doyd.net

2010 in review

| Doyd

Thank you everybody who supported and followed my blog for 2010.  I hope to write more in the coming months.

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,700 times in 2010. That’s about 9 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 37 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 29 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 49mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was May 11th with 127 views. The most popular post that day was Doyd’s Spicy Mackerel Stew.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were doyd.net, maangchi.com, stumbleupon.com, twitter.com, and healthfitnesstherapy.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for doyd74, sutamyeon, jajangmyeon, dokbukki recipe, and korean black bean noodles.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Doyd’s Spicy Mackerel Stew May 2010
4 comments

2

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Paste Noodle) May 2010

3

Duk bokki (Spicy rice cakes 떡볶이) July 2010
2 comments

4

Igname Patbingsu (Purple Yam Patbingsoo) June 2010

5

About April 2010
3 comments

It’s a Princess!

| Doyd

It’s been months; I agree.  I have my reasons and here’s my proof 🙂

It’s not a joke to undergo first trimester specially if you’re the kind of woman that I am.  I’ve been sick (to my stomach) – worst case of morning sickness ever.  If you put yourself in my shoe, I don’t know if you will have the energy, will-power and motivation to write up something on your blog as well (LOL!!!).

I am 20 weeks pregnant now and we are expecting a baby girl Spring of 2011.  My precious Jade will be a big sister soon.  Bok and I will be parents to two beautiful princesses.  I really can’t wait… ahhhh… uhmm… actually, I “can” wait.  I want to enjoy each day that I am pregnant because this is all part of our family history.  Now that I am feeling much better, I am more content.

I cannot blog on new recipes yet because since I had an extreme case of morning sickness… I stopped cooking for 3 months!!!  IMAGINE THAT?  3 long months!  I just can’t stand the smell and my energy was to it’s extreme low.  So to all of you who are awaiting for another “secret” recipe (as if… LOL!) by me, you’d better be more patient. 

I was thinking of sharing recipes on how to make baby food when our new baby arrives.  Wouldn’t that be interesting?

Okay, now I need name suggestions for a girl.  Feel free to message me! 

Before I go, I just wanted to say that my favorite ultrasound photo is the last one at the bottom right.   She was nibbling on her cute tiny foot 🙂

Happy Holidays to all!

Duk bokki (Spicy rice cakes 떡볶이)

| Doyd

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Also known as Tteokbokki, this is a popular Korean snack food.  I first tasted this from the to-go counter at a local Korean Supermarket.  My husband likes this a lot and because it’s so easy to make, we prefer making our own than buying from the store.

Here’s my easy recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

Rice Cake (Tubes), Green Onions, Fish Cake, Red Bell Peppers, Hot Pepper Paste, Dried Anchovy, Sugar, Sesame Oil and Water

Prepare your ingredients: Wash the rice cakes in cold water and separate the tubes into individual pieces. Slice the fish cakes, green onions and mince the bell pepper.

In a shallow pan, add 3-4 cups of cold water and add 5-10 large pieces of dried anchovies depending on your taste(making sure to remove the heads and intestines).  Cover your pan and boil for a couple of minutes over medium high heat.  Remove the anchovies and add the rice cakes, 5 Tbsp. of hot pepper paste and 1 Tbsp. of sugar.  Mix and simmer for 1 minute.

Add the remaining ingredients, bell peppers, fish cakes and green onions.  Keep cooking and stir until the spicy sauce thickens.  Before serving, add a dash of sesame oil.  Serve warm!!  Perfect snack, appetizer, or meal.  Enjoy!!!

Dusk at Laguna

| Doyd

 

My husband and I first saw Laguna Beach in 2001, thanks to our long time friend, Ken 🙂  I still remember walking along the beach that night, enjoyed the nice dinner at a restaurant along the Pacific Coast highway, looking at all the local art stores and gift shops, and finally ended the night with ice cream (as always when with Ken!).

I also remember driving down the very steep road at downtown Laguna Beach. That was such a thrill!!! Specially on Ken’s stick-shift driven sedan… Oh! It was like a rollercoaster ride!

What best reminds me of this beach are the good old days when my big brother was living with me and Bok. It was just a 10-minute drive from our home to the beach. My Kuya loves this place and he bikes along Highway 1. Brings back the memories when we enjoyed each other’s company.

