{Recipe} 계란말이 Gaeran Mari - Korean Stuffed Omelette

One of our favorite side dishes is Gaeran Mari (계란말이), which is a Korean stuffed omelette. It is very similar to Tamagoyaki, which is a sweet Japanese rolled omelette but ingredients and technique is just a little bit different...both are perfect in any Bento though! We do love them both but I usually make this one more often as the kids love the gim (seaweed/nori) and veggies. 

The ingredients are very simple and you probably have everything you need right in your cupboards (ok, maybe not the seaweed ^^). With Gaeran Mari you can make it without the seaweed and also add any veggies you like...you even add a little bit of diced ham if you'd like!

Today, these are the ingredients I used:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup frozen veggies
• 1 sheet of gim (seaweed)
• 1/2 tsp of minced onion 
• 1 teaspoon of lite soy sauce
• olive oil to grease the pan (you can also use cooking spray)

Preparation:

1. Whisk your egg, then add the soy sauce, onion and veggies until well combined. (I cook and slightly mash the frozen veggies ahead of time).
   
2. In a lightly greased saute pan, pour egg mixture and heat slowly over low heat.
   
3. Wait until the egg is almost cooked through, then place seaweed sheet on top of the omelette.
   
4. Roll the omelette gradually into a tight roll by lifting side with spatula or chopsticks. Let it cook a few seconds longer after the omellete is rolled to seal it up good.
   
5. Transfer your omelette carefully onto a plate then let it rest for a few minutes to cool. I usually tightly wrap a paper towel around it to soak up any excess oil and to firmly hold it's shape while it's cooling. 
6. Once the omelette is firm and cool, slice into 1/2-1 inch pieces depending on your preference (you don't want to slice too thinly or it will fall apart when slicing). 

We usually serve our Gaeran Mari with rice but today the kids had theirs with some noodles! Yummy :)

Bento Love ♥

img via cookinggallery.blogspot.com

With obesity in young children on the rise here in the USA, I think it's really important to provide them with healthy meals & snacks...and that goes for their school lunches as well! This is why I have made the decision to make the twinkies Bento lunches once they start kindergarten next fall. Bento is home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine but it's popularity across the world is growing everyday. A traditional bento meal consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables. There are so many different bento meal options out there, and some are just down right adorable, which I think makes the kids way more interested in their lunch then they might normally be! Bento making can be very easy or slightly time consuming depending on which way you decide to make it. A lot of the tools to make them "cute" are very inexpensive and you can find them easily at amazon, ebay (Bento Obento is my fave ♥), or at your local Asian market - if you are lucky enough to live near one!

Here is a list of some of my favorite Bento making websites:

• http://cookinggallery.blogspot.com
• http://justbento.com
• http://www.annathered.com
• http://weelicious.com
• http://www.cookingcute.com
• http://www.mybentolicious.com

{Recipe} Noodle Pancakes!

In my journey to find asian style recipes for my little munchkins, I came across one I knew they would love & it‘s very easy to make…Noodle Pancakes! They love noodles, they love pancakes, and they love anything they can pick up and eat with their hands, so this was an all around win. This is probably the one thing they ask me to make the most. Noodle Pancakes are very versatile and you can make it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can add any meat or veggies you like & more often then not I fill mine with leftovers. The original recipe that I found was at one of my favorite recipe blogs, Table for 2...or more by Wendyinkk. You can see the original recipe HERE.

 {Ingredients}
1 pack ramen noodles
½ seasoning pack  or ½ tbsp of chicken bouillon powder
3 eggs
½ cup baby spinach
½ cup frozen mixed veggies
1 tsp lite soy sauce
½ cup cooked & diced chicken (meat is optional)
Canola cooking oil

Kpop & Kimochis

I am sure you might be wondering what Korean Pop and Kimochis have to do with one another....for me they have EVERYTHING to do with one another! It was how I discovered the wonderful world of Kimochis ♥

As you probably know by now I watch a lot of Korean television, mostly dramas, but I do watch the occasional variety or reality show. One of these reality shows is called "Hello Baby" & this past season it starred a Kpop group I love called MBLAQ. Hello Baby features a popular Kpop group every season & they raise toddlers for 3 months or so.....sounds scary right?! I don't think this would fly in the USA at all....but over there, it works (this was season 5)! In episode 4, they featured a therapy session with the children and they introduced them to the Kimochis.

About Me

My name is Jax and I am a stay at home wife & a mom to 4 yr old b/g twins & a 14 yr old daughter. I never planned on being a housewife, but here I am...5 years later & STILL trying to figure this all out!

I am a Mom to multi-cultural kids, so I try my best to incorporate all of our different traditions, food, & culture into our daily lives. I have always been a lover of all things Asian, so this for me is the fun stuff! My husband was born & raised in Asia and I‘m an American girl from New England…2 very different worlds, but it definitely keeps things interesting!

Two other very important things you should know about me: I am a HUGE fan of coffee & Korean Dramas…together, they = bliss ♥

I am also a bit of a ‘work in progress’ these days between trying to become a more organized person at our rented home & in life as well as trying to eat healthy & get in shape. I feel like sharing my progress will hold me more accountable and keep me on the right track.