This recipe definitely falls under my “favorites” category—along with soft baked cookies, funky cheeses, and anything coffee-flavored. Perhaps it’s because Bibimbap perfectly caters to my love of sampling a ton of delicious foods at once. Thanks to oodles of separately prepared, almost mini dishes, Bibimbap is extra full of flavor, plus it can be tailored however you like it.
Also, as you may know if you’ve seen any of my Monthly Language Reports on YouTube, I’m currently learning Korean and definitely one of my favorite things about Korea and Korean culture is the food. I think I’ve basically loved every Korean dish that I’ve tried, so it’s always fun to share another favorite here on La Kocinera.
It’s really amazing what contentious issue a simple smoothie can be. Everybody has different ideas of what to put in them and when they taste just right. For some, it’s all leafy greens and powdery proteins. For others, it’s practically a milkshake. Any way you look at it, smoothies are a surprisingly individual creation. I especially discovered this simple truth while creating this recipe.
After toiling away in the kitchen for a whole five minutes to make this masterpiece, I headed into the living room to have my sister do a taste test. Personally, I already thought the smoothie tasted good. It had tons of fresh fruit flavor with an ever so slightly sour zing at the end, thanks to using Greek yogurt and orange juice. So, you can imagine my surprise when my sister totally didn’t like it! She thought it was too sour and there wasn’t enough peach flavor. After going back into the kitchen and adding a tablespoon or two more honey, she approved. Then I tasted it and thought it was awful.
Basically, I learned that it’s very hard to make a mutually agreeable smoothie. Not that it’s a big issue in the grand scheme of things, but it is an oddity. Hence, the recipe that I’m giving you today has two important characteristics…
(1) It makes one serving, so multiple people can tweak and tailor their version however they’d like.
(2) The ingredients are totally flexible. My sister actually thought it would be more refreshing with ice instead of yogurt, which I used to make it more of a filling breakfast smoothie. The amount of honey is also very negotiable.
So, without further ado, here’s a full step-by-step of my way to make a Strawberry Peach Smoothie.
First, frozen peaches.
As I try to write this post and, more importantly, try to figure out how I went over a month without posting anything, I, along with you, find myself completely baffled. In my earlier days of blogging I never really understood how a blogger could just “end up” going a long stretch of time without posting. But of course when I began this blog I had just finished my first year of college and had a lot less responsibilities and grown-up concerns vying for my attention compared to now. Still, though, I can’t believe I’ve gone so long without so much as a peep. So, in order to sort out both your and my confusion, I present you with a pie chart…
It’s truly surprising that these events managed to keep me away from blogging for the past month. Although I guess working on these videos and the recipe they contain still counts as active blogging, but still. All I can say in my defense is that this recipe is super duper awesome, not only because of its actual combination of flavors, but also because I’ve successfully found a way to get cinnamon rolls into your eager hands quicker than ever before.
Sometimes the easiest foods are the most delicious, wouldn’t you agree? Most of the time, I mean. Obviously not if we’re talking about microwave mac n’ cheese. Such exceptions excluded, something has to be said for the sweet, sweet taste of gaining a bit of free time here and there.
This lovely dish of delicate sole baked with juicy grape tomatoes and earthy olives gives us just that. It’s special and fancy enough that it feels like a treat, but still so beautifully quick and easy that you can make it for dinner tonight. Especially if you go the classy route and bake it in nonstick aluminum foil rather than folded parchment paper origami packets. Because, as the saying goes, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
English: There are few things that I love more than food shopping, especially when it’s in a store like Trader Joe’s, full of nothing but brand new foods I’ve never tried before. I’m seriously like a kid in a candy store. Plus, since this lovely establishment has only been in Texas for about a year, I’m still exploring a lot and finding tons of new favorite products. From their seriously gorgeous produce (with so much variety!) to their array of tempting chocolate-y treats to their impressive inventory of natural, organic products, I’m in love and I finally understand the blogging world’s obsession.
