Today's Cooking Class - Japchae!!

Today, I used carrots, white onion, green onions and napa cabbage. I usually also use zucchini, but didn't have any on hand. I really think you can use whatever veggies you like and even throw in some bulgogi or other meat.

In a Wok, saute the veggies (julienne or slice them) one by one in sesame oil and season with salt and pepper till tender, but still have a bite to them. I cooked the white onions and little bit of leftover napa cabbage together here.

Have a large bowl to throw them in till you're ready to combine.

Cook the glass noodles according to package directions, here's the kind I like to use.

Once cooked, drain and in a separate bowl, combine with sesame oil, soy sauce and a little sugar.

I use two eggs and heat up some sesame oil, then poor the beaten eggs into the Wok and tilt Wok in a circle till the egg spreads evenly into a thin omelette. Flip once and then slice julienne.

Heat vegetable oil in Wok and throw in some garlic, then add all the vegies, noodles and egg back to the Wok and cook until combined adding salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil to taste.

Serve on a large plate and chow down!!! I ate mine with a side of kimchi today!! Yum!

Korean food rocks!

Hard to believe

that these are pictures of a girl who has a double ear infection as well as a viral infection and rash! Couple all that with a 104 temperature and it's amazing she's even up walking around! She woke with a fever yesterday and by 4pm it had spiked to 104 even with meds. I made an appointment with the doctor for this morning as the rash appeared once again on her face and torso. This is now her third viral infection with a rash since being home. The double ear infection doesn't help and she was less than pleased to see the doctor, whom she is absolutely terrified of since having her shots last month. She is now on her very first round of antibiotics since being home (which I think is pretty good!) and from her records in Korea, I do not think she's had any other illness that required antibiotics before. We have a great doctor, one who has seen big brother since birth and we really like her. Apparently, the CDC predicts that this winter is going to be the worst by far for illness. Not surprising, given all the new strains of flu and who knows what out there. We are so thankful that this baby has been so healthy since arriving home, but for the few small bumps here and there, and pray that it will stay that way. She's settled in for a long afternoon nap (hopefully!) and I'm thinking about the same (but I'm pretty sure the four year old calling my name as we speak has other plans!)

And that cute hat that Zoey is wearing is from my friend Kelly's store, briarclaire.etsy.com. For every hat purchased this month, they are donating one to a children's cancer hospital! So far, they've been able to donate 251 hats!!

So funny!

Zoey was sitting on my lap today while I attempted a one handed email reply (getting pretty good at those!) and started knocking things off the desk and laughing hysterically! I had to grab the camera and see if she would do it sitting in the chair on her own, and she did! This laugh just makes me smile!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Robot.

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Operation "Get Zoey to stay still long enough to snap a picture!"

Successful!

She only cooperated for five outfit changes, but the pictures turned out cute to add to my etsy store! Be sure to check it out!!

http://zoeyndot.etsy.com

My new hobby.

Well, after a little thought and a lot of work, I decided to turn a hobby and a passion of mine into my own little etsy store!

You can check it out here: http://zoeyndot.etsy.com

Th passion...being an advocate for adoption.

Several of the onesies I make currently are inspired by our adoption journey and for every sale made, $2.00 will go to Holt International!

All these cute little onesies are great paired with jeans, leggings or even a skirt and for colder weather, let them peak out of your little one's sweaters or jackets!

I'm dying to show off how cute they are on Miss Zoey, but unfortuanetly our wild 14 month old has been less than cooperative! As soon as I can snap some good ones, I'll replace the pictures currently shown!

I hope you enjoy and would love to hear what you think!

Every Time.

Every few weeks or so we make a trip to our local Korean Market. It's actually called "Korean Market"!

Anyway, every time we go, I have kids in tow and usually get a few questions or stares mostly directed at my red headed son!

And every time we go, we find new things to explore and make.

And every time, my son tries a different kind of Korean candy.

And every time, there is a sweet little lady out front who hands us a brochure of the local Korean church service.

And every time, I walk by the Cuckoo Rice Makers and wish they weren't $300 so I could buy one.

And every time, I place my items on the counter and the cashier proceeds to speak to me in Korean and every time, I have to remind her that "I only speak English".

And every time, I obsess the whole way home about not speaking Korean.

It bothers me more now than it ever did that I do not speak Korean. When we decided to adopt, I was on a mission to learn and my goal was to be able to speak in sentences to our babies' foster mother. Well, time and money held up that goal and here we are, five months home and every time I leave that dang Korean market, I leave feeling disappointed.

The truth is, I wish that when the cashier asked me in Korean if what I had was green onions or leeks (yes, they were that similar in size, I think the produce there is on steroids!), I would be able to just switch on my Korean and tell her that yes, in fact, they are green onions.

The assumption has always been there...when I worked at the bank, Korean customers would wait in my line and then proceed to speak to me in Korean. When my husband was playing ball, he had teammates tell him that they were surprised I didn't have an accent. While on my way to Korea, not one flight attendant spoke to me in English. When I arrived at the airport, the van driver also started his introduction in Korean. When I arrived at the Holt Guesthouse, the doorman immediately spoke 3-4 sentences before I had to stop him. While shopping in the fabulous markets in Korea, I would hesitate to say hello in Korean for fear that then they would assume I spoke it. When either Rai's foster mother (http://maryannandaaron.blogspot.com) or Zoey's foster mother spoke, they would look directly at me rather than the interpretor. And I would just sit and wait for the translation or just guess at the topic on hand.

Around our house, we use a few Korean words. I always say both the Korean and English word for Thank You, no, goodbye and hello, just to name a few. When Zoey hears her Korean lullabies, she perks up and her dancing has a little more step in it!

So what do I wish would come from this?

I certainly do not wish to throw my self a pity party. I am proud to be adopted, Korean, and an American citizen and now an adoptive parent.

I just wish that one day, I will be able to walk up to that counter at the Korean Market and when she asks me if I have green onions or leeks, I tell her in fluent Korean that they are green onions and I need them for the delicious Chapjae that awaits me at home!! And I wish that both of my children will feel the blend of two cultures in their lives. I wish that when we return to Korea some day in the future that I will be able to thank her foster families without an interpretor. I wish that when asked if I speak Korean, I can say, "Yes, I do!" And I wish that if either of my children, especially Zoey, want that too, they will get the opportunity to learn.

Sure, I have the $50 version of "Korean for Beginners" sitting in my desk drawer that I have pulled out on occasion. But it's confusing, moves too fast and isn't comprehensive. So my mission is to forgo all other Christmas and birthday (which is two weeks after Christmas, so the gifts are usually lame anyway!) gifts and save up for Rosetta Stone Korean. And if all goes well, then six months after that, I will walk into that Korean Market and give you the full report of what went down!!

And leave it to my four year old to put a smile on face as we stood in a crowded line to checkout by yelling, "Man, mommy, there sure is a lot of Korean people in here!"