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Magnolia Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe.

Photo by Caleb as found on Flickr.

I’ll be making 100 of these (hopefully with some help from some friends) for Amelia’s 100 day party.

Those who know me know I’m not particularly traditional but I do find lots of traditions really heartwarming and I appreciate any excuse for a party.

Baek-Il (100 day) is a traditional time of celebration for a newborn.  In some ways it’s the 1st birthday for a baby (consider 9 months in the womb and 100 days and it’s about a year) and also a “coming out” party for a baby to extended family.

From what I’ve scoured off the internet, wary of the high infant mortality rate, historically, new babies in Korea were not exposed to the outside world or extended family/friends/community until the 100 day mark.  They weren’t even allowed to wear anything other than white clothing as white was easiest to sanitize for their health.

Baek-Il celebrates the child’s life and incorporates a few traditions that I plan on keeping.

1. Colorful clothing for the baby

I’ve found my own baby hanbok and plan to dress Amelia in it. It’s old, old fashioned, but lovely. Remember, prior to the 100 day, oldschool babies would only wear white.

2. Lots of Pictures of the baby

There are typically very few images/photos taken of the baby for the public before the 100 day celebration. It’s considered unlucky or, well, cocky to tempt fate.  Well. I’ve clearly screwed that one up. Thank goodness modern medicine is on my side.

3. Food signifying wealth, health, prosperity, longevity

Pyramids of fruits,candies and ricecakes are usually showcased on a table in front of a “baby throne” that the newborn is seated on.    I plan on having a small display of fruit, some ricecakes and cupcakes. RED VELVET cupcakes. I figure that’s both lucky and contemporary.

There’s more traditions that I can’t seem to get enough detail on regarding string (for long life) that’s worn around the baby’s waist, rice cakes placed in 4 directions of the home to honor the gods, praying to Samshin – a grandmother goddess who’s watched over the newborn, and gold rings that are given to the child at the 100 day mark.

Can anyone give me more details?

Healthy!

Originally uploaded by minjungkim.

With a bare bones kitchen (while waiting for our stuff to get shipped) and a rice cooker, I’m managing decently well to cook and eat healthy during the last few weeks before Giggle makes her arrival.

Click through to Flickr to see what I’m eating.

PS: <3 Kukje market for some of the prepared seasoned korean nosh to eat with rice.

Those who talk to me on a regular basis know that I’ve spent far too much time sequestered at home satisfying my obsessive interest in culinary adventures by watching a crapload of Food TV.

And then you’ll hear me talk shit about Bobby Flay.
  <—– Asshat

Hubbycakes thinks I dislike him because he wears a gold watch. He might be right

Who I swear must have it in his contract that he’s not allowed to lose any notable  battles of Iron Chef America but thankfully loses the occasional Throwdown.

My bias against Bobby Flay is long term resentment-filled grudge  of seeing him on an episode of Iron Chef Japan where at the end of the battle he jumped up on his cutting board with his shoes on and was dressed down by Morimoto for being a shithead that didn’t properly respect the sacred nature of his tools and profession as chef.  Yo Morimoto, you and me : looking eye to eye.

So during Iron Chef America, I endlessly roll my eyes at Bobby Flay and overlay Alton Brown’s commentary with my own shouts at the television.

“Ooh let me create a tamale with that and … ummm put a mango salsa on that.”

“Let me guess. Put a fucking chipotle ragu of some fucksauce on top of that”

“Oh shit, let me guess, you’re going to put some fucking avocado cilantro aioli on that. Again. ”

I’m so not a fan of him.

But I *do* admit that I enjoy watching him in Throwdown.

Why? Because the show exemplifies his douchiness.

The concept of the show is this.  Bobby Flay travels the country to try and show up regional experts in their various dishes of expertise.  And it’s not like he even does the research or work by himself but instead has two kitchen techs/recipe testers effectively look up and do all the legwork for him. And his cocky ass then goes up and issues a throwdown.

How delighted am I when he gets his ass served.

Favorite episodes seen recently where Bobby Flay loses?

