily gratifying.  I'm really into things that are easy and gratifying.. maybe because I've been knitting all winter.  While not difficult, it does take concentration and it is painfully slow sometimes.  Still, I did pick the Tea Leaves Cardigan (see last post) for my gold yarn and the yoke is coming along nicely.  So, no actual complaints.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Homemade Duvet Cover""][/caption]

I made a duvet cover in high school and it was cute, but I could make a cuter one now and since we have these two, big white fake-down comforters that keep getting dirty, I want to make one even more.  I've been working on it in my head for a long time, but so far: nothing.  Why does Korea sell big, white fluffy fake-down comforters with no duvet covers?  There are a lot of answers I can't give you.  Basically, America is the land of way too much.  You can find anything in the entire world you want in America in almost any city, big or small.  Shipping is usually not very expensive if whatever-it-is has to be ordered.  Other countries don't live that way, it turns out.  They make do with what they have.  It's entirely frustrating, but.. not unreasonable.  In a way, I guess it forces more creativity.  Seriously, you should see some of the little carriers people have rigged up to their bicycles and scooters.  Nothing short of creative genius.  On the whole, I'd say our land of plenty makes us a lot less creative and a lot more color-inside-the-lines boo-riing.  Now just so long as Ben doesn't remind me I wrote this the next time I complain that Korea has nothing I want...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Slipcovered Headboard""][/caption]

I just think this is cute.  Mostly because I like things that I can change on a whim, like Swatches.  If you made enough, it could be like a headboard Swatch.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Button-Up Window Shade"][/caption]

I want this.  And I want this now.  Where, God, does Korea keep it's buttons and it's cotton fabric?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Handmade Dolls"][/caption]

I like dolls.  I think they're cute.  Especially when you get to make them yourself.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Bias Toward the Pretty""][/caption]

Bias tape just makes things look nice, doesn't it?

And, lastly...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption=""Removable Tote Organizer""][/caption]

This is clever.  And I like it.  I don't have a tote... but if I were rich, I'd make one, just so I could make this to put inside it.

There are just about a hundred things that could be on this list, but these are the ones I'm lusting after today.  By next week, I'll probably have a whole new bunch.

I'm going to post a yummy fried banana recipe next, so... you should read that, too.

- catie

Catie: Good Kimchi!

Well, the Kimchi turned out AWESOME.  Actually.

I kept saying I thought it would be bad, bad, bad, but it's totally not.  Maybe a teensy bit too sweet (though that should decrease over time, even in the fridge) and I think I'll use soy sauce instead of Yoshida's next time, but it is good.  Like seriously good.  Way better than even our favorite Korean BBQ place across the street and I've always liked theirs pretty well.

But maybe I Americanized it somehow so it appeals to my palate a little more.

[caption id="attachment_485" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="yummy."][/caption]

I am eating some right now, just plain because.. I don't have anything else to eat it with.  I had it with eggs and bacon for a weird dinner (because I put the chicken in the crockpot too late to actual EAT it for dinner...) and that was good, too.

Kimchi's the best with meat, though.  Especially if a meal sits really heavy, I've noticed.  If I eat some kimchi, it just digests a lot better.  Plus it's all, y'know, good for you and stuff. Amazingly good, actually, and the more I read about it, the more I find that foreigners here fall in love with it if they just give it a decent chance.  It's a little strange the first couple times and the smell is intense, but it tastes a ton better than it smells and you won't believe how many points it'll earn you with the Korean population at large, all of whom eat kimchi at every single meal including breakfast.

My sourdough starter came to a miserable demise (perhaps due its being left too near the kimchi?).  It got all watery and smelled just terrible.  I was pretty excited about bread for a while, but now after several irritating failures, I think I'm ready to just wait until I can either get someone to hold my hand throughout, or until it's worth it for me to buy a bread machine.  Right now, it's just not.  Besides, all I've read about bread makes me think we may be better off without it.

In other news, I've taught myself to haphazardly read crochet patterns.  It is NOT as easy as reading knitting patterns... probably just because I know what most knitting pattern abbreviations mean, and usually there's a key at the bottom for odd ones in case you forget, but that doesn't always seem to be the case with crochet patterns.  I end up googling abbreviation after abbreviation and, in the end, I make up my own dumb pattern because I just can't figure out what they're talking about.

Still, though, I got a cute little market bag out of it:



It's a bit skinny and stretches long, so it's kind of funny, but it works really well.  I'm making another that's wider and it will be shorter, too.

I got my gold yarn in today, finally, from New Hampshire.  I ordered it back at the very beginning of January, but it was on back order and things ship slow to Korea where everything has to be opened once it arrives and is usually stuck in customs for several days.

It's really nice and I'm happy with the color (a few other ones looked very different on the website and, thankfully, Ben liked them, but I thought they were a little blarghy).

[caption id="attachment_488" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="delightful, golden Cascade 220"][/caption]

With it, I think I will be making the Garter Yoke Cardigan or.... maybe the Tea Leaves Cardigan.  Not sure yet.  I really like the Tea Leaves one.

Lastly, I got this book in the mail:

[caption id="attachment_489" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon"][/caption]

And it's my new super-fave.  It's more a cookbook than anything with all sorts of crazy recipes for things like beet kvass, fermented berry preserves, baby formula (......?), potato cheese, fermented ketchup and mustard, and a whole section on organ meats with recipes for kidneys, liver and hearts.  Ooh.. and brains in wine sauce.  Maybe someday...........  It also has a totally lame recipe for kimchi (1/2 teaspoon red pepper instead of 1/2 CUP), but I am willing to overlook that because of the fermented root beer and sweet potato soda (?) recipes.

I'm pretty excited.

Anyway, I need to go do something with this yarn because.. it looks lonely.

- catie