Rice Cake Soup

My mother would make rice cake soup (Tteokguk, 떡국) every year on Seollal (Korean New Year’s Day), the first day of the Lunar calendar and a very important holiday in Korean culture. Traditionally, according to Korean age reckoning, everyone’s age went up one year on Seollal, so the process wasn’t fully complete until you had a bowl of tteokguk. She'd sometimes make this soup on Western New Year’s day, January 1st, too, being that I'm also American.

Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk, 떡국)

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup (with 2 cans of water)

15-20 sliced tteok rice cakes

2 green onions, chopped

2 eggs

2 sheets of black seaweed paper

Fresh black pepper

Directions

1.       Bring the chicken noodle soup to boil, then add rice cakes and eggs. Lower to medium heat.

2.      Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes (depending how you like you’re egg cooked)

3.      Add onion, seaweed and black pepper. Serve immediately.

This is not an exact recipe for this traditional soup either. My family wasn't rich and my mother always improvised in the kitchen. This recipe is one of those improvisations. I'd say it's an 'Americanized' version to the Korean way. And who doesn't like chicken noodle soup? ;)

There's a funny side story to this post. I had asked my husband to run to the Korean market to grab the seaweed and rice cakes. When he couldn't find the rice cakes and asked one of the workers where he could locate them, his reply was, "Your wife's Korean." Ha ha! No question, he was totally confident in his statement.

So what's the meaning behind the rice cake soup? Like in some Eastern European cultures, they eat lentils on New Year's for good luck. The rice cakes are the good luck charms for Koreans, the disc-shaped rice cakes look like coins, symbolizing wishes for future prosperity for anyone who eats them. And the clearness of the soup symbolizes a clean, fresh start to the new year.

My husband LOVED it so much, he asked for it again the following day! Perhaps we will have some extra good luck this year? :) <3 Nothing but positive vibes, YEAH!

What's your annual New Year's meal? We'd love to hear yours! Happy New Year! (Again.)

Love & xx's,

Christmas Cookies

Happy the Day Before the Day Before You Know What! It's a rainy one here in New York and the perfect kind of day for endless amounts of baking! My apartment smells like a gingerbread house - and it's perfectly delightful! It's the first time I've ever baked actual gingerbread cookies (shocker!), but I have to say it was really easy! And the best part? The decorating of course!

Christmas Gingerbread Cookies w/ Icing

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 egg

• ½ cup molasses

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• Zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

1.     In a large bowl or standing mixer, combine the dry ingredients: Flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

2.     To the same bowl, add your butter, egg, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix until your dough comes together. Just beyond the stage seen in this photo, it'll become shiny and more like play dough.

3.     Shape your dough into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap and let the whole thing rest at room temperature for 1 hour (or you can leave it out for up to 8 hours if needed.)

4.     Working in two batches, roll out your dough with a rolling pin. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. If the dough sticks to your rolling pin, use just a little extra flour on the pin.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out your gingerbread men from the rolled dough. Place the cookies about an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with either silicone, parchment paper or greased. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies) at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

5.     Whatever shape you choose, cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before frosting.

6.     Use a small tipped pastry bag to make lines, polka dots, or any other finely detailed pattern. I use 3 large egg whites mixed with 14 oz. of confectioner's sugar. Whisk until it begins to form peaks and voila!
 

The shapes I used were Christmas trees, German Shepherds, dog bones, stars, and cute little gingerbread men. Of course I had to write MaQ's name on one of them!

I went with green, red, and white colors, though you can use whatever you want! Next time I would definitely like to add in some more sparkle, with a touch of silver and/or gold.

This is a great activity to do with the kids. It's not only fun but the time spent with the ones you love is what's priceless. Enjoy and be Merry! We can't wait to show you our annual Christmas photo! Stay tuned!

Love & xx's,

Christmas Coffee Cake

Happy December! During this month every year, I make a delicious coffee cake that I can never get enough of. I was obsessed with this streusel-filled cake, and only this cake, as a child – especially around the Holidays! It's the perfect side with your coffee on Christmas morning, but it's so scrumptious you'll want to have it every single day! It's not exactly the most healthy cake I've ever had, but every once in a while, you just got to treat yourself. With all the running around I need extra calories to burn! :P

Christmas Coffee Cake

Serves 9-12

Ingredients:

Batter:

1 ½ cups AP Flour

¾ cup sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

1 egg

Streusel filling:

½ cup brown sugar (packed)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ cup finely chopped nuts

2 Tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.       Grease 9 -10” springform pan

3.       Mix batter ingredients together, then add only half of the streusel filling in with the batter.

4.       Pour mixture into pan, sprinkle remaining ½ streusel mixture on top

5.       Bake 25-30 minutes. Let the cake sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I used walnuts for my chopped nuts, but you can use a variety of nuts if that's your thing. You can also substitute the butter with shortening, or to make it less fatty, substitute the butter with some applesauce! It's a great trick for those who are wanting a more healthy option when baking a cake!

I used a 10" springform pan to bake the batter in, but you can also use different sized baking pans such as 9x9x2, 8x8x2, or 9 x 1/2 round. From my experience the squarer the pan, the fluffier the cake will be! If you are into making it a more round shape, the cake will be more compact but still as yummy as ever!

