Trip to South Korea

"Anyong-Haseyo!" ("Hello!", "How are you?", "Good morning/afternoon/evening!" in Korean ;-P)

I'm back! Well, technically, I've been back for a couple of weeks now, but I have not updated my blog in a while, sooo I'm back!

As the title says, I took a brief school trip to South Korea, and it was a great experience! The food, the culture, the people...everything was amazing. It wasn't as much of a culture shock for me since I grew up in the Philippines, but the huge discrepancy between the main city (Seoul) and it's surroundings was extremely surprising. Seoul is beautiful; it is highly developed and it well exudes the typical 'big' city life, such as that of Tokyo and New York City. We did visit a few businesses, like the KIA auto plant, Songdo City (High-tech, green-living city), and the Mapo Resource Recovery Plant. The latter was a plant that is basically a waste recovery (recycling) plant. One of the many things that amazed me was the discipline of the Koreans; imagine, they started separating their trash over 20 years ago! They are so forward-thinking - a trait that I truly admire and respect, and one that should be adopted by the Americans. The level of discipline within the South Koreans is quite typical due to their culture, and the U.S. can definitely learn a thing or two from them.

Aside from the business perspective, we also experienced the culture and the people of Korea through food, the city fashion and trends, and our day trip to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. I thoroughly enjoyed the food (if you go to S. Korea, check out Samwon Garden, the fish market, and eat some octopus! Live octopus! :-D), and I certainly did some shopping, but the highlight of my trip was our visit to North Korea. What a big difference the area was compared to the city; it was completely underdeveloped, and there was a level of tension in the air, one that was appropriate for 2 regions that are technically still at war. We got to see North Korea in person, and stepped into the meeting room where generals and officials of South and North Korea meet, so in actuality, I was in North Korea for about 1 minute ;-P.

All in all, the trip was one to remember. I'd visit again, but next time, with family. I hope you enjoy the pictures! :-)
Until next time...

 My hotel room

 Walking around the city

 Dim-sum on the first night

 Octopus dish!

 KIA auto plant

 Korean utensils

 At the subway!

 Mapo plant. Horse made with recycled material

 Japanese cherry blossoms in full bloom! :)

2002 World Cup Stadium

 Street food vendors

With South Korean military official on North Korean side of meeting room

Middle meeting table 

View of North Korean "Welcome Center"

Having Bulgogi (Korean sweet beef)

Trying to use the chopsticks :-D

King Sejong - He invented the Korean alphabet

Lanterns outside the temple

At Samwon Garden

By the waterfall at Samwon Garden

Continuation of Birthday Week for My Love! :-D

Sooo... We had a small, intimate birthday get-together for my huney with some church and work friends this past Saturday. Our menu included, guava-mozzarella crackers as our starter, salad, taco lasagna, rice n' beans, and Publix fried chicken for the main entrees, and finally, some guava-filled Puerto Rican cake per request of my sweetie. It was such a nice (and deeelicious!) evening. I'm glad it all worked out for my hubby. Happy 28th, sweetheart! :-)

Dessert Highlight: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Are you a Peanut Butter lover??? This one's for youuu!! :-D

As promised, here is the recipe of the cupcakes I made for my hubby to bring to work for this birthday. They were quite a hit, so enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 Box chocolate cake mix, prepared as directed on box -- optional: add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels into batter to make cupcakes extra chocolatey! (makes 24 regular-sized cupcakes, 20-22 large cupcakes)
1-1.5 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening (i.e. Crisco)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp milk, more if needed for smoother frosting consistency
20-24 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups (optional)

Directions:
Prepare cake mix as directed on box instructions. As mentioned, you can add about 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels into the batter to make it extra chocolatey. Bake cupcakes in cupcake pans lined with cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake). For the frosting, combine shortening, peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt, water, vanilla and milk in a bowl and mix using a mixer until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes (I used a Ziplock bag and cut the tip) and top with a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup. Enjoy! :-d~~

Happy Birthday to My Love!

Yes, it was my hubby's birthday this week! :-D

It truly is a birthday week for him. On Sunday, we celebrated with the family at Buca di Beppo. Boy, their food is awesomely deeeelicious. We had a coupon which made the experience even better! I have no pictures of the food (yes, we were that hungry), but we ordered their Antipasto Salad, Bruschetta (one of the best I've had), Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Baked Ziti. For our dessert, my sister-in-law bought some cupcakes from Sweet! and they were oh so yummy! Needless to say, we had a goooood dinner! :-D

On the day of his birthday, I had made 2 dozen cupcakes for him to bring to work. They were Peanut Butter Chocolate and Funfetti Vanilla. Apparently, they were a big hit and now I can possibly be hired as the personal company baker. ;-P

Here are the pictures....drool away! ;-D
(recipe to come shortly)

(Yup! I garnished the PB choco cupcake with a mini-Reese's cup! yum yum yummmm)

The celebrations are not over for him! We have one more party for him this weekend with some friends, and of course, with some guava-filled Puerto Rican Cake! Later, everyone! :)

Side Highlight: New England Baked Beans...Crockpot Style!

