Once Upon a Time....

Six years ago, Ronnie and I were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby girl.  July 31st was my due date and I was ready to pop.  I had been kicked out of work for having Braxton-Hicks, but considering it was my due date and all my maternity leave needed to start anyhow.  I had grown out of my maternity clothes as my belly had swollen to epic proportions.  Watermelons had nothing on my roundness. 

July 31st, 2004 was a long day of hurry up and wait.  I had a doctor's appointment, and they declared that I had effaced some and baby girl was in position, but it just wasn't time yet.  And there was no talk of induction, as Fort Bragg and Womack were delivering enough babies who were coming on their own.  Nope, the doctor explained, the baby just needed to cook a few more days and we could talk induction at my next appointment.  So I left Womack without a baby in my arms. 

Looking back now, I clearly see this was the beginning of the Mother's Curse. You know what I'm talking about, the utterances your own mother screamed at the top of her lungs, whispered under her breath, or just thought while you were growing up.  Mine had started alright... because the one thing I heard my mom say to me more than anything else.....  The one thing that drove her absolutely crazy...

"Hurry Up Chris!"

Yes, that would be me.  I run on my own clock.  I stop to enjoy my surroundings.  I'm not a morning person and will stay in bed until I absolutely have to get up so I can brush my teeth, wash my face, fix my hair, grab a cup of coffee and get out of the house with seconds to spare.   I'm constantly 5 minutes late for everything.  I get absolutely lost in books, movies, conversations with friends, or my own thoughts and completely lose all track of time.  

We had to wait to finally meet our baby girl, Holly Grace.  I was scheduled for induction on August 10th, but Holly decided to start the process a little early on August 8th.  But she still didn't make her entrance until August 10th, because she is her mother's child.  That was the deadline, so that's when she got it done.

And just as my mother promised, I was to have a little one just like me.  She stops and smells the flowers, finds the most interesting things on the ground, and gets lost in books and movies.  She is the one I have to drag out of bed in the morning to get moving, the one I have to drag her out of rooms and places with friends because she has to hug everyone goodbye, and the one who is most like her momma. 

Tick Tock

I'm really starting to feel the time slipping away from me.  Can you believe next week is our 10 month point in Korea?  The girls and I really only have a year left - depending on our assignment that is.  When I first got here, someone told me that the time tends to go by quickly and they are right.  Of course working and "counting days until" doesn't help slow anything down. 

But such is life right???  

Hopefully, I'm slowing down enough to stop and smell the Korean flowers.  I guess only time will tell if I get to a year from now and still have a laundry list of things to do and see.....  

Good "Clean" Fun

There are a lot of similarities with Korea and America.  They like to have festivals for just about everything, and every town has at least one a year that they are known for.  Now only if we can get them to embrace American fair food, we'd be in business. 

This weekend was our chance to visit the Boryeong Mud Festival.  Boryeong has this mud flat where someone decided to try it out in cosmetics.  Well, the mud works wonders and the area became famous because they produced mud.  Being the festival crazy people they are, they decided to make a festival out of it so everyone can come and experience the mud "harvest" if you will.   Thus the Mud Festival was born, and has been going strong for 13 years.

Instead of planning everything ourselves, we decided to go with the trip being offered by ITT.  Plus it meant we didn't have to drive and find parking.

We headed out Saturday with 4 busloads of people from the base.   Letting someone else do the driving was worth everything we paid.  Traffic was congested (as normal for a weekend) and the buses were able to drive in the bus lane.  We finally arrived at Daecheon Beach and checked in to our hotel. 

The girls were anxious to find the mud and get in the water.  Just two blocks from our hotel was a smaller version of the festival grounds, complete with a mud pit, kids bouncy pit and get-muddy-yourself area.  Holly went right for the muddy paintbrushes; Sarah didn't really want much to do with it. We let the girls paint us and then headed for the main festival grounds.