Don't be surprised when you want a second (okay, maybe even a third) serving in one sitting! I'm not kidding when I say how truly good this cake is! Not a coffee drinker? This cake also goes perfect with tea or a glass of milk!

You can also add some dried fruit like apricot, cranberry, etc. but I'm not really into it because it reminds me too much of fruitcake, which I am soooo not a fan of! But it's always nice to mix things up!

What are some of your favorite Holiday baking recipes? I love sharing recipes and would love to see your version of a coffee cake! Stay tuned for more baked goodies coming up on the blog this month! Look out for gingerbread cookies and a Matcha pie! Yummy :)

Love & xx's,

maQ + Suz

Parsnip Risotto With Beets And Walnuts

We're less than a week from Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday and my love for cooking is at it's ultimate height this month! Lots of turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry everything; I'm drooling over my keyboard as I type!

Every year for Thanksgiving I try to come up with a different dish in addition to my more traditional dishes. This week, I tried out a recipe I discovered on Pinterest through the Love With Food website. A risotto lover (hubby included), I was excited with the idea of putting more earthy flavors and tones with the rice component. Parsnips are naturally sweet and have always paired well with the pungent taste of beets, in my opinion.

Parsnip Risotto With Beets And Walnuts

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 medium large parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 & 1/2 cups risotto rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups vegetable bouillon
• 100 grams walnuts, chopped
• 4 large beets, peeled and boiled
• 10 sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1/5 cup soy yogurt or soy cream
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Peel the onions and cut in small pieces.
2. Peel and cut parsnips in medium bite-sized chunks.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions until glassy.
4. Add the risotto rice and mix to coat the rice with the oil.
5. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has been absorbed.
6. Add the parsnips and half of the vegetable bouillon and cook, stirring until the bouillon has been absorbed. Add other half after, stirring continuously.
7. Slice the cooked beets.
8. Heat the vegan margarine in a second frying pan.
9. Add the chopped walnuts and lightly toast.
10. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add to the walnuts.
11. Add the beet slices and cook at light heat to warm the beets.
12. When the risotto is soft, add the soy yogurt and mix well.
13. Serve the risotto on a large serving platter with the beets and walnuts on top of the risotto and garnished with a dollop of soy yogurt (optional), a few walnut pieces and thyme leaves.

I love thyme and it perfectly goes well with the walnuts, though next time I would love to try this recipe with actual butter and cheese (mmmm... fatty alert) because the soy yogurt was really not my thing! I didn't even bother to add the dollop on top, though the recipe calls for it.

Are you a risotto fanatic like me? What are some of your favorite risotto recipes? Whatever plans you have for this weekend, we hope it's a relaxing and enjoyable one!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Mom & Dad's Spaghetti

With a Korean-Polish background, I didn't grow up eating much Italian. I was raised in the Detroit-area and there was certainly an Italian community. Sure, we got takeout pizza and even sometimes mostaccioli, but it never was a prominent cuisine in our house. We mostly ate Korean food since my Mom did most of the cooking, and sometimes my Dad would whip up one of his signature meals, like his incredible chicken and cabbage combo which was killer good. He even, if I can remember correctly, made some pretty decent lasagna at some point, but the irony is they both made spaghetti. Now, it's not from scratch. The sauce is mostly from a jar, but all together it is simply delicious. And it tastes like home- a place I wish I could revisit with the people I've lost whom I long to see the most.

I cooked the sauce in a Green Earth frying pan by Ozeri, which utilizes GREBLON - an ultra-safe ceramic coating from Germany which is 100% PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene) and PFOA (PerFluoroOctanoic Acid) free. The pan delivers enhanced heat distribution and superior non-stick performance without ever releasing harmful fumes or toxins. Groovy, huh! My sauce literally tasted better from cooking with this pan! I really recommend it into your everyday cooking. Though from many reviews, it doesn't seem to be long lasting. You can get one on Amazon today!

Mom & Dad’s Spaghetti

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 ounces button mushrooms, chopped

1 jar (1 lb. 8 oz.) Ragu® Sauce

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper, to taste

1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained

Instructions:

1. Brown ground beef until fully cooked through. Drain grease. 

2. Add in onion and green pepper, mixing in with the beef. Cook 2-3 minutes

3. Add garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes

4. Stir in Ragu® Sauce, including the 1/4 cup of water mixed in with the rest of the sauce from the bottle.

5. Place in bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer cooking 20-30 minutes.

6. Add in mushrooms last. Keeps it’s texture without turning it to mush. That’s how I love my mushrooms!

7. Don’t forget the s&p! Mix in with spaghetti noodles.

8. Garnish with parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese (optional).

This is the epitome of comfort food. Quick, easy and simply scrumptious - it is perfect for a Friday night in at home. While writing this blog post I, unfortunately, had CNN on my TV, breaking news of the attacks in Paris and of course, I can not write this entry without acknowledging this tragedy. My heart literally aches, I am incredibly sad. When will the hate stop? When will the world realize love truly conquers all? My thoughts and prayers are with you, Paris. Stay strong and keep those heads held up high. Don't ever let anyone rob you of your Goodness. Love and Light to all.

Please, PLEASE, please. Take care of each other and hold your loved ones a little tighter tonight, some will never be able to ever again. </3

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz