Hot Breakfast

I am not much of a cereal or muffin person.  I like a hot breakfast all year round.  Actually I prefer hot foods in general ...

The other day I tried this little PB packet on my oatmeal:

 

On an average day, I eat this in the morning:

On Saturday I made a veggie frittata and served it with cabbage/veggie filled steamed buns - weird combo, but it hit the spot! 

Do you usually eat a hot or cold breakfast?  Which do you prefer?  Do you eat a lot of cold foods, or do you prefer warmer eats like me?

There is still time to enter my mystery giveaway - remember you don't need an account to enter!

Korean Sunday Dinner

It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Korean food.  Kimchi is my BFF, and I can't get enough bee bim bop.  

The other day when I met up with my blogger friend Jennifer, she gave me some doenjang (soybean paste) and some dried anchovies and sea kelp to make a yummy soup.  She also brought me back a chopstick and spoon set from her recent trip to Korea.

All of these goodies were put to good use this evening.

Dinner included doenjang jjigae (soup/stew), and bee bim bop, with kimchi on the side - obviously.  The soup recipe can be found here.  Don't be afraid of the anchovies - they are not eaten, but instead just used to flavour the broth.

Veggie Bee Bim Bop

sticky rice
julienned veggies (we used cucumber, carrots, celery and mushrooms)
sesame oil
sugar
egg
gochujang paste
kimchi (optional)

Cook the rice according to directions.  Meanwhile, put some sesame oil in a pan and cook the veggies on low until tender (harder veggies first, followed by softer veggies).  Sprinkle sugar over as cooking (to taste).  Put the rice and veggies in your bowl and mix in some gochujang paste.  Top with a fried egg.  I like to toss kimchi in there too because kimchi makes everything better - duuuhhh!

 

This was one of those meals that was sooooo good that I could not stop eating.  Can't wait to make it again!  It was a great way to end a fabulous weekend :-)

What did you have for Sunday dinner?

Are you a fan of Korean food?

How was your weekend?

Don't forget to enter my mystery giveaway!  You have until Tuesday.

Indian Food & Blind Blogger Meetup

Yesterday I had two lunches in the fridge at work, yet when a coworker asked if I'd like to go out for lunch, I just couldn't resist ... especially because I knew we'd be going for Indian food.  We went to Flavours of India and had the buffet.  They have a great selection for a reasonable price.

For dinner I met up with a blogger who lives in my city for a "blind date".  We have been blogging buddies for a while, but had never met in person until yesterday.  We went to my favourite Indian restaurant - Bombay.  I order my usual - chicken gorma with peshwari naan.  

I really need to venture out and try all the other stuff on the menu ... next time!  

Jennifer is a sweetheart.  

She brought me back a chopstick and spoon set from Korea, and also gave me some supplies and a recipe to make a Korean soup (she knows me well)!

Have you ever met an internet friend in person?

Don't forget to enter my mystery giveaway!  You don't need a blogger account to enter - anyone can leave comments (just don't forget to leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win).

Jambalaya and a Mystery Giveaway!

Recently I booked a trip to New Orleans, which I will be taking in the Spring.  Since booking this trip, I have been craving southern food like crazy!!  I can't wait for po boys, and gumbo, etc..

Yesterday I made a delicious jambalaya, which I served with a salad.

Jambalaya

1 lb spicy sausage, sliced
1 lb chicken breast, sliced
10-12 shrimp, cooked, tails off
2 green peppers, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 white onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp  dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 T dried basil
3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 T tomato paste
3-4 cups chicken broth
2 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup cilantro

In a large metal pot (not nonstick) cook the sausage over medium until cooked.  Remove and then cook chicken until just cooked.  Remove the chicken.  Toss the peppers, onion, garlic, spices, and tomatoes in to the pot and cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring often.  Add tomato paste, 3 cups broth and rice.  Simmer, covered until rice is cooked (about 20 minutes - add more broth if necessary).  Toss the meats and shrimp in for the last few minutes to warm.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Mystery Giveaway Announcement

It has been a while since I did a giveaway, so I thought I would do a fun mystery giveaway!  Anyone in Canada or the Continental United States is welcome to enter.  I will accept entries until 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday Sept. 18th, and the winner will be announced later that day (chosen with random number generator).  I will mail the winner a fun mystery package loaded with goodies! 

To enter:  Leave a comment answering one of the questions below OR tell me how long you've been reading and where you're from :-)

Have you ever made jambalaya?

Have you ever been to New Orleans - Do you have any tips/ things that are "must do" that you want to share?

Ukranian, German and Hungarian

I've been eating a lot of delicious Ukrainian, German and Hungarian food lately.  It started when I made German cabbage rolls on Wednesday evening.  I made a big batch and froze half of them.  These ones made it into the fridge for Thursday's dinner.

 

I served 'em up with perogies and a spicy sausage that was smoked at a local Ukrainian grocery store.

On Friday evening I went to a friend's surprise 30th birthday party at the Hungarian club in town.  The food was fabulous and included cabbage rolls, sausage and other snacky snacks.

Delicious Hungarian eats.

Birthday boy - Donny.

After a fun time at the Hungarian club we decided to do some karaoke in a karaoke room at a restaurant called Sake.

 

 

Sunday's dinner was a tofu goulash with some Hungarian paprika paste that we picked up on Friday, as well as plenty of red wine and veggies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever had goulash?  What were you up to on the weekend?

Weekend Breakfast

The other day I did a post about workday mornings.  No matter how hard I wish, they just aren't the same as my lazy weekend mornings.

This weekend I enjoyed two fabulous breakfasts.  French toast on Saturday and quiche on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Weekend breakfasts are also usually enjoyed around noon :-)

What are your weekend breakfasts like?

The Krustanowitch

Once upon a time there were two silly boys handsome young men who who had a stroke of boredom culinary genius.  They invented a sandwich masterpiece called The Krustanowitch.  

This weekend I got to experience The Krustanowitch in all it's glory.  The fun thing about The Krustanowitch is that you can customize it to your liking.  The important things are that it must be grilled, must have cheese, and must have crackers on it.

It is best if you make two Krustanowitches and then cut them in half and share with someone special.

One Krustanowitch was made with Swiss cheese and Swiss cheese crackers.  The other had sour cream and chive crackers with an herb cheese.  Both sandwiches also contained:  mayo, mustard, turkey, bacon, and spinach.  

 

Krustanowitches are best served with homemade soup, because what sandwich isn't?  In this case, we ate borscht. 

 

What kind of cheese and crackers would you put on your Krustanowitch?

* Consider Krustanowitch trademarked and owned by the two silly boys handsome young men mentioned above.