• Dumpling Throwdown  (Winner adorable pink cheed Sohui Kim)
• Sushi Throwdown (Winner Philip Yi) (Flay fucks up the rice. Badly. *After* Getting tips from Morimoto.)
• Padthai Throwdown (Winner Nongkran Dak)
• Chocolate Breadpudding Throwdown (Winner  Jerome Chang and Chris Chen)

Do I enjoy these episodes more because it’s Asian American cooks beating his ass down? Quite possibly.  Because you can’t put a fucking tamale into Asian cuisine.  Ok the breadpudding is clearly not of Asian cooking tradition, but that was still hella fun to watch.

And for the first time in several years I am officially being shoo’ed out of the kitchen and have no part in feeding my various friends and  collaborating mischief makers.  This is one of my biggest regrets around leaving SF this year and it hurts a little to be so far from my friends and make-shift family for whom I’ve grown to love and laugh with over the years.

So with little recourse than to send psychic hug vibes to all friends and family near and far, I am compiling my fave thanksgiving recipes in one place for my friends.

Enjoy.

MJ’s Awesome Pumpkin Curry Soup

• 1 Can Pumpkin
• Equal parts Vegetable Broth & Water (2 cups each)
• Golden Curry Mix (Spicy) (4 -5 “mini blocks”)
• Honey (1/4 -1/2 cup)
• Salt
• Nutmeg (1 tsp)
• Ground Clove (1 tsp)
• Cinnamon (1 tsp)
• Curry Powder (4 tsp)
• Cornstarch
• Sour Cream and Fresh Chopped Cilantro to Garnish

Again, I don’t really measure things and depending on how much you’re making and your personal tastes, you can always tweak this recipe to your liking.
These are my base ingredients.

First off, I put the vegetable broth & water in a big pot and bring it up to medium/high.

I then chop up the curry mix to make it super quick/easy to dissolve and toss into the water.
Add in the honey, and spices (except the salt) and the cornstarch (dissolved in cold water first, of course).

The baseline consistency should be of a thin curry … like of a nice creamy tomato soup.

Bring to quick boil and skim off the foam. Bring down to a medium/medium low heat.

Then you crack open and toss in the Pumpkin. Not pie filling, just 100% pure pumpkin.

You go from a funky green/brown color to a beautiful mellow orange.

At this point, taste & tweak the seasoning to add salt, and if necessary, continue to thicken just a little bit. Sweet tooth? A touch more honey. Ideally, you hit a nirvana point of it being more curry spicy and pumpkin rich. The point of the soup by itself is that it *should* be very strong in curry taste. That’s why you don’t serve it by itself.
Right before you serve, you pull out your fresh cilantro and sour cream. Whip up the sour cream just a little bit. Chop roughly your cilantro. Right before serving, sprinkle your fresh cilantro on the top and add a dollop of sour cream to the center. Serve while toasty warm.

Go Yum.

Tomato Basil Happy

• Ripe Heirloom Tomatoes
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Basil sliced in a Chiffonade
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Rice Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Crackers or lightly toasted bruschetta
• Black Pepper

In small bowl mix 3 tablespools olive oil, 1 table spoon good balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, salt & pepper to taste.

Layer sliced cheese on crackers or bruschetta and then layer thing sliced tomatoes

Brush or drizzle dressing over tomatoes

Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve

Kimchi Jjigheh a la Min Jung

• 1 Jar of sour old Kimchi  (the more sour, the better)
• Pork Shoulder cubed
• Extra Firm Tofu cubed
• Onion chopped
• Gochujjang (Korean spicy bean paste)
• Gochugaru (Krazy korean spicy red pepper)
• Summer squash cubed
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sesame Oil
• Bacon Chopped
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Brown Sugar

Unfortunately I’m not supplying any measurements here because it always varies depends on how much kimchi I have left so you just have to juggle and balance it out yourself.  When in doubt start off in an extra large pot and add/balance as you go along.

Medium Heat: Brown pork with salt and red pepper flakes  with chopped onion until onions are transparent and pork is browned on all sides.

Drain oil well.