A short hike later, we arrived at the festival grounds.  We were checking everything out when Holly spotted, and made a beeline for, the kid area.  She had a good time running through the inflatable and splashing in the mud pit.  Again, Sarah didn't want anything to do with it; odd for the kid who seems to be dirty all the time.  Holly and I got in the mud swimming pool to splash around before we headed to the beach. On the beach, we met up with some other Draggins, Fiends, and Pantons (from Kunsan).  We hung out and chatted with everyone while the girls dug in the sand and tried to make a mud pit of their own.  Of course we also made mad dashes for the water to rinse off the sand and mud.  It was getting late, so we washed up, grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to settle in for the night.

Like clockwork, the girls were up relatively early, so we headed out to find some breakfast.  Lesson learned here, there really aren't any breakfast places.  Even the Paris Baguette had slim pickings because it was earlier in the morning.  We did manage to get some things and headed down to eat our breakfast on the beach.  It was really peaceful, the tide was low and all the "tourists" weren't out yet.   

After our breakfast, we walked along the beach and found the tidal pools.  It was fun to turn over rocks with the girls and see what was under them.  We found a sea anemone, hermit crabs, minnows, and sea snails.  We also found some beautiful conch and abalone shells.  The girls were done exploring, so we headed back to the hotel to grab our stuff and head for the festival.

Instead of getting muddy, we wanted to do some of the other exhibits.   It was good timing too because it was sprinkling and we were under tents.   The girls made soap and I made us a vase. When we got done with the vase, the weather had passed and the sun started coming out.  We grabbed a quick lunch for the girls; Ronnie and I held out to grab some seafood at a restaurant more towards the hotel.  The girls did really well waiting for us to finish our lunch, but we had bribbed them with another swim in the ocean if they did well.  They held up their end of the bargin, so we held up ours and headed for the beach.

The strange thing about going to the beach in Korea is that they all have tents and umbrellas all over the beach.  In general, Koreans do not like getting a tan, as they feel it makes them look like a lower class who has to work "outdoors" for a living.  And here are us Americans who love getting tans because it proves we can afford the luxury of a vacation or just sitting still long enough to get some color.  So anyway, the tide had come in, forcing everyone to crowd their blankets, tents and umbrellas on a really narrow strip of beach.  It took us a while to find a good place for the girls to play and we weren't right on top of anyone.  They had so much fun trying to body surf, splashing in the water, and playing in the sand. 

Alas, the time had come for us to head back to the bus.  We cleaned the girls up at the hotel and loaded up for the ride home....  Did I mention how nice it was to have someone else do the driving on the way there?  Well, it was even better on the way back because we all got to nap.  Naps are the perfect way to end a fun filled weekend!  

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Well, it's monsoon season... and after some researching, I found that monsoon season it doesn't really go away.  Basically, we have summer monsoons and winter monsoons, then there are storms in the spring and fall because the season is changing.   Lucky for us, I picked up some rain boots for the girls last year and they are already outfitted with rain coats.   *SIGH*  So, what are the parents of two very active children to do when it's raining?

We were stuck with that very predicament this weekend.  Our original plan was to head to a local artisan market and then go to a baseball game.  Well, Mother Nature had other plans for us this weekend.   Doing some quick researching, I came up with two options:  Lotte World or the Samsung Children's Museum.   We decided to let the girls choose, and surprisingly they chose the science over the amusement park. 

We packed up our rain gear and headed for the metro.  Figured it would be easy to get around and not get soaking wet or frustrated by trying to find parking.  When we arrived at the station, it was only sprinkling, so we walked the less than two blocks to the museum.  I was prepared for the museum to be crowded - because, really, what else would you do but head indoors when it's raining out, right?  But lucky for us, it wasn't crowded at all.

We had a blast!   There were three floors of hands-on exhibits made for kids under 10.  They built a house, tried to be a conductor, made music, blasted balls all over the place and played in the water room.  We ran back and forth between exhibits, up and down the stairs (because there is no elevator), and revisited everything "one more time".  The girls had such a great time that they were complaining when it was time for us to go.   

After the museum, we decided to wander around Jamsil station and Lotte Plaza.  Eventually, we stumbled upon the Toys-R-Us.  I had heard there was one around Lotte Plaza, but didn't know exactly where it was.  The girls were giddy - we visited all things pink, played with the trains, looked at books, and perused the imagination area.  Again, it was time for us to press on because it was almost time for dinner. 

