Did not notice......

I did not notice that it is all green already!

Montreal is a beautiful city! I am so glad that I am living here!!!!

Quebec city

I went to Quebec city in April, there were still snow. I believe that there is no snow anymore in Quebec city! Anyways, it was way too cold to enjoy the city. We came back after 2 hours walking, 2 hours eating. I heard that this city has awesome winter festival! If you are planning to go there during cold-season, try that, otherwise, it is just waaaaay too cold.

but I love Quebec city!!!!!!

Friends' visiting to Montreal

Montreal downtown from Mont-Royal(Le Chalet)

It took us only 15min to walk stairs and we could have a beautiful scene for Montreal.

Well, my friends are from big apple, so they were not surprised for this!

Dinner at L'academie.

Good/affordable/fancy/BYOW place in Montreal.

located on St.Denis et Duluth

Sunday Brunch in Old Montreal.
this was a great spot, especially on the weekend,
there was a fatastic jazz live!
Jardin Nelson.
(atmosphere was awesome, food is not incredible, but worth to go!)




Maple delight.
my friends really wanted to do something related to authetic Canadien stuff.
And we went for Maple ice-cream.
I love a mini-cone, which costs only $1.20.
Their maple candy is soooooooooo good.
you can ask them in free when you purchase any maple product in the store.

BBQ pork belly (Pork side belly)

Pork belly is called "Sam-Gyup-Sal" in Korean, it means it has three layers. It is very popular part of meat in Korea, but I found that here people do not use it often on the bbq grill as we do.

it has nice tender taste as well as nice crispy outside when you do BBQ.

Easy Marinating
: 4-5 strips of Pork belly, (they are pretty cheap, I payed 6 dollars for two people portion)
put them in the bag, and 1 Tbs soy sauce, 0.5 Tbs ginger paste, 1 Tbs brown sugar(or honey). Put it back in to the frige for 1 hour, or 2 hours.

And, BBQ them!

if you wrap them in the Italian lettuce with rice,
try with them with Korean dipping sauce: Ssam-Jang(soy bean base) or Go-Chu-Jang.

(Pictures will come)

Peach Cream Corn and Celery Salad

One can of Peach& Cream corn,
half cup of chopped celery,
quater cup of chopped Green/Orange/Yellow pepper,
quater cup of finely chopped onion.

2 Tbs Mayo
2 Tbs Honey mustard (I used honey dijon mustard)
1 Tbs Honey
1 tsp salt
a little bit of black pepper
1 Tbs Lime or Lemon juice


mix them well.

Spinach Salad with Cranberry and warm honey dressing

Spinach Salad with Cranberry and warm honey dressing

(4 servings)



1/2 lb bacon
8 cups baby spinach
4 hard boiled eggs
1 cup shredded swiss cheese.
1/2 chopped pecans(lightly toasted)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries



Dressing

3TBS honey
3TBS cider vinegar( Apple cider vinegar)
1cup sour cream
salt and pepper
(mix them well in a bowl)




How to cook?
1.Place bacon in pan, cook until beginning to crisp
2. Transfer bacon to paper towel to drain, pour dressing ingredients in a pan.
3.Reserve bacon drippings in pan,
4. Simmer in a low heat
5. Arrange Spinach with eggs, bacon, pecans, craberries over.
6. Pour dressing over the salad.

Ottawa

http://www.ottawa.ca/

I took them on the little bridge over the Canal.

Personally, I don't love to be there, but I think it is still beautiful city.

It is good city to have one day tour on the way to Toronto if you are from East coast,

or on the way to Montreal or Quebec city, if you are from Toronto or further.

Rideau Canal has a long skateway during winter time. Unfortunately, this winter is too warm to keep it for a long time.

And it is worth to try Beavertail on the Canal skateway.

http://canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-16299-10080&lang=1&bhcp=1

http://www.beavertailsinc.com/

Capsule coffee machine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tassimo

http://www.keurig.com/

http://www1.nespresso.com/citiz/

These days, I am thinking about purchasing capsule coffee machine for my mom, and myself.

