What's for dinner?

Isaac is an indiscriminate eater, loving all kinds of food from savory chunks of meat to strawberry ice cream. I am a reluctant carnivore, most content eating veggies and nibbling on creatures with low or no intelligence like fish and eggs. My husband has considerably broadened my food palette, and I'll eat and even enjoy meats when courtesy calls. But on my own, I still tend to stick to foods my pet rabbit would enjoy too.

So as a new wife, I am now learning what it's like to buy groceries and prepare food for Isaac as well as for myself. Unfortunately for my new groom, my only experience cooking is with foods that I enjoy eating. Compounding my rookie skills: different kitchen, different selection in grocery stores catered to different diets and cooking styles. I am starting to get more comfortable with it though. I've learned that the rice maker and the two-burner stove are my MVPs. 

I couldn't resist showing off our adorable squirrel rice paddle. We have a microwave as well, but I'm a bit of a reheating snob and prefer using the stove for that. I'll say it's on the second string though. There is no oven, but there is this fun dish-drying device. It has some function to help dishes dry more quickly - heat or air flow - but I just use it like a normal drying rack. It hangs above the sink.

So those are the players, the tools helping me learn grown-up skills.

Much of what I cook looks about the same. Ingredients cut up into small pieces, cooked in a pan, over rice. Simple and tasty.

There is some trait in my family, I think on Dad's side, that allows us to eat the same foods again and again and enjoy them just as thoroughly each time. I truly look forward to each daily variation of mixed rice that I make. A little Isaac voice in my head tells me to eat more protein so I try to include egg, tofu or mushrooms each time. For flavoring - often I leave it naked, other times soy and honey, lately diced kimchi.

 That is what my lunch looks like about every day. So what's for dinner? Poor Isaac. I'm learning.

One bit of Korea we incorporate into our meals are side dishes (banchan). Kimchi is the most famous and basic of these. Traditionally, families and neighbors make large batches of kimchi and other side dishes together and then split them. I go to the market and grocery store. We have cabbage kimchi and radish kimchi, both having the spicy and sour taste that make kimchi so delicious (and that make our entire refrigerator smell). I also like danmuji, sweet pickled radish, which is probably the favorite of most kids too. Once you have a taste for them, you realize that Korean side dishes truly complement almost any meal.

We both love breakfast foods. The day does not begin until I have eaten breakfast, and although Isaac somehow avoids eating a morning meal, he thoroughly enjoys the foods usually associated with it. "American Breakfast" has already become a regular on our dinner menu. And surprisingly, kimchi has squeezed its way into this meal too! Diced kimchi makes a stellar hashbrown mix-in.

A huge helping of spicy chicken with some veggies was easy to make, throw some side dishes down too and dinner is done. From left to right, that's cabbage kimchi, sweet radish, radish kimchi and seaweed in the middle.

I made two separate spaghetti sauces for this meal, and went a bit too crazy on the veggies and ended up making what looks like spaghetti salsa. I bet you can guess which one is Isaac's by its meaty hue. The garlic bread was on sale from a small bread shop across the street.

Korean-style curry is an easy and savory dinner option. Chop up veggies, add water and spices. I tried to get cute this time and topped Isaac's plate off with a spam heart.

Here are glamor shots of kimchi hashbrowns and curry.

Whenever we have a house in America, I think I will cook kimchi hashbrowns for all of our guests. They're so good.

Isn't the purple colored rice lovely? It's a mixed grain variety, and I don't think we will ever return to plain ol' white.



Did you notice that all of our dinners are on the floor? We have a dining room table, and we did eat at it one time. But we prefer eating on the floor. It's just one of those things we've always done together.

All of these dishes are pretty simple, but I'm just a rookie. I also still try to stick to my lazy goal of cooking everything in just one pan. I've got a lot to learn.