Gimgaru Jumeokbap Bento Box & Adventures in Vancouver BC

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Wayne and I have both been sick lately. Oyy I've been a hot mess.  But one highlight is that we went to Vancouver, BC the weekend after our anniversary. We decided to celebrate by checking out Vancouver. Since we are still saving up for a car, we took the Amtrak train! The train cars were obviously outdated, but it was actually quite comfy. The ride there took about 4 hours. We pretty much passed out and slept after these photos lols.

The view as we're rolling along on the railroad tracks.

I honestly can't believe it's been four years already. Time flies when you're having fun with someone you love. It's kind of crazy how well he knows me. I mean, my family and friends know me but with Wayne it's like a different level. He can just take one look at me and know when something is wrong. Wayne makes me laugh whenever I don't want to.  He is also someone I can enjoy just being myself - no judgements. Whenever you date someone there is that awkward stage where you are nervous to let someone in. But with Wayne, there was never any awkwardness. Since day one we've been completely at ease and honest with each other. It is kind of refreshing to have someone like that. Not including that he's receptive to trying new things. We've both never done serious hiking before. But we both like being around nature and now enjoy it together.  The great thing about being with Wayne is that I can see myself growing old with him and enjoying every day with each other. Yes, he can annoy me like effing CRAZY (and I'm sure vise versa) but at the end of the day, we both have a love and companionship that's strong. Is it perfect? Hell no. But we love each other and we're both in it for the long run together  - and that's all that matters.

So, we were STARVING after being on the train. Once we took a taxi cab downtown, we got JAPADOGS! OMFG so good! Pretty much they are Japanese inspired hot dogs.  I got the Terimayo - the signature hot dog with teriyaki sauce, mayo and seaweed make on a pork hot dog. Wayne got the Tonkatsu - Deep fried pork cutlet marinated in tonkatsu sauce with fresh cabbage. 

We got to the airbnb and relaxed a bit. The airbnb was kind of crappy. There were ants in the bathroom. The tub didn't look cleaned and the light fixtures didn't work. Plus there was heavy construction nonstop all day.  But we made do since the apartment was so cheap.  But omg, we found this generic yellow ranch in the fridge. I don't know why but we found it absolutely hilarious. 

 

We then wandered around Gastown and saw the iconic steam clock.

I also found a MOOSE!

Later that night, we went to see the Lion King on Broadway at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I remember when the show first came out, I really really really wanted to see it. My brother and I loved The Lion King (which is by far the best Disney movie EVER). I remember, I used to pretend I was Simba running in the dessert to get back to Pride Rock. Also, whenever we went on road trips, my parents would play the cassette tape of all the Lion King songs. Omg... did I just date myself? Cassette tapes were awesome back then okay? But back then we never got the chance to go to Toronto and go see the Lion King or Phantom of the Opera. So, I was pretty psyched to fulfill this childhood dream. 

The Queen Elizabeth Theatre was actually pretty nice. 

The show was AWESOME. We had a fun time kind of reliving our childhood. Not to brag, but I know all the words to "Oh I just can't wait to be King." I was amazed by the props and costumes. No wonder they won awards for that. It was kind of amazing as the stage and costumes create the atmosphere like you were back in the Lion King movie. And duh, of course, I teared up when Mufasa died. By far, I think this was my favorite show out of Wicked & The Phantom of the Opera. I still want to see ballets/shows - Chicago, Les Miserables, The Book of Mormon, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker ballet. 

On Saturday, we went walking around Wreck Beach. It was a bit far off from all the touristy parts but it was pretty beautiful. It's kind of fun finding places that the locals like rather than the tourist traps.  I wasn't feeling too good after walking around the beach so we cut our excursion short and headed back. The other problem we faced was no service. We relied on wifi heavily. Thank goodness the apartment had it. Otherwise whenever we were out, we had to resort to Starbucks! 

Mr. Handsome

We also saw a little Banana Slug!

On Sunday we were going to do Richmond's Night Market, Stanley Park and some other stuff but I just felt so crappy. So we didn't get to some of those things. But we made the most out of our trip. Instead we walked around downtown and saw the Science Museum and Vancouver Stadium. I was actually quite impressed by the stadium. The Women's World Cup 2015 was in Canada.  I was kind of surprised how empty the streets were on Saturday. Then again, women's soccer is not as popular as men's soccer. But there was a match on Sunday of Canada vs. Switzerland. The streets were a bit more crowded by the time we were ready to head back home. 

We'll just have to come back to Vancouver again some day soon. 

Fastforward! Yesterday, I decided to make Gimgaru jumeokbap (김가루 주먹밥) Bento Box for dinner.  We had gone to Uwajimaya Market in Seattle this past weekend to meet up with Wayne's cousin. I got some groceries and felt inspired to try a bento box.  Let's get started! 

I pretty much got inspiration from Maangchi and Ochikeron. Both are on YouTube and have yummy recipes. Maangchi does Korean traditional dishes while Ochikeron does Japanese dishes. I decided to do a mash up and make my own type of Bento. 

First, I took mini sausage links, cut them in half and then and cut slits into them. Then I cooked them on a hot pan with a little oil till they opened up. 

Then I made an omelet from Ochikeron's video. I'm surprised it actually rolled out nicely! I then cut the roll into 1" slices and made them into egg hearts. Totally cute and edible. 

Then, I made some rice, added touch of sesame oil when done. Formed them into hamburger patties and then seared them in a hot pan.  Here's where I struggled a bit. I don't think my pan was quite hot enough. It took a long time to get a tiny sear on the rice patties. I think next time I'll also need to use a different oil. I only had olive oil and the rice patties turned out a bit oily. Oh well, you experiment and learn!

Then I assembled the bento boxes. I pretty much used a lunch container. I put some lettuce on the bottom, then the rice patty, a sesame seed/seaweed topping, gochujang sauce, the sausage flowers, cherry tomatoes, egg hearts and pickled radish. I also added some cute panda toothpicks in the rice patty.

Ta-da! Finished product! Isn't it so pretty! It was almost too pretty to eat. But I still ate it and it was delicious! You can find Maangchi's recipe here & Ochikeron's recipe here.

Till next time!

Emma

Ratatoullie

Yesterday, we went hiking at Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls.  

One of my friends recommended this hike.  So we were pretty excited. We left pretty early in the morning which was a good thing because the parking lot was packed after we got done hiking. The hike is 8.2 miles round trip with a gain of 2000 feet. So, it was quite a challenging hike for us since we've done shorter ones that don't incline as drastically. 

There were quite a few bridges and stairways. It took us around 1.7 miles that lead upwards to Bridal Veil Falls. It was steep stairs but it was nice when we got to the falls. The mist from the falls was refreshing. 

Wayne - being Mr. Explorer

Bridal Veil Falls

After Bridal Falls, the trail went on for 2 miles gaining about 1,300 feet. Oh man, my legs were feeling it. We saw a lot of hikers with poles and definitely could see how useful they would have been. 

The terrain got really rocky and steep with stairs. It was funny. Wayne was like, "Why are we hiking upwards to a lake?"

Although the hike up was tough, the views were worth it. 

I sometimes have to pinch myself that I live in the Pacific Northwest. It's so breathtaking.

When we finally got to Lake Serene, we could see why it was a popular hike. The view of the lake was gorgeous. 

A lot of people were at the lake with their dogs and eating their lunches. It was like a lovely hidden oasis.  It was funny when we climbed up though. We realized that there are like different groups of hikers. The early birds/serious hikers that are out at 4am or 5am. The low key hikers and crazy runners around 7am. Then afterwards come the tourists, athletic girls in lululemon gear, the fraternity bros, and the families. We like gong out around 7am when it is still chilly out and less people out on the trail. The crazy runners were insane though. There was one guy that was running up the rocks as fast as he could go. There's no way I would trail run. I'd probably break my leg doing so! 

Although we were tired afterwards, this was one of of the best hikes we've done so far. My legs were shaking but it was definitely a worthwhile accomplishment of the day.

Today, I was nursing my legs. 

I'm excited because summer has the best produce and I love making one of my favorite summer dishes, ratatouille. I love how versatile this recipe is. You can eat it warm or cold.  My mom's recipe is a bit different than the one I made today, but nonetheless, it conjures up good memories - making this dish together with my mom, or coming home from college to have a steaming hot bowl waiting for me. 

Let's get started!

First, I pretty much chopped up the eggplant and let it sit with some salt. 

Then I cooked the eggplant till lightly browned. 

Next, I chopped up some onion, garlic, basil, red & yellow peppers.

 

So colorful!

Then I added some chopped up summer squash and zucchini and then added the eggplant and tomatoes. The recipe called for fresh tomatoes, but I was 

Ta-da! Finished product. The recipe called for a lot more garlic than I normally add. Which was fine by me, because I love garlic. But it wasn't as good as my moms. :)

I know I've probably mentioned this a lot, but Food52 is probably one of my favorite websites. I love how it is a collaborative site where cooks of all degrees can share their recipes. I recently bought Food 52's recipe cookbook. This was one of the recipes in it.  

You can find Alice Water's Rataouille recipe here. 

Stay tuned for more adventures and food.

Emma

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies by Foodwishes

Today I made Foodwishes' Rosemary Shortbread Cookies. Before I get into that, let me tell you these past weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. 

Don't they look yummy?

First, I went to my big brother's wedding in Vegas and then I was asked to travel for work back to Chicago.  All I can say is that it feels good to be back in my own bed and eat/cook what I want to. Gosh I missed my bed. The hotel bed in Chicago sucked! My body sunk in the middle of the bed. One thing is for sure. I don't think I could ever travel 80% for work. It just drains everything out of you. 

Vegas was really cool though. Wayne and I enjoyed the food. Everything was so expensive though. A cup of coffee at Starbucks was $6.00 at the Mandalay Bay. But it was nice that everything was in one area. I wish we had more time to explore the strip but we were only staying in Vegas a few days.

Dinner at Fleur was lovely

Dessert with big-ass coffee cups!

 We went hiking around the Red Rocks and saw the Hoover Dam. The Red Rocks were pretty cool. 

But personally, I wasn't too impressed by the Hoover Dam.  I mean it is impressive how long it took them to built it and that it fuels a good chunk of the west coast. But otherwise than that, there just were a ton of people, military helicopters and concrete all around. lol. It was nice though to hang out with my parents though. 

We also got tickets to see the Jabbawockeez. Omg that was so much fun. The only downside was that my mom and Wayne were so tired! I was actually really pumped up afterwards. But they were ready to pass out! lols. We went to Olives at the Bellagio and enjoyed the fountain show while eating really good food. 

The fountains

My mom's beautiful salmon dish

My Ricotta Ravioli - was really good!

 I'm so happy for my brother and I'm glad I got to see him get married. The wedding was really nice though. Just immediate family on both sides and 2-3 girlfriends and guy friends. Very simple and small. It was perfect and intimate family and friend gathering. 

Whenever I get married, I'm not going to have bridesmaids. I don't have a lot of girl friends. I guess one of the reasons why, is I can't stand people who do not respect my time. I know stuff crops up and everyone has busy lives. But if I need to constantly go to you and find out when you're free only to get stood up. Then I don't want to deal with you.  

So, I only have a few close ones. I may not see them all the time, but they're the ones that know me in and out. I'm also fiercely loyal once I think of you as a friend. I'll take a bullet or fly over to comfort a friend if I need to. Anyways, the reason why I'm talking about friendship is because one of my best friend's birthdays was coming up. So I found the perfect gift for her and she loved it! I honestly think that is one of the best feelings in the whole world. When I find the perfect gift for a friend or loved one. I guess, it's because I enjoy getting to know my friends and also opening up to them. 

Anyways, I digress. Let's get started.

I really liked this recipe because there weren't a whole lot of ingredients. Coming home after traveling, I know there aren't going to be a whole lot of ingredients in my fridge. I'm not going to post too much about the process making these because Chef John already did that! Now, I've always been subscribed to Chef John from foodwishes YouTube channel. I really enjoy his quirky sense of humor and watching his videos. It's nice to watch a chef that knows what he's doing and also works to simplify dishes by focusing on the food. Plus his voice is kind of soothing! 

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by these cookies. They were really easy to make. The only hard part is waiting till they are cool enough to eat them! They're light and buttery but the rosemary adds a nice touch. Obviously my cookies aren't perfectly docked because I got lazy. But they still taste good! Which is all that matters. :)

Please check out Chef John's video and recipe blog post here. 

I do not take credit for these cookies! This post is just about my experience making them. I did not create the recipe. But do please try them if you can. They were very tasty. I haven't gotten around more of his dishes though. Mainly because I know I'll need my computer or iPad close by when cooking. Just to make sure I don't mess it up!

Emma