• Kimbap: Korean Rice Rolls

    Kimbap is by far one of my favorite Korean foods to make AND eat.  They are great for a snack, for on-the-go, for lunches, and especially yummy at, well… any time! I grew up with my mom making them, stuffing the gim, or seaweed sheets, with all sorts of goodies like rice, egg, cucumber, and more.  It would be an understatement to say that my kids love them as well. If you are not familiar with kimbap it is a staple in Korea.  Simply, it is rice, veggies, egg, meat, and whatever else your heart (and stomach) desires, all wrapped up in rice and a dried seaweed sheet.  When I visited the country…

  • Firecracker Cake

    This past 4th of July my mother-in-law passed on a Betty Crocker recipe to me that looked fun, festive, and easy enough for the kids to help out.  The resulting Firecracker Cake not only visually looked amazing, it was also absolutely delicious! The kids received numerous compliments on the cake and the best part is that although it looked complicated to put together, it was actually quite easy. Another bonus of this cake was that it was not frosted in a conventional way.  The fun steams of red, white, and blue was regular frosting thinned out by warming it up in the microwave and drizzled over the top of the cake using a spoon…

  • Spinach and Broccoli Alfredo

    You know the scenario: you get home after a day of work and are now in charge of making food for some hungry little mouths.  As I hurriedly search through the pantry I am looking for something that is quick, simple, and involves whatever ingredients we are already have.  Cue here: Spinach and Broccoli Alfredo.  This has become a staple dish for dinner that is perfect for evening such as the one described above.  Simple, tasty, and everyone is happy! I tried to come up with something that would combine the cooking of multiple ingredients in the same pots/pans to cut down on dishes and time.  For example I cooked the broccoli in with the pasta and…

  • Tteokguk- Korean Rice Cake Soup

    New Years is always a favorite holiday of mine: new year, new hopes, new dreams, new opportunities.  A tradition in my house that we continue every year is eating Tteokguk, a Korean rice cake soup that is a Korean tradition to eat on New Year’s Day.  What’s fun is that we celebrate with tteokguk twice a year, one for the Solar New Year and one for Lunar New Near. Even though both New Years are behind us (Lunar New Year was just this past Thursday), I thought I would show you how I prepare my tteokguk since you can enjoy this hearty and flavorful soup any time of year. The decorative egg and…

  • Spicy Korean Wings

    With the Super Bowl fast approaching thoughts always travel to food.  Who will bring what?  Will it be the usual shrimp with cocktail sauce and spinach artichoke dip?  Will someone venture out and try something new risking the world of unfamiliarity with a different appetizer? I wanted to jump head first into the realm of something new with wings that are spicy yet incredibly tasty and are not your run-of-the-mill buffalo wings.  Behold Spicy Korean Wings. Sauce incredibly simple yet flavors that leave your mouth begging for more. The star ingredient in this wing sauce is the kochujang, which is a Korean hot chili paste made from red chilies and fermented soy beans…

  • New Year’s Eve Dresses

    Wow, is it really already December 31st? I feel like New Year’s Eve came so incredibly quickly this year!  Some of you may be ready to celebrate, but if you are like me I am just now finishing up putting away all of the amazing things the kids received for Christmas! In the craziness of trying to catch up I definitely forgot to pick up an outfit to wear out for the evening of New Year’s Eve! I rounded up some of my favorite party dresses that could be worn not only for New Year’s Eve but also any night out. Enjoy the eye candy as I have. 1. Shine Bright Like a Diamond…

  • Chicken and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

    As Christmas season comes to a close and New Years is just around the corner, craziness continues to ensue at our house. However, I am always excited to slow down to make a nice warm dinner for myself, the Mr., and the kids.  What better dinner to have than a combination of macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and chicken on a cold December night. A winner with the kids as well as adults, this recipe is will serve up enough for dinner tonight as wells as lunch for tomorrow! The addition of the crumbled bacon on top pushes this dish over the edge. So delicious! A whole lot of cheesy goodness is always a plus…

  • Easy Green Beans

    Green beans are a favorite side dish of mine for every holiday, season, and event.  It is a food that always makes an appearance in some form whether it is in a casserole, is steamed, or mixed with a vinaigrette.  This recipe is simple and easy, uses ingredients that I often already have in my fridge, and because it takes about 25 minutes to cook down on the stove, I can walk away and tend to other things while the green beans soak in some amazing flavor. In the end the green beans still have a slight crispness to them with a wonderful aromatic flavor that keeps you wanting to eat more. And the kids?…

  • Gifts For Her: Under $25

    With Christmas just around the corner and lots of gift exchanges happening in the next few weeks I thought this was a perfect time to put together some of my favorite gifts for ladies that are in the $25 and under range. These are all versatile, thoughtful, and great buys and with them all being under $25 you can’t go wrong!  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 I tried to round up some different things such as beauty, pamper, home decor, and more.  Everything here came from Nordstrom so be…

  • Rolos, Hugs, and Kisses Pretzel Cookies

    Ready for an oldie but goodie?  You know, those recipes that you almost forget about because you are so busy trying to plan your next new and exciting Pinterest recipe that you ignore the tried and true cookies?  The cookies that you just can’t stop eating?  That’s the pretzel cookies for me, specifically the Rolos, Hugs, and Kisses pretzel cookies.  Super inexpensive, so easy, a combination of sweet and salty, and only takes a handful of minutes to make. The best part is how these little goodies taste.  No matter how large of a batch we make, they always run out very quickly. I went with three different kinds of pretzel cookies with this batch: Rolos,…