As we were walking back to the metro station, Ronnie spied a familiar sign "HOT DOUGHNUTS NOW."  Yes, there is Krispy Kreme in Korea.  We had discovered one last weekend, but didn't stop for doughnuts.  But the sign was on, and we wanted to treat the girls to their first taste of heaven.  Walking in, the girls were overwhelmed  by the site of the "doughnut factory."  And then they tasted the awesome goodness that hot, fresh Krispy Kremes are.  After polishing off one each, they were immediately begging for more. Yeah, they're hooked!   But we needed to press on so we could get to the COEX Mall before dinnertime. 

A quick trip on the metro and we arrived at the COEX.  We were searching for the On the Border, but couldn't find it easily, so we went to TGI Friday's instead.  Unfortunately, it was a big disappointment, but mostly for the price and service we received.  Seriously, it was 17,000 Won (around $15) for Chicken Quesadillas. 

After we got done eating, we decided to get some ice cream at Cold Stone before heading home. It was a sweet ending for a perfect day!

Getting Schooled: The Recipes

A few folks on FB expressed interest in the recipes I got this past weekend.  I figured I would cross post them here as well...  ENJOY!!!

Bibim Guksu is a cold noodle dish. it's sweet, spicy, tart and crunchy and is really enjoyed on a hot day. We were told to feel free to sub different veggies as we had them available in our area.

70 g noodle (look for the really thin Japanese ones in the Asian area)

20 g onion

20 g cucumber

20 g sesame leaf (can substitute cilantro or any lettuce)

20 g carrot
20 g apple

*for the sauce:

1 Tbsp Asian chili paste (gochujang)
1/2 rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp plum juice (can also use apple juice)

Mix sauce - these are approximate and you can adjust to your taste. For example, I put a little sesame oil in mine.

Wash all ingredients really well and cut veggies and apple into fine julienne

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water to cool down.

Place noodles in a bowl and decorate with all veggies on top.  Pour sauce on the noodles

After you oooh and ahhh, mix it all together and enjoy.

Mandu

 

premade mandu dough (or wonton wrappers if you can't find the round mandu)

200 g minced pork

40 g chives

40 g onion

1 tsp chopped garlic and green onion

80 g soft tofu

2 tsp soy sauce

pepper, to taste

1 tsp sesame oil

dipping sauce:

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Finely chop chives and onion.

Place in bowl with rest of the ingredients and mix together. This should be mixed well like meatloaf is mixed well.

Take about a Tbsp of mixture and place in the center of the dough. You may need more or less than a Tbsp, so eyeball it. You want them to be full but not busting at the seams.

Seal the side of the dough by dabbing a little bit of water. Make sure you have a good seal on them.

To cook, steam for 10 mins. Then serve with dipping sauce.

To freeze, place mandu on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Once frozen, place mandu in a freezer bag and store up to a month.

*** BTW, this also makes great "wonton" soup. Boil chicken broth and place mandu, along with any veggie you like (I like bok choy, carrot, onion and an Egg Drop Soup-style scrambled egg).

Getting Schooled

Originally this post was going to all about how Ronnie and I braved a white water rafting trip. There were a few people in the squadron organizing a trip through Outdoor Recreation. Unfortunately, there weren't enough people signed up to go on the trip and it was cancelled.

So what to do? We had a babysitter lined up to watch the girls all day and weren't about to waste an opportunity to spend time together sans kids. In came a blog and FB page I follow to rescue us - a cooking class! The menu was right up our alley too: mandu and bibim guksu. We called late on Friday and scored - there was still room in the class.

We headed to Seoul to meet up with the class at one of the traditional markets. The group was a pretty decent size, nine in total, and from all different backgrounds: a couple who was teaching and their family who was visiting, a Belgian-Korean and her friend, and a Canadian military spouse who's husband is doing language school (similar to our Olmsted scholarship program). Dan, our tour guide extraordinaire, brought us through the market, stopping to explain what each one did and specialized in. There were banchan stalls, kimchi vegetable stalls, butchers, fish mongers, and tofu makers. The market is very similar to ours in Songtan, but it was really great to finally hear what each one did. Now we know where to get fresh pressed sesame oil and better than fresh tofu! After a quick tteokbokki snack, we made our way to the cooking studio.

O'ngo has a really nice place and it's set up in the same neighborhood that most of the Korean dramas are filmed in. But they are moving to Insa-dong so that they can be where a lot of the "food" happens and is in town. Our chef was really great and explained every step when demonstrating what we were going to make. I even picked up a new trick on how to julienne cucumbers. Then it was our turn to make the dishes. Of course we had a really good incentive to do a good job... it was our lunch! We had a lot of fun filling the mandu and cutting up all the vegetables. Finally we were done with the mandu and finished assembling our bibim gukso and it was time to sample our handiwork.

Everything was so delicious - the bibim guksu is everything I love about cold noodle dishes; Ronnie wanted a little protein in his. Luckily, Chef Park explained we could take the dish and mix it up however we like, by adding bulgogi, egg, or tofu; it's the mixture of crunchy, sweet, sour, and spicy that you're after. The mandu had finished steaming and being fried up - the filling was a perfect compliment to the chewy or crunchy wrapper. Yeah, it's dangerous that I know how to make these... potstickers have always been my favorite!

All in all, we had a wonderful time - great food, wonderful hosts/tour guides, and a fabulous group to be with. Now, to just figure out when we can go back and learn how to make some of my favorite banchan.

Pho-One-One

If you haven't figured it out yet, Ronnie and I are pretty adventurous eaters. We'll try anything once and don't have any major food aversions. The girls are right with us, but will try to reject things if they don't look right. It's a kid thing and all we can do is encourage them to try new things, and reward them when they do.

Our latest "new" food is pho, or Vietnamese rice noodle soup. It's not new for me, as I have always been a fan of Vietnamese food, but Ronnie hasn't tried it. There's something deliciously simple about pho: broth, rice noodles, and whatever meat you order. Then they bring you all sorts of add-ins for your pho: bean sprouts, Thai peppers, marinated onions, and Thai basil to name a few. I got Ronnie to try the pho restaurant in Songtan for lunch one day and he's hooked! He got a big bowl of pho ga, while I got the spring rolls and nom ga, a cold noodle salad.

We're already planning a return trip to bring the girls, as they are big noodle fans themselves and they have a "roll your own spring roll" dish. Needless to say, I think we have found our new food we need to figure out how to make.

Red, White, and Blue Day

Our first Fourth of July overseas has came and went.  Originally, we planned to go camping with a few other families, but the weather had another plan for us.  After the second downpour on Friday with no break in sight, we called off the camping.  Oh well, there was other fun to be had and, in true Korean form, we did it "Not Quite Right" style!

Saturday brought some low clouds and drizzle, so we met up with our friends the McCasek's and headed indoors to the Gwacheon Science Museum.  The girls had a lot of fun running around the museum with the boys and showing Ronnie this and that.  The weather was holding, so we got to enjoy walking around the gardens.  They have several water features, flowers, and a boardwalk around the whole thing.  We left right before closing and decided to grab dinner in Itaewon before heading home.  We barely got 5 minutes down the road before both girls were passed out. 

We woke the girls up when we parked and decided on heading for an Italian place I had went to a few weeks ago.  It was a hit - we had a great view of the open kitchen and the girls were enthralled with the hustle and bustle.  The girls voted for ice cream for dessert, so we headed out to the streets to explore a bit before filling our bellies more.  Well, the exploring yielded a surprise down one of the side allies - a small bakery.  They had individual, freshly baked pies that were absolutely delicious.  Ronnie chose the toasted coconut cream and I had the dutch chocolate, both a la mode so the girls could have their ice cream.   Yeah, we are definitely marking this place so we can go back because it was a real treat. The toasted coconut cream was smooth while the dutch chocolate was decedent.  You know I mixed a bite of the two of them and got a gourmet Mounds bar.  They were gone way too quickly, and alas, we needed to head on home. 

Sunday shaped up to be a lazy morning, as the skies were still cloudy and it was sprinkling on and off.  Ronnie went for a run while the girls and I read the Declaration of Independence.  Holly thought it was really cool that America has a birthday, and was elated when I told her that we were going to the party.  We headed to Liberty Fest at the base to have dinner and play until the fireworks. After getting them to eat a little bit, we made a beeline for all the bouncy castles and inflatables they had set up.  They also had arts and crafts, face painting, and a maze set up.  The rain didn't keep the girls down, well, at least it didn't until they closed all of the big inflatables they were playing in.   We enjoyed the performances, although there was a Korean pop princess act that butchered some classic rock.  I have video of them trying to sing "Freebird" - again, just not quite right.  But we really enjoyed the national Korean acts Noridan and Nanta.  Finally, it was time for the fireworks which were spectacular.  They were right on the other side of the runway and we had a great view! 

On Monday it looked like we were going to finally get a break in the weather.  So, we packed up the girls and headed to Splish 'N Splash, a water park at Camp Humphreys.  The weather cleared up nicely and the park wasn't crowded at all.  Holly had been to the park with SAP, so she had fun "giving us the tour."   It's a really nicely done area - two splash pads for the kids, a small swimming pool (3 ft deep), two big slides, diving boards, and an Olympic size pool.  We played for a few hours and then headed back home.  Because Ronnie and I had a DATE!

The great thing about being overseas is the MWR and USO machine brings in entertainment for the troops.  Hoobastank and Sevendust were playing together at Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul.  A few weeks ago, I found out that Hoobastank was coming and was thinking it would be a great present for Father's Day for Ronnie.  Little did I know it was going to be FREE!   Our friends, the Haugh's, took the girls for a slumber party with Skylar and off we went for the show.  It was awesome!   Army MWR delivered a 90-minute set by each band and Mother Nature delivered a beautiful clear and cool night to enjoy it in.

So, Happy Birthday America - we certainly enjoyed our pursuit of happiness this weekend!

Healthy Junk

With Ronnie training for the marathon, we are really focusing on eating right.  Every calorie counts, right?  It's a constant battle choosing the healthier alternative; part of me, I call it my "inner fat-girl" can't help but need junk and sweets.  Snacks are my particular weakness.  Plus I have kids now who need to snack.  What's a mom to do?   Well, I've taken to some of my favorite healthy eating websites to inspire me, and make that battle less of a struggle.

The other day I was searching for things to eat before and after a workout.  If I need a snack in the afternoon because I'm heading for a run, I want it to be a nutritional powerhouse.  Again, every calorie counts.  I hit paydirt on the Cooking Light website with an article on fitness-friendly snacks and a recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly muffins.  Seriously, just reading the recipe made me salivate, and after I reviewed the recipe with Ronnie, we decided to give it a try. I had everything in my pantry already, which is another win in my book. 

The batter came together pretty quickly, and we decided to use grape jelly, orange marmalade and strawberry preserves.  Ronnie was on "clean-up crew" and gave an enthusiastic nod as he licked the bowl clean.  As they baked, it smelled like peanut butter cookies in the house; again bonus for me, because I'm a big fan of peanut butter cookies.    Finally they were out of the oven and cooled enough to eat. 

Oh my - these things are heaven in a muffin tin!  The girls gobbled a grape one up and I chose the orange marmalade to sample.  It's a muffin and PBJ all in one and mine was gone way too quickly!  The only negative I heard from the girls was the jelly was too warm, but that didn't stop them from cleaning their plates.   I highly recommend these to anyone who has a peanut butter fan in their family, and the best part is it's good for you!  

Happy snacking!

 
Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins     Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007



Consider these a breakfast version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Don't use a natural-style peanut butter in this recipe; it won't have enough sugar or fat to help the muffins rise.

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/4 cup strawberry jam


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through vanilla); add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

CALORIES 185 (28% from fat); FAT 5.8g (sat 2g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 5.6mg; CALCIUM 113mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.4g; SODIUM 288mg; PROTEIN 5.2g; FIBER 1.6g