Chimaek(chicken & beer) night

Seoul, August 11, 2014

When Koreans are asked what goes best with cold beer, there is no hesitation for their answers. It's fried chicken. The combination is so popular that a new word was invented to describe it: Chimaek(치맥 in Korean), chi from chicken(치킨) and maek from maekju(맥주 for beer). 

Chimaek is beloved for both delivery and an evening get-together after work. It's not easy to resist temptation for a pairing, especially in summer. Monday was one those nights for me. 

My friend and I went to a chicken house in a Sadang area in Seoul and ordered spicy fried chicken and beer. The beer was so cold and refreshing!  

Then we headed for an iced coffee to ease the spicy flavor from chicken. I ordered Guatemala Antigua, which was rich and strong. 

Saturday evening dinner

Seoul, August 9, 2014

Ladies' evening on Saturday!

I made Earl Grey milk jam early in the morning before meeting my friend. She never tried this, so I wanted her to get a taste of it. This time it took more than 2 and a half hours to get them jammed. I was so glad when she made a big smile at my small gift. 

I met her in a huge shopping mall called D-Cube City in Sindorim. We had to eat, so we went to a Japanese deli called Mist on a 5th floor. We ordered a bowl of rice with fried shrimps, ramen(noodle), pieces of fried chickens, and iced teas. 

This shrimp rice was so good! I liked the shrimp's crispy texture so much. 

The soup was seasoned with Japanese soy sauce, not that salty. As the noodles were made within hours before we ordered, they were al dante and chewy. 

We also had fried chicken legs with a side of salad. 

After we're done with our early dinner, we headed to The Coffee Bean for coffee. I ordered hot vanilla cafe latte, which I needed so much at the moment to keep the air conditioner from chilling my body. I loved its creamy and soft foam and the sweet taste!

Next morning, I went to work. It was Sunday, haha!

Summer harvest: bean, pear & raspberry

August 3, 2014

This is my dad's favorite type of beans. He has lost his appetite lately, and one of the things that stimulate him to eat is this bean. Most of all, I like its color, the nature-created-color.  

My mom also picked up some apricots. They need more time to get sweeter.

My mom usually steams this bean with rice and sweet potatoes, but she used potatoes this time instead of sweet potatoes. Well, I should say I prefer sweet potatoes. My dad's on the same side!

August 2, 2014

My mom and I picked up some wild pears from the trees along the river bank in PyeongChang. Some were perfectly ripe, but others were short of ripening. 

My mom told me she would wait for a couple of days and pick them up when they are fully ready. Unfortunately, the typhoon got stronger that night, bringing lots of rain and heavy wind. I found many of the pears on the trees gone after the typhoon. 

July 27, 2014

It's time to enjoy wild raspberries! They are so delicate that you need to be careful when you pluck the berries from a tree. I took in lots of vitamin thanks to these raspberries!

Earl Grey milk jam

July 24, 2014

I made 2 bottles of Earl Grey milk jam for 2 friends of mine for their birthday. The recipe is easy with just a few ingredients, but patience is needed here. You need to stir it constantly for 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours! 

The taste, however, will make up for all the time and effort. This jam is a perfect match with plain bread and biscuits. 

Earl Grey milk jam

1ℓ of milk
500mℓ of cream
100g of brown sugar
5 tea bags of Earl Grey 
Glass bottles

I used Twinings Earl Grey for tea.

Mix milk, cream, sugar and tea. For tea, tear 3 tea bags and steep 2 tea bags. Bring the liquid mixture to a boil on low heat.  

Stir constantly for 2 hours until the mixture gets thickened. Turn off the heat before it gets too sticky. See the brown color? :)

Pour it into a glass bottle. Put the bottle in the fridge for a night.

My friend loved it! She said her mom was thrilled to taste it. I feel so happy when someone is pleased with the present I give. 

Hibiscus and butterfly in one

July 27, 2014

I saw this amazing moment on my stroll in the neighborhood. A butterfly landed on a petal of a hibiscus flower. The butterfly began to get into the flower, deeper and deeper. Then s/he fit right inside the flower and stood still. As if he took a nap in there!

@PyeongChang