My all-time favorite food is kalbi, or Korean style marinated beef short ribs. There’s just something about the combination of tender beef with soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and sugar that makes my mouth water. And although my mom gave me a recipe for her own delicious marinade, I have yet to try it out to see if it will actually turn out just like hers. Upon my request, she even went through the trouble of measuring everything out in teaspoons and tablespoons, which is nearly impossible to get a Korean mom to do. So one day, I will gladly try it out for sure and let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, if you have ever been inside of a Korean grocery store, you’ve probably seen those bottles of pre-made kalbi marinade sauces. Have you ever been curious to see if they actually taste good? Well, the truth is, I have and did. I’ve been through several different brands, but none of them really hit the mark in my opinion. But one day, I saw this bag of Sempio kalbi sauce sitting next to a sale sign and thought, what the heck… it’s on sale, it couldn’t hurt. [...]

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First of all, I just like the name of this box. Yes, I’m a sucker for alliteration and good marketing. I was at Trader Joe’s with my friend, Ashley, where I was looking for my usual chocolate croissants. But this cute box with simple design caught my eye and I went to go pick it up. Ashley came over to me and said, “oh they’re really good…I’ve tried them before.” Sold. Did I tell you I also get easily influenced by my friends? [...]

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This entry is sort of a dedication to my sister, Christina. Anyways, we are moving next week, and I am slowly starting to pack up our things. While packing up my kitchen gear, I am reminded of how totally amazing le creuset products are, and how awesome my round dutch oven pot is that my sister bought me. No, I don’t work for or get sponsored by them, but I sure wish I did. Then maybe a girl could get their products for free around here…shoot. Anyhoos, if you already have a le creuset dutch oven from your wedding registry, lucky you. You can just join me in singing its praises, and vouch that it is a great, although expensive buy. [...]

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Normally today we’d be posting a new video. But alas, my poor tired husband has been swamped with work and other stuff, so he couldn’t edit one for this week. So we decided to give him a break. Yes I know you’re devastated. But your heart will go on, and so must the show, so instead, we bring to you the $30 challenge.

It all began when my friend Jinnie told me that her sister Jina was following the blog and wanted to meet me. You may recognize Jinnie from her featured friday interview. She’s very creative and a big supporter of this blog, so she wanted to give me a challenge so that I’d have new interesting content for an entry. [...]

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Long story short: buy frozen shrimp. I don’t really care what brand you get, it’s not really about the brand, but frozen shrimp is a must-have staple in your freezer, unless you’re allergic to shrimp or don’t like seafood, in which case… wow (awkward silence), I don’t really know what to say. But for those of you who like to eat shrimp, you don’t have to rely on buying it fresh from the seafood counter. And those of you who already have frozen shrimp in your freezer, you don’t have to hide it from people. You can say it loud and proud. Here’s why. [...]

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All three of these things I used to think were useless tools that were just a waste of space and not worth my dime. But slowly, one by one, I found myself purchasing each of these guys and my cooking life is better for it. To make your culinary endeavors easier, I highly suggest investing in a salad spinner, a standard collapsible steamer, and a tea or soup stock mesh ball strainer. I think these simple tools even motivate me to cook a little healthier. [...]

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