I think, for mom, Nespresso will be good, since, it is very pretty, and it is fun! This model, Citiz, has milk frothe machine as well, so we could make latte or capuccino.

For me, I think Tassimo, since I could buy capsules easily from grocery stores, one of my friends just bought a Kuerig, and she loves it, since what she care about is drip coffee, rather than a fancy drink.

anyways, I did not buy any yet, I will look more.

Prices are different from $100 to $400 (canadien dolllar)

Bi-bim-bab

This is Bibimbab-Korean dish.
Mix your rice with various vegetables, egg, and meat.
You can use chili-paste(Go-chu-jang) for this, I found that regular sauce is too spicy, so I made a less spicy one.

Chilly-sauce(Go-chu-jang)
Ingredient

Gochujang 4Tb
honey 2Tb
(if you don't have honey, use sugar instead, but in this case, you cannot keep the sauce in your fridge, it will be hard)
Asian pear, grounded 2Tb
( I did not have this, so I used grounded Pineapple 2Tb)
Grounded beef 4Tb
water 6 Tb

How to make?
1. Put some oil on the pan(any vegy oil, I used olive oil), and cook meat first.
2. When meat is ready drain oil from meat.
3. put gochujang, honey, pear in to the pan and mix well with meat.
4. Put them on the pan again and pour water on it, and boil it until it reduced and little thick.

now, the sauce for bi-bim bab is ready. we could make main dish.

BiBimBab

Ingredient
(this totally depends on what you have in your fridge on that day)
onion, zucchini, bean-sprout, spinach, carrot, lettuce, mushroom, ground beef.

1. Put your rice on.
2. Slice vegitables.
3. cook carrots without oil on the pan, low heat. You just want to dry them, not fry them.
4. cook onion with olive oil, cook zucchni, and mushroom as well.
5. steam bean sprout(using salt water), steam spinach as well.
6.cook beef
7.cook egg.

See, it is really simple,
you could easily skip any vegitables, or add any.
sometimes I like to put different kinds of mushroom rather than using meat.

Anyways, now we are all ready to eat.
Lets put 1-2TB spoon of sauce on the top, one spoon of sesame oil, and mix well.

It is yummy and healthy.

Shrimp stuffed mushroom

Ingredients:

parmigiano reggiano
1 small Onion, finely chopped
20-25 large Mushrooms, stems removed
20-25 large shrimps, peeled, finely chopped(does not matter cooked or uncooked)
8 large Mushroom stems, finely chopped

How to make?
Directions:

1.Saute onion and mushroom stems in olive oil until tender.
2.Mix chopped shrimps, onion and mushroom stems.
3.Put little bit of flour on the top of the each mushroom,
4.Stuff each mushroom,put thinly sliced cheese on each mushroom
5.bake at 180c deg. for 10-15 minutes.

bbq(hot) sauce wings

I was very very happy last night after watching Olympics games on Saturday,

Koreans won 4 medals total (1Gold, 2Silver, 1Bronze) from short-track speed skating!

Anyways, I was in a perfect mood to cook at 11:00pm.

So, I did.

ingredients:

one pack of chicken wings(12pcs)

2Tb butter

marinating

1.5Tb spoon soy sauce

2Tb spoon white wine

Any steak spices( I used Steak bifteck)little bit

little black pepper

bbq sauce
chopped garlic 1Tb spoon

chopped onion 1Tb Spoon

olive oil 3Tb spoon

ketchup4Tb

hot sauce 0.5tb (tea spoon)

sugar 3T

Worcestershire sauce 2.5Tb

How to make it?!Very simple

1. Put wings in the zip lock bag or Tupperware, then mix well with marinating ingredients, set them in the fridge for 20-30mins

2. put the pan on the low heat, then melt 2 TB butter on it

3. take wings out, and spread them on the pan

4. We want to cook chickens fully, so, you need to keep it on the low low heat and put the top on.

5. When you wait until your chicken is ready, chop garlic and onions and set them aside.

6. mix bbq sauces in a bowl , if you want more taste of spicy, put more hot sauce( I could not do that, since my Sweet P is wimpy). You could use honey instead of sugar.

