Sausage stirfry

I am happy to eat kimchi jjigae for several meals, protein or no protein. I cannot say the same for my younger brother. He never really developed a taste for kimchi, even though he loves spicy food. For dinner recently, I decided to make that old standby, the stir-fry. It's quick and delicious and a great way to empty out the fridge. I used up a couple of bell peppers and a link of andouille that I'd had every intention of turning into part of a jambalaya. Oh well. "Best laid plans" and all that.

Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)

You know how you crave your mom's mac and cheese? Or your granddad's spaghetti and meatballs? Or your auntie's spicy fried chicken wings? You want comfort, you want home. When I crave my mom's food, I want something spicy. I want clear-your-sinuses, steam-coming-out-of-your-ears hell broth. That's my favorite taste of home. When I'm feeling homesick for my mama's cooking, I make kimchi jjigae. It's quick and spicy and smelly and delicious.

Buttermilk Belgian waffles

For my graduation, my brother got me a waffle iron. This continues the tradition of food-related gifts that are both thoughtful and self-serving. I ain't even mad, because look at the amazingness that I made:

Frittata with arugula, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese with a blackberry arugula salad

Alison and her fiancé Tapan came to visit recently and I made a big ol' brunch. Alison and I were roommates in college for three years and she's like my little sister. She's technically a few months older, but the dynamic is undeniable ;-). She and Tapan live in Philadelphia, but, fingers crossed, maybe they'll move down to Maryland so Tapan can do his residency. They were in DC for a wedding, so I had them over for brunch the next day.

I made a frittata, which is like a crustless quiche. Frittatas are basically lots of eggs and any of the fillings you have in an omelette, all mixed together and baked in a cast-iron skillet.

Procrastinator's bbq chicken

I brought potato salad and this chicken to a potluck my friend was having before she moved to Richmond for a new job. Southern food seemed appropriate for a southern move.

Southern potato salad

I've been on a Southern food kick lately, mostly because this is the time of year when things like potato salad and BBQ pulled chicken (coming soon!) are eaten with great joy. It's the start of the barbecue and summer potluck season. I, for one, couldn't be happier.

Strawberry yogurt mascarpone pie

I love my friend Sarah. My old roommate is really one of a kind. I'm less upset now that her husband decided to marry her and take her away from me than I once was, but, I think he knows what a sacrifice I made by giving her up to him. Yes. Because it was definitely MY decision. . . .

I don't get to hang out with her as much as I want to, but I'm hoping we'll see more of each other now that the craziness of grad school is behind me. Sarah and her husband came over for dinner this past week and, since she loves cream pies with fruit in them and I happened to have a flock of strawberries waiting to be eaten, I figured I'd fix them a strawberry cream pie for dessert.

Biscuits and gravy

Half of my family is pretty Southern. And by Southern, I mean country Southern. My daddy spent his summers on his grandparents' farm in Arkansas, a place where indoor plumbing was slow to take. When my dad married my Korean mom, his mother taught my mom how to cook "American" food (re: Southern American food). You might think that this food is way different from Korean food and, in many respects, sure, ya got me--the ingredients are very different and Korean food is way more colorful (i.e. more emphasis on vegetables and less on protein and carbs). Even with all of that, there are some basic precepts they have in common:

1. Making things by hand is always best.
2. Don't ever shy away from pickling things--cabbage, beets, eggs, garlic, kimchi. (My dad's mom was the biggest fan of kimchi, and she didn't hesitate to put it on anything.)
3. Things that look like weeds in the woods can be really good eating. Try foraging with an old Korean woman or old Southern woman from the country. They'll tell ya.
4. Food doesn't have to be fancy to be good. Put another way: Humble food is the most delicious.

Buttermilk biscuits

Don't you just love a good biscuit? Doesn't it just make your heart happy?

Strawberry milk

Continuing on in this week's Strawberry Feast, I offer to you a very simple way to use up your strawberries and get some calcium in your diet: strawberry milk. I'm always looking out for your health, you know.

Strawberry jam

Strawberry jam, I totally get why people make you from scratch. You're a lot of work and you cause a small amount of anxiety during the canning process, but I get it. You're just so good. Brace yourselves for a long post, y'all. Jam is a process!

BIG DISCLAIMER: I'm not a canning professional. I recommend doing more research at sites that can advise you properly on food safety (like the National Center for Home Food Preservation) before attempting to make jam yourself. I wanted to share my experience with you though, so this might be a good place to start, if you want to think about making jam yourself someday soon. Are we good? We're clear that I'm no expert on preserving food? Awesome. Read on . . . 

Feast, Strawberry stress-cooking

Have you ever been strawberry-picking? It is hard, hot work, but dang, if it isn't satisfying. I went to a pick-your-own farm with two friends who also liked the idea of saying the "fruits of our labor" while talking about the fruit we labored to get. Yeah, I'm not saying we're great at making food-related jokes. I'm saying we're awesome at it.

Perfect crispy hash browns (forage)

You know the best part of a good diner meal? The hash browns. Don't kid yourself with asking me if I've forgotten about waffles and bacon and scrambled eggs and biscuits and gravy. I haven't, but let me ask you this: Have you ever really enjoyed a meal at a diner if the hash browns were bad? 

I rest my case.