The Winter Garden

 This is the first year that Jeff has planted a winter garden. We are really enjoying it. It's so nice to pick greens for a salad in the middle of February!

We purchased some row covers that make it super handy to access the veggies. A few weeks ago there was enough Napa cabbage and Korean radish for Jeff to make kimchi. We have been enjoying it with a variety of Asian inspired meals.

We have mixed Asian greens and bib lettuce. It's been giving us enough to make salads a couple of times a week. Occasionally I add some store bought baby spinach. We've also enjoyed swiss chard, kale, and lots of baby bok choy. Last summer Jeff purchased jars and special plastic lids for growing bean sprouts so we always have plenty to toss in salads and stir fry. 

The seed catalogs have been arriving since January and some seeds have been bought. Jeff is a really good seed saver so he has a lot of his own stash. 

After four chilly days of clouds and rain, I am looking forward to Spring.

Geonbae!

Our guests from South Korea have arrived. We can't buy soju in this neck of the woods so we said, "cheers!" with cups of anejo tequila. The morning started with breakfast, prepared by Yeon Tae Park (on the left in the photo)... ramen noodles and kimchi, now that's my kind of breakfast! Jeff made a couple of gallons of kimchi, I hope we have enough to last the week...

The Year of the Goat

 Happy New Year... a day late! Yesterday was Korean and also Chinese New Year. Jeff made traditional Korean Tteokguk soup, typically served on New Years day. It's a simple but spicy beef soup with rice cake.

While the broth simmers, the sliced rice cakes are soaked in cold water. The rice cakes are so yummy. They are like a very dense noodle. They do contain wheat flour, so they aren't gluten free. When the soup is finished, the rice cakes are simmered for a few minutes in the broth.

We always have sliced cabbage kimchi on the side. I like to put mine right into the soup.

Perfectly yummy on a cold February night!

 Later in the day today, the studio finally warmed up enough to work in. I finished putting handles on small squared off bowls and gave each a few flower stamps. These were also made by altering with a board, which means there are no seams to crack. They are smaller bowls, a good size for salsa, dip, soup, or cereal. I had fun making them and  I am happy with the way they came out. I think tomorrow I will make a few more. 

Have a great night and stay warm!

More rice please!

I made another round of onigiri (Japanese rice balls). Jeff bought me a rice mold that creates little appetizer size triangles. They were so much fun to make!

Half the rice is packed in the mold. I poked a hole in the rice and added little bits of filling. For these I added finely chopped green onion kimchi. More rice is added to fill the cavity and cover the filling. The other half of the mold is place on top and squeezed down...

and VOILA! Perfect little triangles ready to wrap in nori and garnish.

I made some larger, more traditional size balls as well. Some filled with shrimp, others with chunks of cucumber kimchi. The pottery trays used in the photographs are all pieces that Jeff brought home from Korea. We use the wood fired tray in the first photograph a lot. I just love it.

I told Jeff that next on my "I Want" list is a nori punch...

clicking on the photo will take you to Amazon.com

 He rolled his eyes and said he draws the line at cute food.

Rice, the long and short of it

The last few weeks it's been all about the rice in the Hastings - Brown home. It started on the Korean New Year when Jeff made tteok guk (Korean rice cake soup with brisket). The rice cakes are more like a noodle that you slice and add to the soup just prior to serving. The soup is made with a beef brisket and is very spicy with just the right amount of heat. So tasty that we didn't get any photographs. You can find the recipe here. We didn't have any dashida, so Jeff substituted a little kimchi. Kimchi has become a staple in this house. Our three favorites are the typical cabbage kimchi, scallion kimchi, and cucumber kimchi. If you don't like the hot cabbage type, you should give the cucumber a try. It's an excellent balance of heat with the cool cucumber. 

Next on the "must make" list was onigiri, Japanese rice balls. These are made with a short grain rice and the fillings can vary. Hitomi Shibata provided me with the basic recipe for this version. She had made onigiri for an event at STARworks Ceramics, and they were fabulous. These were filled with age (fried tofu), lotus root, and carrots. They are served at room temperature and you can pick them up and eat them with your hands. Mine were not as pretty as Hitomi's, I need a little more practice! Next time I am going to try filling them with a little salmon.

Last night we moved on to Italian cuisine. Since I had a bag of short grain rice left from the onigiri (we usually only have jasmine) I decided it was time to make risotto. I love it and had never made it before. The box kind doesn't count and doesn't taste like the real deal. For one thing it is usually too salty. I followed a recipe that I found online. I pretty much stuck to it and it was perfect. It went great with the $2.98 bargain steak that I found at Food Lion on Friday. They had a whole bunch of beef marked down. I imagine it was because of the storm. They were cleaned out of dairy products and bread but I guess the meat wasn't purchased and they wanted to get rid of it quickly. It was one of the best steaks we have had in awhile and Jeff grilled it to perfection (hurray for good weather!).

Now you have read all about my rice obsession, along with talk of tofu and beef. I wouldn't want pork to feel left out...

This post is part of Sunday Ceramics  head on over there and check out what's happening this week!

Pottery, Food, Friends, Fun!

I am getting ready for a long overdue raku firing. My friend Bonnie came today and she worked on some beads and pendants for the firing, while I threw some new bead racks on the wheel, along with a plate to hold flat pendants during the firing. The best thing about having friends in the studio is taking a lunch break together!

 Bonnie brought a nice bottle of red wine and I whipped up some Korean pancakes served with a side of kimchi. What's a Korean meal without kimchi?

Aside from pottery lessons, Jeff also gives lessons on how to use chopsticks. We had lots of fun, and only one of us resorted to a fork. But I'm not telling who.

The holidays are over and the photo booth is back on the dining room table. I will be adding new pots to the Etsy shop over the next few days, be sure to check it out.

workin' at the coop...

Last month when we selected our co-op days we knew Jeff would be gone for half the month so we had to choose our days around that. I ended up taking three days in one week. Some members like to do it that way but I like to spread them out a little. We have a few special orders of piggy banks to fill so I decided to plan their conception around my time at the co-op. Jeff threw 19 bodies for me the other day. I assembled half at home and I took the rest with me to the co-op. I like to make the most of my time while I am here...

The money slot is a pain to cut. Measuring, trying to be accurate, etc...

Jeff and I had been talking about making a slot cutting tool for awhile and yesterday he made one for me!

Created with two hole cutters, wire and a board. Not fancy at all but it does the trick neatly and quickly.

In between pigs I had a yummy lunch of spicy Asian noodles with some fresh kimchi from the Korean market in Greensboro. Smelly but hot and tasty...

I think we have enough kimchi in our fridge to last a year! When be bought it, it had just been made and it is supposed to get better in time...
and probably smellier.