Beef Bulgogi Rice Bowl

Forgive me for this post lacks the step-by-step photos for the procedure. I never planned to put this on the blog as it was just another simple Korean dish craving that we used to have in our favorite Korean place back in San Diego. But a lot of my friends from Facebook were asking for the recipe when I posted a picture that night we had this for dinner. So here I am, sharing the recipe for one and all :) 

This is really quite a simple and easy recipe. But so good nonetheless. This recipe will yield 2-3 servings, and you will need:

1 lb beef, thinly sliced

1 tsp oil

1tsp miced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp sesame oil

1 small carrot, juliened

a bunch of spinach

2 stalks of green onions, sliced

Start by heating the oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, followed by minced ginger, and cook until fragrant. 

Add in the beef and stir well. Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar and water then add the mixture with the beef. Cook for 7 minutes or so then add the sesame oil one it is done then set aside. 

In the same pan, sauté the carrots and spinach with a just a drizzle of sesame oil. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until done.

To assemble the bowl, place cooked rice in the bottom of the bowl and top it with the beef on one side and the veggies with the other. I also added atsara on my bowl for I was craving for that pickled taste and that was what I had on hand. Garnish with the chopped green onions and you can now enjoy your beef bulgogi rice bowl! :)

- C ♥

Back to Camping at Home

I love this couch. It is very comfy and very stylish. It was perfect, or would've been perfect. Because it was huge. Soooo huge that it makes our whole place so small. So huge that the only position we can place it in the living room makes of an odd floor plan. And so huge that Chlo would try to run around it, trying not to hit it, but will eventually run into our dining table or chair. And that's when I decided this couch has to go.

We got this couch from Ashley Furniture on sale when we moved here last October. We've been looking for a couch for weeks that time and I just wanted to get it over with (that was the time I was in my first trimester, and the time I'm very hormonal and very impatient, hehe). So I thought let's just get this one, not realizing how huge it actually was. Because I swear, in the showroom, it didn't seem that big. It was looking so pretty, and comfy, and looking perfectly normal-size for our living room. Until it was delivered at home. We were a little dumbfounded to see how big it actually was!

So weeks ago, I placed a few ads in Craigslist and a couple of Military sales & swaps pages on Facebook, hoping to sell the couch really soon, for my OC self is really itching to get a new one that will work with the size and floor plan of our living room. And a month after, we still got no takers :( That's when I told myself that maybe I have to live with this huge couch forever. Then, I thought I am not doing this right. So I reposted the ad, marketing it better and just a few minutes of posting, I have 6 offers for it already :) I am beyond pleased when I closed the deal and the couch was paid for and picked up the very next day! :)

And on that very same day, after they picked up the old couch, we headed out to go furniture shopping. (Yes, that's how excited I was! Haha!) :) And lucky us, we found a sofa and love seat that's so pretty and comfy, and just the right size (we brought a tape measure with us this time to be sure! Haha) The best thing about it? It was on sale. :) The not so best part, it'll take a few weeks before it can be delivered to our home. But it was fine, as Chlo is so thrilled with our furniture-less living room, making it her very own huge indoor playground. :) So the single airbed is out from the closet again and is serving as our lounge area.

I just can't wait for my new couch and start arranging and decorating the house again! I promise to post photos as soon as they arrive. :) For now, here's a few photos of Chlo, camping in our not-so-empty-afterall living room. 

- C ♥

The Baking Corner & My Little Miss Happy Baker

Since we moved here late last year, I've been meaning to go to the dollar store to shop for some things for our new place and to get some ideas for DIY projects. And last week, we finally made that trip. It was not that far; just a 10 minute drive from our place and the best part is that it's right next to a Starbucks with a drive thru! *wink! So right after our little trip to the dollar store, I finally had a tall green tea frappe I've been craving that week. :)

The main thing I was looking to get at the dollar store were kitchen jars for my baking corner.  Lucky me, I found these cute, clear jars that were just perfect! And at just a dollar a piece, they are a steal! :) I also got a couple of black 5x7 frames, shelf liners, a coloring book & stickers for Chlo, and some brushes and sponges for each of the bathrooms at home. (Imagine having 3 bathrooms and only having 1 cleaning bucket to clean all! Not to mention how huge I am right now plus it is a tri-level home. So going back and forth the stairs with a bucket in one hand and a mop on the other is just plain hazard... or yea, maybe it's just me being my obsessive-compulsive self. Hehe. Anywayyyy....)

