Weekend Recap

Friday night: We had that junk movie, called, Duplicity. Driving home from the movie felt like driving home from a dinner date at McDonald's. How unromantic was that... ooops, rephrase... how unhealthy and fattening was that! We were so bumped. But life is like that. We can't expect things to be always beautiful.

Saturday: P volunteered at church, painting with other guys. I was home with baby, kind of like complaining that I had a Saturday morning that felt like a regular weekday. But when P came home, he had two bundles of pretty roses and a Caribou vanilla latte for me. Not only that, he also bought roasted turkey so I didn't have to make dinner. How sweet is that! That is just as sweet as any wife can get! At night, we stayed home and talked.

Sunday: I woke up earlier than usual. It was one of those Sundays that I need to be at church for praise and worship rehearsal 2 hours before the service. Yes, I now sing at church. It was my second Sunday. Exciting! For lunch, we joined some friends from church at a Chinese Buffet. There was definitely a party in my tummy! After lunch, I did shopping for a couple hours. Then Paul and I and Izzy (sleeping in her car seat) went joy riding. We went to the nearby lake and watched the kids skateboarding. One of the kids approached us and asked P if he knew "drifting", referring to that thing when you drive your car in spinning, which is actually only possible with a really high-powered sports car like the Thunderbird that Paul had before. So they talked about it. Eventually, P led the conversation into witnessing. The four kids were listening and were very responsive. I was praying. Then we went home feeling so satisfied! Really, there's nothing more satisfying than sharing your faith to others.

Yummy Sunday

Our neighbors invited us for dinner at their house last week, she served us this fruit cake for our dessert. Paul was very happy... he is a fruit guy!

Scenic Sunday

Aerial view of Davao City. I took this one on our trip to the Philippines a couple months ago. For more scenic photos visit Scenic Sunda...

Movies

P and I are not into movies anymore... well, we were never fans of Hollywood movies. In almost 4 years of being husband and wife, we only went out for a movie 4 times. For us, going to a movie theater for a date is kind of a WOT (waste of time). Well, except for that one time when we watched the Fireproof. Fireproof was a real "date" material for married couples. Anyway, I was talking with my BIL on the phone last night and he asked me why I said in an email that P and I are not into movies anymore. I told him that one of the main reasons is that we are so disgusted with the dirty language that most movies now contain. The constant cursing and using of the name of God and Christ as cuss words seriously bother us. We can't stand it. Sitting there for two hours listening to sinful words is just too much. If a Christian can sit in a theater for two hours per week for a PG-13 Hollywood movie but can not even read the Bible and pray at least two hours per week at home, then there is a serious problem. Sanctification can never be attained by intentionally exposing ourselves to the ungodliness of this world.

Last night, for some reason, we thought we would go out for a movie while Izzy stays home with her Uncle Orgil and works on her new geography jigsaw. We planned on watching the movie called, Confessions of a Shopaholic. When we got to the theater, we realized that it was no longer showing. We decided to watch Duplicity. Oh, it was two hours of listening to cuss words. We also felt so uncomfortable watching the lead stars kissed and did some bed scenes knowing that they are not married. How can other people overlook that... I don't know. I was surprise we didn't walk out. I guess we just got curious about how the story would end. And when it ended, we sighed... and said... "such a piece of garbage!" That movie ruined our date, that's for sure. I wore my red shoes and used my gold purse for that date. But I guess it happens. In the future though, we will be more careful.

Bulgogi Recipe

I am posting this for Gigi.

Ingredients:

1 lb. very thinly sliced beef
1 Kiwi fruit or apple (kiwi is the best tenderizer)
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T sesame oil
1 T sugar
3 dashes black pepper
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
green onions
2 T Japanese or Korean cooking rice wine
1 T vinegar (optional)

Direction:

1. Put the meat slices into the large mixing bowl and sprinkle sugar over it and mix with hands or chopsticks. Let it stand of about 10 minutes

2. Prepare the marinade... place onion and kiwi into food processor or blender until liguid and pour into small bowl. Mix soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, cooking wine and vinegar. After mixing taste it. You want have a slightly salty, sweet taste. If it's too salty, add a bit more sugar.

3. Chop garlic into small pieces, cut green onion into 2 to 3 inch pieces and put into sugar/meat mixture.

4. Pour both sauces into the garlic/onion meat mixture and mix well, using hands or chopsticks. It is important to mix thoroughly so the marinade is evenly distributed throughout the meat. Refrigerate for at least tow hours or overnight.

Dina's Favorite Cookies

OATMEAL-RAISIN VANISHING COOKIES

3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (opt.)
1 c. raisins
3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie, 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack. Store in tightly covered container. 4 1/2 dozen.

Bulgogi: My Comfort Food

You can not imagine how excited I was when I finally learned how to make Bulgogi. That was two years ago. Bulgogi is made from thin slices of sirloin or other prime cut of beef. The meat is marinated with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, kiwi fruit or apple. Before cooking, the meat is marinated to enhance its flavor and tenderness. Kiwi fruit is the best meat tenderizer I've ever known.

Bulgogi is traditionally grilled, but pan-cooking is common as well. It is best eaten with raw whole cloves of garlic and radish or cabbage kimchee. My favorite way of eating them is wrapping each bite-size serving of Bulgogi, garlic, rice and kimchee with lettuce or other leafy vegetable. Oh, it's very tasty!

Bulgogi is more than nutritious and yummy food for me. It reminds me of how God blessed my life with my Korean very thoughtful and sincere friends. It also reminds me how I loved being in Seoul, Korea. I got to visit the city three times in 4 years. I love Korean culture, food, cleanliness and the people. I love the Korean Christians' devotion to prayer and generosity. In addition, Bulgogi wrap was my comfort food back when I was in Mongolia. When I got really sick of the harsh weather, when I got tired of the greasy meaty Mongolian food, when I felt lonely and sad, when I have money, I always went to a Korean restaurant and ate a lot of Bulgogi. It made me happy.

I am so glad that one of my close friends here found Bulgogi to be very tasty. She loves it now. It's really great having someone to share the joy of eating Bulgogi wrap. Paul eats it but it's not really his favorite. Well, I understand being that Americans are not trained to eat Kimchee. I wasn't either but I have become a Kimchee-lover!