Add Kimchi to pot with pork and onions, squash, bacon and tofu with enough water to cover. Set to boil and once at boil, reduce to medium simmering heat to cook through. 1-2 tablespoons of gochujang to add heat.

Skim oil from pork fat off.

Add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar to balance the sour of the kimchi and add 1 tablespoon of butter and splash of sesame oil to balance/mellow flavors.

If you want more sour add vinegar. Less sour, balance with small amounts of butter & brown sugar.

Simmer until cooked through and flavors have mellowed.

You may question to logic behind removing one form of fat and adding back another form of fat to this recipe. Just trust me. It is the yum.

Serve with rice.

Kalbi (My Mom’s way)

Marinade

• Soy sauce (1 cup)
• Rice wine vinegar (1/4 cup)
• Sesame Oil (2 tablespoons)
• Brown Sugar (1/4 cup)
• Crushed Fresh Kiwi (1)
• Fine chopped garlic (4 cloves)
• Fine chopped onion (1 medium)
• Toasted Sesame Seeds (1 tablespoon)
• Chopped fresh green onions (2-3 stems)

Korean shortribs (4-6 lbs)

Mix marinade in large bowl or huge ziplock bag

Toss and mix thoroughly

Toss in shortribs.

Let  marinade for 2-3 hours.

Grill, broil or panfry and serve.

Jjapchae – korean noodles.

There are no measurements because, frankly, I don’t really use them and if you want measurements you can find them in other recipes online.

Ingredients:

1. Cellophane Noodles
2. Onions
3. Garlic
4. Spinach
5. Eggs
6. Carrots
7. Shitake Mushrooms
8. Soy Sauce
9. Sugar
10. Sesame Oil
11. Mirin
12. Garlic Powder
13. Salt & Pepper
14. Sesame Seets

First Steps: Making the Eggs! – Whip them up. Fry in a non stick pan. Salt & Pepper to Taste and cut into thin strips.

Next up: Spinach. Sautte lightly in salt, pepper, & olive oil.

Next up: Carrots. Use a mandolin to cut into as thin slices as possible. Sautte lightly in salt, pepper, & olive oil.

Next up: Mushrooms and Onions: Slice into thin strips. Sauttee together and season with soysauce pepper and little olive oil. I use soysauce instead of salt here as Mushrooms tend to superabsorb flavors and seasonings and I have more control with soy sauce than salt for even distribution of yum.
Yes that’s a lot of olive oil from the sounds of it. But it’s not really. And it’s a healthy oil. So shut the fuck up.

Next up the Noodles. Boil per the directions on the package an then rinse in cold water and drain well. Put the noodles into an everyday pan. I have this one.

Toss and season on medium low heat with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, sugar, pepper, and Mirin.

And then!

OOhhhh

Put it all together.

And toss!

When presenting the final product, sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

aka – please if you’re going to bioengineer my food, do something like this.

Dear Universe,

Engineer for me a flavor neutral root vegetable that, when cooked with meats, absorbs excess fat and maintains distinct and unique solid structure such that said root can be carefully extracted from the frying pan.

Said root vegetable could then be easily composted, (leaving my cooking notably less oily but without putting me in harms way by trying to extract oil myself from the pan — this always ends in tragedy).

Solution Benefits =

Less fat in my cooking.

Nutrient-rich ready-made compost.

No splatter burns or messy disposal of extra fat.

I’ll also take some sort of temperature resistant non-toxic fatsponge item.

I’ve been on a fun cooking frenzy of late, making some Korean dishes, experimenting with some ingredients and generally enjoying the full use of my tastebuds since it’s been a pretty successful attempt this round in quitting of the smoking.

It’s amazing how much less seasoning I need to put on food and how some specific smokey subtle nuances had been overshadowed in the most recent past.

So my latest exciting home cooking experiment has been in making Clam Chowder!

Without specific quantities in mind but focusing more on core ingredients and technique, here’s how my Clam Chowder!(tm) came about.

Ingredients Chunky

1. Salt Pork and or Bacon – Fine Chopped
2. Onions – Fine Chopped
3. Garlic – Fine Minced
4. Potatoes – Fine Chopped
5. Frozen Clams

Ingredients – Liquid

1. Vegetable Broth
2. Milk
3. Cream

Procedure:

• Cut everything up and get ready to party. Panfry bacon/saltpork with potatoes, onions, garlic until it is a gorgeous flavorful mess.

