My Kitchen has Moved!!!

Mom's kitchen has moved, and I don't mean to a new website.  I mean my actual, physical kitchen has moved.  I guess technically, it wasn't the kitchen that moved but it was me that moved to a new kitchen.  My husband had a great opportunity at work, and all it meant was that our family of six had to move from Canada to Korea in five weeks.  Trust me, that was not as easy as it sounds.

Anyway, we have moved and are settling in to our new home.  I have found a couple of markets and grocery stores, and thankfully there are a lot more English labels than I was anticipating.  I don't speak Korean, and I don't read Korean, so I am grateful.  The people we have seen are very friendly and helpful and forgiving of my blundering attempts.  They are also fascinated by a family with four blonde kids.

I am trying many new things - both at home and in restaurants, so join me as I learn to shop, cook and eat all over again.

Goodbye Canada!!

Hello Korea!!

Basic Bread

I have made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized.  It is easy to adapt for things like rolls, cinnamon buns, etc.; and you can use different combinations of flour.  This amount makes two loaves, which is the amount of dough that a Kitchenaid mixer will mix.  It doubles or triples easily.  It is a great beginner recipe.

Basic Bread

2 c lukewarm water

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt

1/3 c vegetable oil

6 c flour

Mix ingredients, kneading in the last of the flour.  Knead until smooth.  Let rise in a covered bowl until doubled in size.  Punch down, then shape into loaves.  Let rise in the pans, then bake 20 min at 400.

Oatmeal Cookies

I got this recipe from an old church cookbook that my grandmother gave me when she was cleaning out her apartment.  It's the best oatmeal cookie recipe I have found, and I have made it many, many times.

Oatmeal Cookies

1 c margarine

1 c white sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 flour

2 1/2 c rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix well in order given.  Bake about 10 minutes at 400 for crispy cookies or 375 for chewy.

Makes about 6 dozen.

  

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

This is a basic rolled cookie recipe.  They are even better with icing and sprinkles.  My husband likes them best frozen, because as a child he used to steal sugar cookies from the freezer.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

1/3 c butter

1/3 c shortening

3/4 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

dash salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

Blend butter, shortening and sugar well.  Add ingredients in the order given.  Chill for 3 hours, or until easy to handle.

Bake 375  7 - 8 min.

Makes 3 -4  dozen.

A recipe for stew?

I know a lot of people think it's strange, but I use a recipe for stew.  I have used the same recipe for over ten years.  Lots of people use the fridge-cleaning method for stew, which is fine, but then you never know what you're going to get.  I like the consistency of knowing how it's going to turn out.

This is one of G1's favorite meals.  It goes perfectly with biscuits and is good as leftovers.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1/2" cubes

4 med carrots, sliced

4 or 5 med potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2 onion, diced

3 c vegetable cocktail (V8 or store brand)

3 tbsp quick-cook tapioca

3 tsp beef broth powder

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot.  Cook on low for 9 - 10 hours.

About an hour before your going to eat, you can check to make sure the vegetables are cooking enough.  If you like them softer, you may want to turn it to high for a bit.  It depends on your preferences and the age of the vegetables.

Lightning McQueen Birthday Cake

B2 just turned four.  Since he is one of the biggest Lightning McQueen fans in the world (from the movie CARS), he wanted a Lightning birthday cake.  I offered to do a cake that looked like Lightning, or try something fancy, but he just wanted a cake "exactly the same as last year."

So here it is, a great cake for any car fan, and very easy to make.

The grass is green icing made with the decorating tip with a bunch of little holes.  It is my favorite for doing grass, hair, etc.  It is just fun to use.  The road is black sugar.  That gives it a little sparkle, and it is a lot easier than trying to make black icing.  Lightning is one of his toy cars, and the candle in the middle is the same one he used last year.  I think I'd better save it for next year just in case.  If CARS 2 comes out, this fascination could last for a long time.

The Hole in my Kitchen

I'm finally back.  It has been an interesting month.  After Christmas, I got a hole in my kitchen.  It is not all bad.  My husband decided that he was going to put hardwood floor in.  We have been planning on it for a while, and now he's getting it done.  The only difficulty is that it's hard to cook when your stove and half your cupboards are gone.

I am used to baking at least two or three times a week, so I was going through withdrawal.  It is different to run to the store for fresh rolls for supper, etc.  I have been cooking creatively, using my crock-pot and new rice cooker a lot.

These are not complaints.  The floor is looking good and my oven is now back.

Here's how it looked:

having fun in the empty cupboard!