Erikurious

After a long week filled with the everyday stresses of work and life, I like to have my Sundays free from social obligations and open to relaxation! Weekends are usually the time when I feel most inspired to cook and on any given Sunday, you can find Mike and I busy in the kitchen. So much of our lives revolve around cooking, enjoying and searching for good food that it's so nice to share that part of lives with the other. However, lately our schedules have been so so hectic, we haven't had the opportunity to cook much in the weekend. (T_T) This past weekend was particularly draining and feeling hazy and completely exhausted after a long night out, we felt at a loss at what to do to appease our growingly grumbling, demanding stomachs. I was scrambling around the kitchen encouraging my quickly failing brain to kick in and save Mike and I from our hunger when it dawned on me. Wrap! I love the ease of wraps and their charm lies in that anything goes!! So, I did just that threw a bunch of ingredients together and finished product was surprisingly yummy and oh so simple! ^.^

So, that was our dinner…. A simple but deeply satisfying wrap made of ground beef seasoned with thyme, lemon and cayenne pepper with potatoes and scrambled eggs. It was very good served with a side of greek yogurt and sprinkled with creamy goat cheese.

I hate when recipes don’t include pictures so please don’t hate me now. I didn’t think it would be as good as it turned out so I didn’t think ahead and took pictures. I will be sure to upload one soon though!

Mediterranean wraps

Ingredients

8 in. flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef
5 small red potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. thyme
3 tbsps. of lemon juice or as desired
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
cayenne pepper or paprika
kosher salt
2 eggs, scrambled and seasoned with salt black pepper
greek yogurt
goat cheese for sprinkling

Boil potatoes until almost cooked but still slightly firm, depending on the size of the chopped potatoes that should range between 5-7 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet and add olive oil. Sauté onions for a few minutes then add the garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and garlic has softened, around 3 minutes. Raise the temperature to medium high and brown the ground beef. At this time, drain the potatoes and add into the skillet. Season with thyme, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper/ paprika and sprinkle in lemon juice. Lower temperature to medium and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add scrambled eggs and cook until just set and well combined with other ingredients. Sprinkle a little more cayenne pepper/ paprika for added smokiness and pop of color. Serve over warmed tortillas with a side of green yogurt and a bowl of goat cheese for sprinkling as desired.

^.^*

We had leftover soondooboo jjigae, pan-fried potatoes (kamja bokkum) and the pickled peppers and garlic last night. Finally! My first impression was that I had underestimated the heat of long green peppers. For seasoned spice eaters like Mike and I, it wasn’t enough to bring tears or urge us to reach for our water but it definitely took the breath out of me. This is surely a banchan to be savored in small doses if you don’t want it to affect the flavors of the rest of your meal. We shared half of a long green pepper and that more than enough.

The most present flavor was as expected, the vinegar followed by the saltiness of the soy sauce and I could almost detect a slight kick from the liquor at the very end. The one element I felt was missing from this recipe was sweet. To my disappointment, it was barely discernable so next time I think I will experiment with the proportions of the ingredients. Maybe adjust the vinegar and sugar just to mellow it out a bit. Or perhaps substitute the regular sugar for light brown sugar to provide a richer, deeper sweetness that will withstand the sharpness of the vinegar. However, I am actually pretty happy with the peppers and I know they will draw in the even more flavors sitting in the refrigerator. So, I am very excited to see how they continue to mature.

Kamja Bokkum is one of the simplest and tastiest banchan. This dish is one of Mike’s favorite; he loves the nutty and saltiness of the potatoes. This is perfect for when I don’t feel like making too much of an effort in the kitchen, so it was fitting for last night’s meal. Hehe

A lot of people make it with just potatoes but I prefer to add onions as well to bring a little more complexity to the dish. This recipe allows for flexibility so feel free to alter it a bit with the addition of carrots or green or red hot peppers. You can also substitute green onions for the onions for a more refined delicate dish. But, I really enjoy the uniformity of the julienned potatoes and onions and the textural element that the onions bring are awesome as well. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Kamja Bokkum (Pan-fried Potatoes)

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes, julienned 1 medium onion, julienned

1 tbsp vegetable

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

sesame seeds for sprinkling

coarse sea salt

black pepper

Heat skillet and add both oils. Once the oil is hot, add potatoes and cook stirring often. After 5 mins, add onions and continue cooking at low medium temperature. It is important to stir often or they will brown and stick together. The desired consistency is tender and fluffy. A few minutes before removing from heat, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I cook everyday (on weekdays only dinner due to my job), but in the rush of getting food ready before Mike gets home, I don’t take as many pictures as I would like. So, for the sake of posting I figured I might as well share my newfound interest in the world of pickling… Korean-style!

I love banchan, the small plates filled with a wide array of side dishes that accompany entrées in a Korean restaurant. They can be as simple as seasoned vegetables, egg dishes, or as elaborate as cooked tofu, meat dishes and pickled vegetables. It’s really hard for me to select my favorites. It all depends on my mood and I love the idea of having something new and different each bite. Yum… It’s such a culinary experience.

I usually make most of my banchan except for the pickled ones like kimchi. I tried making kimchi a few years ago with horribly bland results and it was traumatic enough that I haven’t tried since. So, when I found a simple recipe for pickled peppers and garlic, I decided to go for it. I added all the ingredients into a tall jar and let them sit. After two weeks, you can refrigerate and eat as desired.

Due to my impatient nature, I checked on it after a week and it smelled of sweet soy sauce and vinegar combined with fragrant garlic….. I think these are going to turn out soooo good!! ^.^ I can’t wait to try them and update, but for now I leave you the recipe.


Pickled Long Green Peppers and Garlic

Ingredients:

Winter is far from being my favorite season. At least, during springtime nature comes alive and we have the blooming of pretty flowers to distract a bit from the still chilly wind that persists early in the season. Summer brings glorious warmth and the prospect of travel to new and exciting lands. Even, autumn can claim the falling of the leaves, an amazing time venture out and take nature expeditions with camera on-hand. But, what about winter? What does winter bring except for dreaded cold, the chore of cleaning snow off cars (especially this season) and overall detereoration of nature as we know it?

Well, it seems that as I grow older I am slowly finding some beauty in winter that the cold prevented me from seeing in the past. I recognize the beauty of snow as it falls gently and envelopes everything it comes across in white. I get excited just like everyone else at the arrival of the holidays and the excessive eating, drinking and socializing associated with the season. I also delight in lounging lazily at home (in my pajamas, of course), drinking hot beverages and curling up like a cat to watch movies or read all day.

But, there is only so much movie watching, reading or even hot beverage drinking I can do at home before the walls start closing in and I begin getting restless, cranky, sulky, and intolerably whiny. So before I drive my boyfriend away with my perpetual wintry bitchiness and end up spending a solitary winter with only the company of my two kitties to rely on, why don't we crack open a nice chocolate stout, put on some music and do some baking?

Last week, as I was perusing different cooking websites, I came across a delightful recipe for cinnamon muffins. They were exactly what I was looking for-something simple but irrestibly delicious, sweet and satisfying. I hope you enjoy them just as much as we did. Here is the recipe:


Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I used about half of the amount the recipe called for and the flavor was still very noticeable, so adjust according to taste)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup butter


Topping:

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.

Mix the egg, milk and oil in another bowl. Incorporate wet ingredients into the dry. Be sure not to overstir.

Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin cups (fill about halfway). I sometimes use a batter bowl for ease of filling. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops of muffins are lightly browned.

For topping combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the tops of the warm muffins with butter and dip the top of muffin into sugar/cinnamon mixture. Makes 12.