• The key here is to *not* drain off any fat from the lovely pieces of piggy goodness but to share the flavor throughout the potatoes and onions and garlic

(Some people take out the pork/bacon at this point so that these tasty pieces don’t show up in the Chowder. I personally think these peoople have no souls and should be shot. I mean, seriously.)

• Toss into a pot.

• Add Vegetable Broth with the clams and stir.

• Add Milk/Cream and stir.

• May thicken slightly with cornstarch as needed.

Salt & Pepper to taste.

• Simmer until you have achieved Chowder Nirvana.
• Serve with Salt/Pepper, Crackers, Tobasco or even Sriracha to your liking.

I have succeeded, on this first attempt at making Clam Chowder, to make the hubbycakes do a little dance around the table with a bowl in hand. Sadly, no video. Maybe next time.

Via a facebook ap, I’ve discovered this fabulous foodie blog called Kitchen Wench

Just loads and loads of international and KOREAN food PRON and recipes.

Hurray!

What is the perfect drink to perk up a dreary day?

Why the MJ-Colada of course!

Ingredients:

• Instant Ice Tea Mix (Yeah the kind you get from Costco in a huge tub) (Enough to make approximately 4 cups of Ice Tea)
• Strawberries (Frozen is fine! 1 Cup)
• Strawberry Jelly (1-2 tablespoons) (You could use sugar instead. But why? WHY?!)
• Coconut Rum
• Crushed Ice

Directions:

Blend together into a thick slurry the Ice Tea Mix with Water, Strawberries and Jelly.

(FYI: My handmixer rocks.)

In Old Fashioned glass assemble the drink in the following order.

• Crushed Ice on bottom.
• 1 Shot of Coconut rum (belly shaker) in the middle.
• Top with half cup of the Strawberry Yum(tm).

Glass should be gently swirled to allow flavors to appropriately mingle and blend.

Sip and enjoy as if on the beach and not in the foggy sunset district.

This is a recurring issue that I have when it comes to the banal and yet glorious task of cooking.

This is not a confession that I’m a bad cook. To the contrary, I’m a pretty decent cook. I’m just very inconsistant.

Inconsistancy in the frequency of my cooking.

Inconsistancy in the quality of my cooking.

(Dinner parties ~5-6 dishes, 2 are A+, 3 are Bs, and 1 will be eaten alone, afterhours, in the dark, under the stairs, seasoned with the salt of shame from my tears and served with a rusty spoon which will in fact actually improve the failed creation’s flavor)

But my most pressing problem in the kitchen is not, as many folks may encounter, in the cleanup of the aftermath (though my hubby may differ in opinion on my general chaotic culinary endevors).

It is in SCALE. Understanding the SCALE of cooking.

For 1. For 2. I just can’t do it.

I can’t cook for a group under 6.

No matter how much I try, things just grow out of hand.

For instance this evening.

Now yesterday I’d made a batch of biscuits. Nothing fancy, just out of the box biscuits. Tasty but missing something.

Tonights midnight cooking inspiration was to concoct some sausage country gravy to go with the biscuits.

Mind you, I have little more than a dozen biscuits left. I only wanted to make a small pot of gravy.

So here’s how it went.

MJ dethaws the Jimmy Dean and tosses is into the pan.

“Honey?! What’s the ingredients for country gravy? General white sauce right? flour, oil, milk maybe?”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

“OK~!”

MJ takes the cooked ground sausage out the pan.

MJ uses a small bowl to mix olive oil with flour to create a roux and mixes is well. Measuring by instinct and her hands only. Looks like less than a cup at most of flour. Paltry it seems.

MJ tosses is into the pan to cook and brown, stirring as it bubbles. She tosses in salt.

MJ adds in a a 2 cups of milk and walks to the compy to watch a silly video about the security db/login/flaws of a certain microblogging everywhere messaging service.

