I'm terrible with recipes

I really should measure things when I cook.  This is a terrible habit.  I just add things until it looks right.

-Handful of garlic cloves, cut in pieces (not minced, I'm lazy)
-Less than a tablespoon of gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
-Container of white mushrooms, sliced
-Two tablespoons (at least) of gochujang (Korean pepper paste)
-Two tablespoons of chunjang (Korean black bean paste)
-Container of tofu, cubed
-Little bit (enough to keep the pastes from being solid) of soju (rice wine vinegar, sake, anything liquid with a bite to it would work)
-Two teaspoons of sugar

Saute garlic in oil (I use whatever light-coloured oil I have on hand), add gochugaru, gochujang, chunjang, sugar, and mix.  Add mushrooms and soju, and cook until mushrooms are soft.  Add tofu and heat through.  Serve on top of whatever type of starch you want.  I used mashed potatoes because all I wanted in the world today was mashed potatoes.

Slightly spicy, slightly salty, incredibly filling.

Early Morning Bike Riding

I like to ride my bike when no one can see me.  I'm fat, I'm slow and I don't like people staring at me.  Anytime between 4am and 6am is good for where I live.  At 4am, I can guarantee there's at least one person up in my housing tract, so it's a little more safe.  At 6am, everyone is going to work and I live a block off the main highway, so anything later than that, while it's still dark, isn't too wise.

I got my lovely bike, a Fuji Crosstown, in December.  It's basically a couch on wheels.  Unfortunately, I forgot that I have never once found a bike seat that didn't cripple me for several days after anything longer than about five minutes.  I wish I was kidding.  The longest I've been able to ride it so far is fifteen minutes and my sit bones hurt for multiple days afterward.  Any pressure at all is pain.  To sit down in a chair I'm having to tuck one leg under me and keep most of my pressure on my outer thigh.  It's impossible to describe, but it sucks.

Today, I left at 6am (first bad choice).  I didn't tie my hair back (second bad choice).  I didn't quadruple check my keys (ultimate bad choice). 

I clip my keys to my bra and tank top straps so I don't stick them in my pockets and drop them, like I do with anything in pockets.  I guess the keys managed to fall off the keyring as I was clipping them and because I had my headphones in... yeah.  I got home, tried to get the mail and there were no keys to be found.  Cue panic.

Two years ago, at about this time of year, I was going through a really shitty breakup.  Like this time around, the only other person with keys to the house was in another country. 

Everything came flooding back.  Within a couple seconds, I was sweaty, shaky and my blood pressure rose so much I could feel the change.

Thankfully, the keys were on my doormat.

I guess I haven't dealt with that crap still.  Yeeeeeesh.

Not what I intended

I intended to make this a cooking blog, to share my ideas, my success, my failures.  Truth is, I go through phases where the most cooking I do is turning the electric kettle on to boil water for ramyeon.

There will be posts about Korea.  The culture, the fashion (the modernised hanbok that are showing up are blowing my mind), the food, the music.  I'm obsessed with the idol culture and am such a kpop fangirl that it's scary.

I like makeup and I'm terrified of aging.  I'm going to be having Botox done at some point as well as a major cosmetic surgery operation once I convince myself to take out the Care Credit loan for it.

I play many video games.  Many.  Right now I'm balancing World of Warcraft, Rift and Aion.  I'm preparing to add Tera, GuildWars2 and Diablo 3 in there somehow.  Tera and GW2 I want to try out, at least.  I haven't bought anything for them, thankfully.

So, yeah.  Not just food.

BB Cream Madness

I have to admit this somewhere: I'm a bit of a shopping addict.  Not for shoes or clothes, no.  But for BB creams.

What are BB creams, you might ask?  Ancient Korean secret!  Except not really.  It was created in 1967, in Germany, by Dr. Christine Schrammek as a product to help deal with scars. Thank you, Wikipedia!

It moved on to Korea at some point and has been a booming business there for quite some time.  There are dozens of brands selling dozens of types.  If you're looking for something, they've probably got it.

My first purchase was Etude House Precious Mineral All Day Strong SPF30/PA++ Sheer Silky Skin.

I love it.  It's a bit heavy, but it's not horrible.  Think the old school Covergirl liquid foundations in the glass bottles.  The smell is pleasant to me and I'm a pain in the ass when it comes to smells.

Not too far from my skin tone.  It's pretty smooth.  You just need to rub the crap out of it until it blends the way you want it to.  If you have flaky skin anywhere, this is NOT your friend.  Exfoliate and lotion before you get near it.

My most recent arrival was Skin79s Super + Beblesh Balm BB Triple Functions Whitening UV Protecting SPF25 PA++ Wrinkle Free.

Phew.  Generally, everyone calls it the the pink Skin79.

I prefer the packaging for Skin79 more, simply because I end up with about half again what I need when I use the Etude House one.  But, that's a motor skill problem with me and not a downfall for them. 

It's thicker, but goes on far more sheer.  I'm doubtful that anyone but me can see where it is in the other picture, it's that sheer.  I should mention that it feels like silk.  I've never come across a foundation/cream/whatever that made me feel like I had the softest skin the world.

The both have their pros and cons, but those will change for different people.  I have to be super cautious to take all the Etude House one off or my skin revolts.  The smell from the Skin79 is a little... floral for me.

I have the Skin79 VIP Gold Label one in the mail, as well as a sampler that contains Super+ Beblesh Balm, Super+ Beblesh Balm Triple Function, The Prestige Beblesh Balm, Luminous Pearl Beblesh Balm, all from Skin79.  I'm excited!  But it appears they're coming by way of rowboat or something, so it might be a bit.

It's taken me years and years, but I've finally figured out what my problem is: my thyroid is broken.

Now, thanks to one little pill, I don't have to lay under a pile of blankets or eat constantly to keep myself warm.  This means I eat a lot less now, which is a mixed blessing.  On one hand, I won't keep getting fatter and I actually feel like doing stuff (heck, I even went for a bike ride at some obscene pre-dawn hour today).  On the other hand, I don't get to eat like a madwoman and blame it on being cold.

I debated about taking a picture of tonight's dinner, but really, it looked like mush.

-Portabella mushrooms
-White onion slivers
-6oz can of tomato paste + 8oz of water
-Entire packet of Trader Joe's taco seasoning
-Can of chickpeas, drained
-Packet of instant rice, which is almost inedible on it's own
-Cheese

Saute onions, add mushrooms, chickpeas and follow the instructions on the sauce packet.  Add rice, top with cheese.

Surprisingly good for a "clean out the kitchen" meal.

Newest favourite thing: Chobani 0% Apple Cinnamon yogurt.  I didn't know this existed until fairly recently and only this weekend did I find it in a store (yay for Wegman's).  Chobani is my favourite Greek yogurt and, so far, the only one that doesn't make me sick to my stomach.  14g of protein?  Yes please!

Super-easy Dessert Rolls

I wish I could take credit for this.  Or give credit, but I don't remember who told me about this.


Ingrediants:
-Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls
-Whipped or regular cream cheese (whipped usually requires more)
-Some sugar
-Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spices

Preheat oven to 375.

Spread a small amount (less than a tablespoon) of cream cheese on your unrolled dough and sprinkle with a tiny bit of sugar and your choice in spice, and roll them up.

Cook for 15-20 minutes in the oven until they're golden brown.

I used the random honey nut regular cream cheese.  It was an 8oz tub and I had around 1/3rd of it left over.  If you want super gooey rolls, use more.  I was told to brush the rolls with butter inside and out, but I think that would have been overkill.