I was so excited to finally organize my baking corner! It didn't actually take that much to do it. I just printed out some labels from Pinterest and I made sure that the labels were the same color as my mixer. I didn't have any sticker paper on hand so I just used regular bond paper and clear packing tapes. And voila! My baking corner is done! :) Now everything's looking neat and pretty, and more importantly, within reach; making baking just a breeze! :) Seriously, it cuts the time of baking when everything is right there instead of coming back and forth the cabinets for the things I need. And I was even able to entertain Chlo and let her "help" me bake some yummy blueberry cheesecake cups.  :)

Here's a photo of her putting back the cupcake tray that she helped get lined and a photo of the cheesecake cups that I'll be sharing the recipe here soon. For now, it's time for us to head out and do a little grocery shopping. Happy weekend everyone! :)

- C ♥

Light & Easy Tuna Pasta

I can't believe that February is almost over. Time went by so fast and in just a few more days, it'll be March already. Anyway, it is Monday and today the whole household is down with the cold. And I promised myself that Chlo and I will take it easy today.

So while Chlo is busy with her flashcards, let me share my  easy breezy pasta recipe! We usually make this dish in those lazy nights we don't want to spend that much time in the kitchen preparing dinner. Most of the ingredients are already in the pantry, and can be customized according to what you feel like adding to it. With this one, I kept it simple and light. Perfect and oh, so good! :)

For this dish you will need:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 tomatoes, cubed

1 can of tuna flakes

8 oz thin spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

green onions, chopped

parsley flakes

shredded parmesan

Start by heating the olive oil in a pan. Sauté the onions, garlic, and followed by the tomatoes. Cook in medium heat until the tomatoes become soft.

Add in the tuna flakes and cook for a few minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, add in the parsley and green onions and give it a stir. then in goes cooked pasta.

Toss the pasta until it is well incorporated with the tuna.

Add in the shredded parmesan and more parsley flakes...

And dinner is ready! 

Did I mention how good, and light, and easy  this dish is? :)

It is so delicious, my husband and I can finish the whole thing! It is that goooooood! 

Happy eating, everyone! :)

- C ♥

Jasmine and June Get Hitched

I just love weddings! May it be a grand one or just a small, intimate wedding, it will always give me this genuine feeling of warmth and happiness. And a week ago, our dear Jas and June got hitched! But unfortunately we couldn't make it to fly or drive to Virginia because of the blizzard and Mark's schedule. So I asked my trusty and pretty sis-in-law, Gizelle, to take pictures of the big day. :)

The wedding is beautiful and intimate, celebrated with close  family and friends. And with the groom's humor, I can imagine how fun the wedding turned out just looking at the pictures! I just love seeing them so happy and in love! Congratulations, you two! We love you and cheers to beautiful beginnings!

- C ♥

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo

I have been craving for ginataang bilo-bilo or palarusdus for ages! I remember back in San Diego, I did try to make some of this but I opted to use store-bought, frozen bilo-bilo. Which is an utterly, big mistake because they ended up being chewy/hard instead of fluffy and soft. So this time, I made my own bilo-bilo :) And they were a big success! They are soft and fluffy, just the way I remember from eating them back home. 

I made this dish the weekend of the blizzard which was perfect because I like to have this yummy merienda warm, but it can also be enjoyed cold. :) Making the bilo-bilo was easier than I expected. And because I made a lot of tapioca pearls and have some more of the ingredients, I think I'm gonna make another batch later this week. It is that good! :)

Here are the ingredients:

3 cups glutinous rice flour & 1 1/2 cup water to make bill-bilo

2 cans of coconut milk

2 cups of water

1 large sweet potato, cut into cubes

3 banana plantains, cubed

1 cup jackfruit, cut into strips, 

1/2 cup jackfruit syrup

1 cup cooked sago (tapioca pearls)

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 cup water & 1/8 cup glutinous rice flour for the thickener

Procedure:

Start with preparing the bill-bilo by mixing the glutinous rice flour and water until a smooth dough is formed. It should hold together and separate cleanly from the bowl.

With floured hands, take a pinch off a small piece of dough and roll into a ball about the size of a marble. 

Bring coconut milk and water to a boil.

Once it is boiling, drop the glutinous rice balls

Wait for the glutinous rice balls to float, like this.

Then add the sweet potatoes and continue boiling until they are half cooked.

Add the plantains and continue cooking until they start to get soft.

Add the jackfruit strips.. 

and the cooked tapioca pearls.

Pour in 1/2 cup of jackfruit syrup..

and sugar. Feel free to add more if you prefer it sweeter.

Lastly, add the thickener mixture. Again, it is up to you how thick you want it to be. I opted not to add the thickener because I prefer it not so thick. :) This is just perfect for me! And it'll eventually thicken up some more once placed in the fridge...

See? :) It looks so good and taste even better! Preggy mom approved! :)

- C ♥