MJ goes back to the pot to realize “HOLY SHIT THAT LOOKS THICK”.

MJ adds a cup of water to the pot to thin it out, stirring it vigorously so it’s lump free.

MJ adds a cup of water to the pot to thin it out, stirring it vigorously so it’s lump free.

MJ adds a cup of water to the pot to thin it out, stirring it vigorously so it’s lump free.

MJ adds a cup of water to the pot to thin it out, stirring it vigorously so it’s lump free.

MJ adds a cup of water to the pot to thin it out, stirring it vigorously so it’s lump free.

MJ waves hands exasperatedly in the air exclaiming that gravy is like the TRIBBLES. IT JUST GETS OUT OF CONTROL.

MJ moves the gravy into a larger pan and turns off the heat before adding the sausage back into the gravy, making sure the only lumps in her gravy are from the sausage.

MJ sits at the table at midnight, wondering what on earth she will make to go with the gravy after the biscuits run out.

So what on earth shall I do with all this FUCKING GRAVY.

…

…

At least it’s quite tasty.

Tags: funny, gravy, minjungkim, tribbles

I have decided to interrupt my neverending upload of wedding related photos on Flickr to show off my sandwich making skills.  More wedding pix to flickr tomorrow, surely. But let us enjoy this brief aside to discuss the art and engineering behind proper sandwich making.

Yes I’m damn serious about it. Tonight, I was very pleased with the results of my homemade sandwich. It was a thing of tasty beauty.

First off: The Ingredients:

Slow cooked tender pork  – so tenderly cooked that it litterally flaked easily with a fork and needed to be renamed “tenderly tugged” pork vs. pulled pork. There was no serious pulling involved.  Instead the pork shoulder had been slowcooked with some herbs and vegs for a day and then pulled out, tugged apart, and then seasoned with a medley of yum including pepper, vinegar, sugar, worcestershire sauce,  brown mustard, and bbq sauce.

Fresh butter lettuces – organic, yo.

Fresh steak tomato – organic, yo.

Fresh wheat bread – toasted, yo.

Cheddar cheese – shredded, yo.

And whatever other sandwich condiments you desire.

The key here is good ingredients and timing.   When the pulled pork is still warm and the bread lovely toasted, all else is good with the world.

Then dear kittens, the assembly of the sandwich is important.

This is not a thing that can be willy nilly slapped on.

There is, as Alton Brown has discussed in previous episodes of Good Eats, a clear structural integrity that needs to be addressed in the sandwich assembly.

Toasted Bread Top

Tomato  (Fresh ground pepper on it)

Shredded Cheese

BBQ Tender Tugged Pork

Torn lettuces

Toasted bread bottom

The order is important to ensure that the bread doesn’t get squishy and that the messy parts have something solid and sturdy just on top of them to hold the sandwich together.

The results, my dears, is nothing short of glorious yum.

Lovely hand model would be Mr. Jason Hoffman who ate 2 of these sandwiches this evening as a testament to my amazing sandwich making abilities.

Lots of folks have asked for my Thanksgiving/Xmas Pumpkin Curry Soup recipe so I’m happy to share it with you all:

• 1 Can Pumpkin
• Equal parts Vegetable Broth & Water
• Golden Curry Mix (Spicy) (4 -5 “mini blocks”)
• Honey (1/4 -1/2 cup)
• Salt
• Nutmeg (1 tsp)
• Ground Clove (1 tsp)
• Cinnamon (1 tsp)
• Curry Powder (4 tsp)
• Cornstarch
• SourCream and Fresh Chopped Cilantro to Garnish

Again, I don’t really measure things and depending on how much you’re making and your personal tastes, you can always tweak this recipe to your liking.
These are my base ingredients.

First off, I put the vegetable broth & water in a big pot and bring it up to medium/high.

I then chop up the curry mix to make it super quick/easy to dissolve and toss into the water.
Add in the honey, and spices (except the salt) and the cornstarch (dissolved in cold water first, of course).

The baseline consistancy should be of a thin curry … like of a nice creamy tomato soup.

Bring to quick boil and skim off the foam. Bring down to a medium/medium low heat.

