Monday, October 27, 2008

seoul food

Our friend Tim occassionally comes to visit us during his work travels. It's his chance to unwind and participate in some mild debauchery; to remember what life was like as a single minded single. I try to come up with a menu that is diverse and completely different from any I have prepared for him. This time around I opted for a Korean menu of Pork and Rib eye Bulgogi, Chicken and Beef Short Rib Kalbi, Korean pancakes, steamed Miso spinach, Kimchi, seasoned tofu, plenty of spice and a disturbing amount of wine...

The meat is grilled and served with lettuce leaves, steamed rice, kimchi and Kochujang (red pepper paste; aka-Korean Ketchup). The Kochujang is sweet and very spicy...we use it on everything. I love a menu that includes plenty of spice and allows me to indulge in Kimchi. Fermented spicy cabbage is not for the faint of heart and now I can add fermented spicy tofu to my list of loves.

The preparation of the meat is a very simple process. I am lucky to have a Korean market in town and they sell the meat already sliced for my purpose. The pork and rib eye are just barely frozen then sliced thin. The short ribs are a HUGE bargin and are sliced thin with the bone in. In most Asian markets you can find the Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade already prepared in the jar. For the short ribs and the chicken (boneless, skinless thighs), I place them in a Ziploc bag, pour the marinade over, toss and refrigerate overnight.

For the rib eye and t
he pork, I went spicy. To the marinade, I added a couple of tablespoons of the Kochujang, mixed well and made a Ziploc bag for each. I prepared this about 3 hours before I planned to cook it and left it at room temperature until I was ready to proceed. I cooked all the meat out on my grill. For the rib eye and pork, I laid down two disposable foil trays directly on the grill and stir fried. And in my usual fashion, I served a HUGE platter loaded with meat...convenient for loading directly to my guests' plates.



Monday, October 20, 2008

Monday

A good way to start the work week. Happy Monday!





Wednesday, October 15, 2008

fetish...

as in shoes. The last you had all seen my toes, they were in dire straights. Swollen, black and blue is not how I usually present my lower digits. To cheer them and me up, I decided to dress them up. Here are my new lovelies. Darling, aren’t they? I think I'm in love...




Sunday, October 5, 2008

Prost! Ouch?

So, Friday marked Oktoberfest and we were ready to get our drink on. Our motley crew consisted of me, Tina, Rick, Tanya, Kevin, Chris, and Sally. Craig was down with the stomach flu...We were joined later by Kelly and Jeff. Of course, there are always a few losers who fail to make the party and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. I will say no more...

As the professional drinkers that you know and love, Tanya and I got there before the doors opened so we could claim the best table. You know, the table near the beer, food, bathrooms and the smoking area.

So, the evening went as it always does....drink beer, eat food, drink more beer, eat more food, dance the chicken dance, drink more beer, down shots of Jaggermeister with a gaggle of lesbians in designer eye wear, dance the polka, drink more beer.

All was going well until the end of the evening... While breaking a sweat on the dance floor, I took a spill on some beer that had been spilled. In fact, when I think back, it was really just a blip on my memory of the evening. After leaving the dance floor and settling back at the table, I somehow found myself in the middle of a fight...man "with chair as weapon" attacks large group, unfortunate me in the middle. Luckily, Chris (the only sober one) grabbed the offender and held him until the law showed up. Finally, the police on hand had something to do besides flirt with women on the way to the bathroom. They quickly hauled off the chair wielding bandit...

It was a good evening and when I arrived at home, I noticed how much my foot was hurting. After I removed my boots, I looked down to see that two of my toes were swollen, bruised and throbbing. How does one tell the difference between sprained and broken toes? Nonetheless, I spent the rest of the weekend with my foot elevated and my toes on ice. Now that's how to party.




Happiness...a full room of beer drinking fun loving people...



This guy was amazing...he's twice my age and moves a hell of alot better than I...


Kevin...smiling in anticipation of the Chicken Dance.

Yummy...and the sauerkraut was so good. I could have eaten a plate full of it...


Tanya and Chris make quite the pair.

Awh...aren't they cute?



Rick is having a great time...although next time, a DD will be planned so another pitcher can be ordered.



What follows is a series of pictures that find Kevin surrounded by a bevy of Lesbians urging his consumption of Jagger shots.










And he lives to tell the tale....

Tina was kind enough to pick up some ginger cookies for her kids. I wonder if she told them where her cookies had been????

A couple of tarts holding a couple of cookies.



A fond farewell to Oktoberfest 2008...it was fun



The only casualty of the night...my two toes.