Ohh yes...this idea came shortly after our Boston trip!

I actually made this side for our 2010 Christmas Day family lunch. I decided to make it for 2 reasons:
1. My husband did not get to taste the infamous Boston baked beans while we were in Boston...and he really did want to have some, but we did not get the chance...and..
2. I was looking through a crock-pot recipe box gifted to me by a dear friend, and voila! I found this delicious recipe. :-)

For those of you who have crock-pots (aka slow-cookers), you already know that this will be quite easy and simple to make. If you do not have a crock-pot, I highly recommend getting one! It is one of those cooking investments you will not regret...promise. ;-)

I owe a special thanks to my father-in-law who, probably due to my subtle noises in the kitchen, also woke up early on Christmas day and helped me put together this wonderful side. I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as we have!

New England Baked Beans

Ingredients:
4 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
3 cans (about 15 oz. each) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes, well drained
3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used pancake maple syrup :-P)
3 Tbsp. molasses
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 small bay leaf
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)

Directions:
Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked, not crispy. Drain and set aside. Combine bacon and all remaining ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until mixture has thickened. If the mixture is not as thick as you'd like (which is what happened in my case), get some of the liquid from the baked beans (about 4-5 Tbsp) and add cornstarch to this liquid. Mix well and add liquid mixture back into the baked beans. Cook uncovered on low for another 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Enjoy! :-)

Dinner Highlight: Beef Chili Soup

Need a hearty soup recipe? This is it! :-D

.....And yes, I am on a soup frenzy!! :-P

While we were spending a weekend with my in-laws, my momma-in-law shared a recipe book with me entitled, "The Soup Bible." It was literally filled with hundreds of soup recipes from all over the world. Of course, I took advantage of this moment and wrote down a few recipes that I was sure were going to be great additions to my repertoire. When I saw this recipe, I immediately thought of my hubby. He absolutely enjoys delicious soups, especially those that are as hearty and as meat-filled as this. Not only was this a hot at home, but it was surprisingly enjoyed by my church family as well at a fellowship lunch. I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we have! :-)

Beef Chili Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet Sazon seasoning (found in your local grocery store at the Ethnic/Hispanic foods sections)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 + 1/8 cup all purpose flour
14-oz can diced petite cut tomatoes with zesty jalapenos
3 cups beef stock
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat oil and brown beef and onion in a pot. Add Sazon seasoning and mix in with meat mixture. Add garlic, pepper flakes and flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and pour in stock. Bring to boil. Stir in beans and salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. add parsley. Served great with some crushed tortilla chips as a topping and biscuits and salad on the side. Enjoy! :-)

Dinner Highlight: Zuppa Toscana a la Elizabeth!

Bon Appetit!

Clearly, this recipe was inspired by the Italian restaurant, Olive Garden. However, if you really want specifics, I was inspired to make it after I watched a lady from my church make it one night while I was at her house helping her daughter with wedding preparations. The house smelled awesome. As a result, I was determined to find a recipe and make it for me and my hubby!

I found many recipes online, but I found one that was simple to make, and simple enough to tweak. As usual, I usually change up some recipes a wee bit if I can replace some items with semi-healthier versions. I made this soup one night for dinner, and as you can imagine, it was a BIG hit with my hubby! (well, it does help that he's part Italian and that he loves food! ;-P) This recipe makes plenty of soup, so it's perfect for a big family, or to freeze for another night, or for some leftovers the following day. Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana a la Elizabeth

Ingredients:
1 lb. mild or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed (personally, I used spicy)
1/2 lb. turkey bacon, chopped (or regular bacon)
1 qt. water
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth (or about 3 and 2/3 cups)
2 large potatoes, scrubbed clean, cubed
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cups chopped kale
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper

Directions:
Brown sausage in a pan, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Drain and set aside. Then, brown bacon, and be careful not to cook it crispy. Drain and set aside. Place broth, water, garlic, potatoes and onion in a pot. Heat on high until boiling, then bring down to medium heat to simmer until potatoes are tender (not falling apart, but jut tender -- about 20-30 minutes). Add sausage and bacon. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Add kale and cream to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes. This is a hearty soup served great with biscuits and salad. Enjoy!