Then you crack open and toss in the Pumpkin. Not pie filling, just 100% pure pumpkin.

You go from a funky green/brown color to a beautiful mellow orange.

At this point, taste & tweak the seasoning to add salt, and if necessary, continue to thicken just a little bit. Sweet tooth? A touch more honey. Ideally, you hit a nirvana point of it being more curry spicy and pumpkin rich. The point of the soup by itself is that it *should* be very strong in curry taste. That’s why you don’t serve it by itself.
Right before you serve, you pull out your fresh cilantro and sour cream. Whip up the sour cream just a little bit. Chop roughly your cilantro.
Right before serving, sprinkle your fresh cilantro on the top and add a dollop of sour cream to the center. Serve while toasty warm.

Go Yum.

Here’s my recipe and instructions for making Jjapchae – korean noodles.

There are no measurements because, frankly, I don’t really use them and if you want measurements you can find them in other recipes online.

Ingredients:

1. Cellophane Noodles
2. Onions
3. Garlic
4. Spinach
5. Eggs
6. Carrots
7. Shitake Mushrooms
8. Soy Sauce
9. Sugar
10. Sesame Oil
11. Mirin
12. Garlic Powder
13. Salt & Pepper
14. Sesame Seets

First Steps: Making the Eggs! – Whip them up. Fry in a non stick pan. Salt & Pepper to Taste and cut into thin strips.

Next up: Spinach. Sautte lightly in salt, pepper, & olive oil.

Next up: Carrots. Use a mandolin to cut into as thin slices as possible. Sautte lightly in salt, pepper, & olive oil.

Next up: Mushrooms and Onions: Slice into thin strips. Sauttee together and season with soysauce pepper and little olive oil. I use soysauce instead of salt here as Mushrooms tend to superabsorb flavors and seasonings and I have more control with soy sauce than salt for even distribution of yum.
Yes that’s a lot of olive oil from the sounds of it. But it’s not really. And it’s a healthy oil. So shut the fuck up.

Next up the Noodles. Boil per the directions on the package an then rinse in cold water and drain well. Put the noodles into an everyday pan. I have this one.

Toss and season on medium low heat with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, sugar, pepper, and Mirin.

And then!

OOhhhh

Put it all together.

And toss!

When presenting the final product, sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Ingredients

• 4 Frozen chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Garlic
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Cup Organic Vegetable Stock
• 1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
• Some Bisquick (Yes, I said Bisquick) & Powdered or Real Milk
• 1/2 Cup of white wine
• Italian herbs & Salt/Pepper to taste
• Serves 4. Or 2 really really hungry people.
• Recommended Bev: Pinot Noir
• Recommended side: Small salad of tossed spinach leaves w/ peeled & chopped oranges & almond slivers.

Instructions

1. Toss sliced onion & garlic into the largets sauce pan you got with Olive Oil and cook on medium until the onions are transparent and the garlic stinks up your kitchen something awesome.
2. No fear on the dethaw of the chicken. Toss it in with the balsamic vinegar, 1/4 of the Vegetable stock & maple syrup. Cook on medium low for 15 minutes. Make sure that chicken breasts are amptly covered in the liquid. Sauce should reduce by about 1/3rd.
3. Remove chicken breasts, toss herbs & salt/pepper to the top to taste. If you’ve done your job right, you will not need any flavoring to add on it. Move them breasts, now totally cooked and ultra juicy, from the pan and put on a plate and kept to warm
4. Make up some dumplings per the recipe on the Bisquick box. No, seriously.
5. To the sauce, add 1 cup water and remaining 3/4 cup veggie stock. Also, half cup of white wine.
6. Cook up them dumplings in liquid
7. Wisk any remaining dumpling bits/starch from the pan into the liquid and reduce to a lovely lumpy awesomelish gravy.
8. Eat. Eat some more. Eat. Eat. Eat.

That someday bacon would do me right.

News article worth clicking. Seriously.

Hattip to Oliver.

French Vanilla Organic yogurt + Apple Butter = Guilt Free YUM!

Give me two bowls please and feel free to put the cereal on top.

Or not.