7. When chickens are ready, use another pan, and put olive oil(3TB), and cook garlic and onions first. You don't want to burn them! so use low-medium heat.

8.When onions are transparent, and garlic smells good, it is the right time to pour bbq sauces on the top.

9.simmer sauce 3-5min, otherwise, it will be too sour. if you like to keep sour taste you don't need to wait long time.

10. Put wings back to the pan, mix well.

They are ready to eat!!!

Student's life.

I became a student as I entered elementary school in 1990 March.

In my home country, we started grade 1, when we are 6 or 7, and it is March! Since March is the first month of spring, and spring is the beginning of the new life!! ha ha ha.

Anyways, since then, I never stopped schooling, and as I entered University in 2001, March.

This year is the 10 years anyversary to be a univesity student!

I decided to pursue a PhD degree, and that was the real reason to move to Canada. Anyways, I wil talk about my schooling more later.

Now, I am just the Second year PhD, still need to do 2-3years more studying(or more!!!)

Anyways,

that is my regular days' desk.

I got my desk from Cost-co 5 years ago, i payed only $100 (canadian dollars before taxes), and I think it is almost the right time to change a desk.

oh my, my house is so so so messy right after exam. Yes, Phds are still taking mid-terms and finals. :p

Anyways, today, I just wanted to complain little bit that I am still at school, but I know that my life is pretty good. I am just a lucky person who can to what I want.

my little baby, Komi

My baby's name is Komi-little sweetie in Korean.

I met her in Ontario, Sarnia. 2006 Fall.

I was very lonely, and was not sure that why I chose to be in Canada, far away from my family, friends, and things i love.

And, i decided to have a pet to live a meaningful life,

so i got through local newspapers, and I found her

she is Morkie=yorkie+martiese

oh my god, she was so so little when I met her first time, could not believe.

And I spoiled her a lot, but I did not forget to train her as well.

She could sit, stand, roll over, high-five!!!

What a smart one. HaHa.

Romantic dinner at home.

Last year, he sent me whole pink flowers, and right before I got my flower, I just told him that

I love all flowers but pink, ha ha ha,

he was so frustrated, and I felt so sorry as soon as I got his flower gift.

After all, Sweet P tried so hard to find beautiful flowers but not pink.

This year , I got a surprise flower gift from my Sweet p again,

this is very different beautiful, exotic flower, so actually I am seeing a lot at where I am from.

Table setting with cute singing puppy.
Rice paper wrapped smoked salmon.

I put Avocado, smoked salmon, yellow pepper in the lattuce with taste of vinegar rice.

The last stage of dinner.

cookie and cream,home-made ice-cream

it tastes so good, and pretty easy to make.

this year, my little basket for Sweet P includes couple mugs.

He does not have a cute mug at his place,

so I thought for little gift it will be good for him to keep.

It was delicious dinner with Pinot Grigio(VOGA).

Valentine's Day

For this Valentine's day, I and my boy friend decided to prepare dinner for each other, so I am in charge of tonight, Friday.

I chose the menu-5 different kinds of finger foods, and home-made ice-cream.
-smoked salmon rice paper wrap

-chicken teriyaki skewer

-baked potato wedges with garlic cheese sauce

-bacon wrapped fried rice

-shrimp stuffed on mushrooms

-cookie and cream ice-cream.

For now,

I just want to show you the table setting! And the pictures for dinner will come sometime soon.

Stating new journey!

Hello, I am "iko" from South Korea, Seoul, curretly living in Montreal, Canada.

It has been five years already to start new life in Canada, from the very beginning of my living in Canada I thought about to post my life here as an international (one of many!), but I was being lazy.

Garlic and Onion.

it is my little brother's word to describe Canadian(Western food) and Korean food.
For Korean dish, Garlic is the base as many of Italian dish. That might be why the Italian dish are most popular in Korea for dine-out. But I found that also many of Canadian cooks use garlics as well.

Anyways, I am aming to share some of my recipes for Asian dishes with pictures as well as shring my life as a graduate students here.

There might be some of funny expressions I am going to use from my English! But, I know it would hurt you to understand what I tried to say!

Bye for today! and see you next day!!!


:)