manduguk

while i do have a healthy amount of ~*azn pride*~ i don't always feel authentically asian since i'm an adoptee. although i have been back to my birth country, met my birth family, and have done other culturally reaffirming activities, i still lack a lot of knowledge about, well, everything korean.

a while ago i found a korean cookbook and flipped through it. i figured manduguk (dumpling soup) couldn't be too difficult so i gave it a shot.


no recipe though, cause i made it last week and forgot what i put in it. a mixture of tofu, shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, kimchi, sesame oil, soy sauce, and i don't know what. oops.

if you want to make it i would recommend perusing a few different recipes for it (try googling "manduguk recipe" or something similar) and then either picking one or using them for reference.

fyi -- wonton skins come in a package of 50 (at least at my grocery store) and unless you're feeding an army, you'll probably need to freeze them. put them on a cookie sheet or plate in a single layer and freeze for 20 minutes or half an hour until they're firm. you don't want them to stick to each other. after 20 minutes or so, take them off the cookie sheet and put them all in a large tupperware container or clean plastic ice cream tub.

poptarts of FAIL

yesterday i saw another blogger make homemade pop-tarts and i was intrigued. so this evening i decided to give it a try. ugh.

here's the recipe, but i'm not sure who invented it originally since i saw it posted on other recipe websites:

homemade poptarts
from a sweet fantasy

For Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp. cold water

For Filling

Jam (your choice)

For Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
milk to thin

Sprinkles


1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening and butter and blend with a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands. Blend until mixture is fairly coarse. Add water, 1 tbsp. at a time, gently mixing dough after each addiction until dough forms a ball.

2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a square/rectangle. To about 1/8 thickness. Cut out long strips about 2 inches wide and 3 inches long. Repeat until dough runs out.

3. Take one pie crust rectangle and lace 1 tsp. of jam on top. Cover with another piece of pie crust and crimp all four edges. Repeat with the rest of dough. Place Pop-tarts on a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake for 7-8 minutes.

4. While pop-tarts are baking, make glaze. Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Pour milk slowing until it has a consistancy of really thick syrup. 1/2 a tbsp. to 1 tbsp. might be enough.

5. Once pop-tarts are done and cooled, top with glaze. Sprinkle and decorate with colorful sprinkles.

this is one of the first things i've made that did NOT work out. i couldn't get the dough right, even after trying to fix it in various ways (refrigerating it before rolling, adding more flour, etc). i'm not sure what i did wrong, and it looks like the blogger i got the recipe from isn't answering questions people have left.

after a struggle i made 5 'tarts and baked them. after they came out i tried one and was not impressed with the taste. the dough was too bland.


at least they looked ok. (the other ones turned out better but i was in a hurry to get them DONE since i thought they were kind of gross).

mmmm chickpea sandwich

oops so i haven't updated for a long time. i dunno why. embarrassed about my shitty pictures i guess, haha. well i've updated to my crappy camera, but i admit i'm not very good at taking pictures.

well this is what i had for dinner (/ late lunch?) today.


chickpea salad sandwich with cucumber, lettuce, tomato and mayo along with a handful of jalapeno cheddar kettle chips and half an asian pear. delicious.


i think every veg*n has their own version of this chickpea stuff. it's a super tasty alternative to chicken or tuna salad. it's a very forgiving thing to make -- just throw in any crunchy veggies you have and it will probably be good. use mayo (real or vegan) or salad dressing instead of plain yogurt. i had some left over from something else and wanted to use it up. i just kind of threw mine together, but i think this is approximate (hopefully i'm not forgetting anything here, i made it yesterday):

jeni's chickpea salad

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 rib celery, chopped
1/4 of an onion, minced
1/4 of a cucumber, chopped
plain yogurt
dried dill weed
sea salt, fresh cracked pepper
lemon juice
garlic salt

place chickpeas in a bowl and mash with fork (or pulse in a food processor). add veggies and a few dollops of yogurt and mix until it is a spreadable consistency. season with dill, salt and pepper, garlic salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice. mix well. if time allows, refrigerate to let flavors mix together.

serve on bread or pita with other sandwich fixings or use as a dip for crackers, chips, or veggies.

i'm thinking that pear would be really good in a sandwich somehow. maybe with some cheese in a panini-style sandwich. and i also don't think this is an original thought. i'm pretty sure i saw giada de laurentiis make something like that on her show once. damn.