Español: Hay pocas cosas en el mundo que me encantan más que la compra de comida, especialmente cuando tiene lugar en una tienda como Trader Joe’s, llena de nada más que comestibles totalmente nuevas que nunca antes he probado. En serio, soy como "a kid in a candy store," o una niña en una confitería. Además, como este lindo establecimiento solo ha estado en Tejas por más o menos un año, todavía estoy explorándolo mucho y encontrando un montón de productos favoritos. Desde sus productos agrícolas bellísimas (¡con tanta variedad!) hasta sus chocolates tentadores hasta sus muchos productos naturales y orgánicos, me he enamorado y por fin entiendo la obsesión del mundo bloguero con esta tienda.
That’s right, more videos! In case you had been wondering about my somewhat sparse posting during the month of January, here’s the reason why. Over the past couple of weeks I have been brainstorming, testing, filming, and editing a brand new food video featuring one of my all-time favorite foods—Tortilla Soup. In between the video business I also went back to school for the spring semester as well as took on some more hours at work, hence such a rather inordinate time away from my dear blog.
Explanations aside, I’m really excited to have made another food video as well as start little side project on YouTube as part of my efforts to learn Korean. It’s called “Monthly Language Report” and it basically involves filming a video of yourself each month in the language you’re learning in order to track your progress and see your improvement as time goes on. Besides being a fun hobby for the new year, I especially wanted to participate in this project because it's affiliated with Talk To Me In Korean, the fantastic website where I have been doing the majority of my Korean studies. They’ve got such a great website and have built a wonderful, interesting community around it.
So, whether you’d like to learn how to make what I consider to be the best Tortilla Soup recipe ever (not that I’m bragging or anything…) or whether you’d like to see a Monthly Language Report in action, check out the videos and recipes below!
I’ve seen a big change in my personality over the past few winters. As a teenager I really enjoyed the winter, relishing its cold, cloudy days as a respite from the regular humidity and glaring sunshine that seemed swelteringly eternal. I liked the moodiness of the weather and the excuse to pile on layers of sweaters. My house felt like a dark, cozy cave for reading books and watching movies.
But now I’ve completely changed my mind. I find the early evenings and rainy atmosphere gloomy and stagnant. I no longer revel in the chilly gusts of wind nor the confinement of huge blankets. I miss the ability to comfortably step outside without a jacket. Not to mention all the beautiful seasonal produce like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I’m so sick of hearty root vegetables it’s not even funny. But most of all, I miss the sun. Yes, I who used to have a borderline vampiric love of the dark am now obsessed with sunshine. I’m totally ready for the sun to set at 8pm again. This 4:30pm business is just poopy.
So, it’s from this total 180 of character that this recipe was born. Nothing says “I’m ready for spring and I’m ready for it now” like a colorful couscous salad and light, yummy salmon. Like a spring day, this dish is unpretentious, lovely, and natural. All you need to do is make a quick batch of Israeli couscous (amazingly delicious and delightfully chewy) and throw in a bunch of refreshing produce.
I say “produce” because I’m still not sure if tomatoes, avocadoes, and cucumbers are fruits or vegetables.
Personally, I consider all of them vegetables, despite Google’s attempts to tell me otherwise.
(1) Simple is better.
As a foodie, I constantly have to restrain myself from going overboard on any major holiday, but Thanksgiving makes it an especially difficult task. There are just so many options! So many herbs, spices, and ingredients to explore! The problem is, however, that if every Thanksgiving dish on the table is unique, edgy, and unexpected they all lose their impact. Nobody knows where to focus and, as a result, all of those star ingredients and crafty new techniques get tragically overlooked. It’s a mistake that I’ve made several times and an experience with which I am familiar.
This year was different. Rather than coat the turkey with a thousand different Italian herbs, stuff the cavity with exotic tropical fruits, and pipe my name in mashed potatoes on top (note: I have thankfully never gone this far), I opted for a beautifully simple bird seasoned only with garlic butter, salt, and pepper.
You and me both know that there’s no pretty way to photograph an entire roasted turkey, so that’s the best picture we’ll be seeing.
Beyond the turkey, I stuck to traditional sides and occasional, minute variations, which we’ll talk about in my next tip…
