Anyone Can Be a Foodie

I know...this is turning into such a foodie blog, but we're all "foodies" right? In that, we like to eat. Whether you like to prepare your food or not is a different issue. But you like to eat, so I'm going to assume that you don't mind my talking about all of the fabulous food that we make. And if you're a little bit jealous, well, I guess that's a little more incentive to visit us in this beautiful city!



I'll start with a little confession. When we left the Seattle area I was a typical Pacific Northwest coffee "snob". I loved my Starbucks (and I still do on the rare occasion that I get to go there!), and I brought my PNW beans with me. I bought a french press, so that I wouldn't have to worry about using a transformer or lugging a big coffee maker overseas. (Yes, of course they do sell coffee makers here, I just didn't want to have to buy one. There were already so many things on the list!) Then I arrived. Remember how when we moved in, the school provided some basic foodstuffs for us? One of those things was instant coffee. Here in Korea, they have their instant coffee down to a science. The Starbucks Via? It doesn't hold a candle to these little packets with the cream and sugar already mixed in. You literally dump the thing in the mug, add your hot water (from the water dispenser in every hallway at school and in every apartment), and you're ready to go. Being as busy as we are, and making my coffee at school 2-3 times a week, it had been pretty easy for me to stick with the instant.

Then, the other day, one of our new friends called me on it. "You're from Seattle and you drink that instant stuff?!" I didn't really have a response for her. There was nothing I could say to defend myself, so I pulled that french press out of the box and started making my own coffee every morning (that I'm home). But, I still don't drink it black. I had planned on picking up some vanilla syrup for my coffee when we go to Costco this week, but then I realized, if I can make my own caramel, I can make my own vanilla syrup, too. So, that's what I did yesterday morning. I now have two jars of vanilla syrup which should last me a while. That vanilla extract sure has been coming in handy!

This is one of the other things that I learned how to do the other day...because my kids are SO obsessed with watching every video they see on the internet (good thing they can't get on without me yet!), we ended up watching a video of how to make glaze icing on kingarthurflour.com. Did you know that you can easily sift flour or powdered sugar using just a whisk and a mesh colander? Definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments! I've never been much of a sifter, but this I can do! Especially if it makes my frosting turn out smooth and beautiful!

I ended up frosting most of our cookies myself because Eric took Kennedy on a double date with our friend and his daughter to Jamba Juice (it's about a 3 hour jaunt round trip, but the kids love it!). Cade put on a few sprinkles, but he was more interested in playing with his cars and building Lego bridges.

I only decorated about 3 dozen of the cookies for the kids' Christmas program tonight, so Kennedy and I can finish the rest next weekend. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to make another trip to Baking Alley already, but at least I know I can find what I need now.

I think they turned out pretty well! You should definitely check out that recipe if you're icing cookies this Christmas. It's awesome! I had never tried simply dipping the cookies into the frosting before, but it saved me a lot of time and it covers the surface so much better than spreading! Yup, I'm a regular foodie these days!