Bruschetta

This isn't so much Mom's bruschetta (which always makes people spill the food all over themselves in a rush to get it into their mouths), but something using some stuff left over in my fridge. I have to double check, but I think the main difference is just the cheese. Anyway, I think this is pretty good for you, and it's really easy and tasty (and if you eat enough, it transforms from an appetizer into an entree). And I may or may not have spilled some on myself in my rush to get it to my mouth...

Ingredients:

2-3 tomatoes (I used roma, but whatever you like) OR 1-2 bell peppers (for the non-tomato eaters, aka my boyfriend)
Goat cheese
Basil
A baguette!

1. Cut baguette into 1 inch slices, lay them down on a cookie sheet. Drizzle both sides of pieces with olive oil (brush it evenly across the surface).

2. Dice tomatoes (I cleaned out the inside of the tomatoes a little bit, cause I'm not a big fan of all of the seeds).

3. If you are making the peppers (instead of or in addition to the tomatoes) cut into long slices (fajita style!), heat 1 tbs of oil in a skillet, and sautee peppers until they have begun to soften. I like to sprinkle the peppers with some seasoning salt to give it more flavor, but up to you.

4. Clean and chop basil- mix the tomatoes, basil, and however much goat cheese you want together in a bowl. If you are making the peppers, just mix the softened peppers and the cheese together.

5. Turn oven on to broil- on top rack, broil baguette slices for a few minutes until it starts to brown, then turn slices over and toast that side. Take baguette slices out, pile your mixture on top of it, and then put it back in the oven for a few minutes until cheese starts to melt.

Munch on the food.

I have a new kitchen!

While I will be downgrading appliances (*sob*), I'm upgrading on counter space! That means more room to roll out dough, more room to prep everything (I may or may not have to invest in another cutting board), and more room to make a mess!

More pictures to come when I get all of my pots and pans in there, but here's a few teasers for you.

Korean BBQ

Although Tina and I have bonded over many things (including our love of bad movies, our Seattle connection, and our general awesomeness), I think food plays a very large role in our friendship. Epic thanksgiving dinners aside, my introduction to Korean BBQ has made me a very happy face-stuffer.

Although it is really fun to go out to a Korean BBQ restaurant and have that little grill and all those yummy side dishes that Tina has to explain, making it at home is SO fast, SO easy, and SO delicious (and you don't actually have to use a grill either). We can get our chili paste, etc, here at a store called H Mart, but I wonder if Uwajimaya carries it too...


Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Korean Pork Barbecue)
Note: there are a bunch of different recipes out there, but this one was delicious and easy!

Ingredients:

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed (my grocery store doesn't have a butcher, so I had to use pork loin which we pounded flat. It worked, but it makes a big different to have that very thin cut tenderloin).
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs thai chili paste
1 tsp minced peeled ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced

Note: this makes "spicy" pork bbq, but I didn't think there was very much heat. This was not that spicy at all (and I'm a wuss), but if you want to adjust heat, either increase or decrease the amount of red pepper flakes and/or the thai chili paste (but I don't recommend it!)

1. Cut pork into thin strips (1/16th inch slices is recommended). Trim fat from sides.


(I know these look like naked mole rats, which is gross, but I promise they aren't...)

2. Combine all ingredients together- mix well, add pork. Cover pork in mixture, set aside in refrigerator for an hour or more to marinate.


Note: the recipe says you should mix it together in a baggie, but I think a bowl is a much easier way to make sure the ingredients are all mixed together and the pork is evenly marinated. Just sayin'.

3. Heat your cooking surface. If using a grill, spray liberally with cooking spray. If using stove top (which I prefer, because it preserves some of the marinade as a sauce for your rice), pour in a 1/2 tbs-1 tbs of vegetable oil and heat a deep skillet. When surface is hot, pour in meat/marinade and cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.


Serve with sticky rice (place rice in strainer, rinse under cold water until the water runs clear- it takes away the starch. Then, let the rice sit in the cooking water for 20-30 minutes before cooking according to directions) and with large lettuce leaves to wrap the rice and pork in.


There are these delicious marinated sesame leaves that Tina rustled up at H Mart- I wrap them around the pork and rice too, or just use my fingers to stuff them in my mouth. I mean... I have table manners so that would never happen.