Enjoy the photo and I hope it makes you feel the beauty of this place as well.

Easy Kimchi (막김치)

| Doyd

During my first month of blogging, I posted a collage of the same photos.  This time, I was able to organize my pictures so you can see them on a slideshow.  I hope you like my pictures and I hope it inspires you to make your own.

I got this recipe from Maangchi’s easy-to-make pickled season cabbage recipe.   She simply makes korean cooking look so easy 🙂

Happy weekend to all!!!

Mak Kimchi_4689438363_l

Daddy’s Filipino Pork and Chicken Adobo

| Doyd
Daddy Jun's Special Adobo
Daddy Jun’s Special Adobo

When I miss my Dad, I always think of Adobo.  Pork and Chicken Adobo is a classic Filipino hearty meal served with steaming white rice and some fresh ripe mangoes on the side.  My Dad used to make the BEST Adobo and he cooks it with precision and love.  He even cooks adobo using other ingredients like squid, local vegetable greens, pork hocks and more.

I like to make adobo because it stores well in the fridge.  Since it is cooked with a good quality vinegar, it lasts longer in the fridge than other meat recipes.

I remember when I was little and we had a school field trip for Girl Scouts, my Dad would cook adobo so I can pack it for our lunch. We did not have insulated lunch bags before 🙂  and keeping my rice and adobo in a Tupperware lunchbox was enough to keep my lunch fresh and ready for eating.

There are many recipes online on how to make this.  My recipe was handed down to me by my Dad so to me, it is a very special recipe dear to my heart and unfortunately, I am not willing to share 😛

I may not be the best Adobo cook but still, each time I follow the step-by-step instructions my Dad taught me, it reminds me of the good happy days as I watch him do his tricks in our small kitchen.

I know maybe you’re thinking, then why am a blogging about Adobo??? Because I want to share my photos 🙂

Okay, here’s a link I found on how to cook Adobo.

I miss you Daddy! This is for you!

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Igname Patbingsu (Purple Yam Patbingsoo)

| Doyd

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Summer is the season I am not so excited about. Not only because of the heat, but because of the yearly wild fires in California.  What makes summer fun and exciting?  Creating and whipping up refreshing meals and desserts to cool down my family on a very hot and windy summer day.

Patbingsu is a famous Korean snack/dessert served with shaved-ice, mixed fresh fruits, some rice cakes, sweetened azuki beans (known as “Pat”) and frozen yogurt or ice cream. 

Living in a community that doesn’t have any Filipino restaurants, I sometimes crave for my childhood favorite summer treat, Pinoy Halo-Halo (translated to English as Mix-Mix).  Patbingsu is the closest I could find that is similar to Halo-Halo.

I wanted to create something that I could call my own so instead of putting frozen yogurt or green tea ice cream, I tried Igname (purple yam) ice cream and it turned out great! purple yam (or Ube in tagalog) ice cream is a very famous ice cream flavor for Filipinos and I remember eating this as I was growing up.  Buying from street vendors known as “mamang sorbetero.”  I always ask for the purple yam flavor and the classic cheese ice cream.

I first heard about Patbingsu from a friend who is married to a Korean and she always goes to a korean market who sells Patbingsu.  My first taste of this dessert did not really give me too much excitement but that was because the seller’s version wasn’t that good.  When I tasted another kind of Patbingsu with a good quality frozen yogurt on top, I really started to like it. 🙂

Luckily, I live close to a Korean Market so I have all my ingredients easily available.  It’s very easy to make:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Fresh strawberries (sliced or diced)
  • Golden kiwi (sliced or diced)
  • Canned sweetened Azuki beans
  • Fresh melon (diced into small pieces)
  • Cold seedless watermelon (diced into small pieces)
  • Shaved-ice
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Small pieces of tteok (rice cakes)
  • Bananas (optional)
  • Corn flake cereal (optional)
  • Purple Yam ice cream (available in your local Chinese/Filipino supermarket)

To assemble, start dicing and slicing the fresh fruits.   Shave some ice to cover about 1/3 of a bowl or cup.  Top the shaved ice with the fruits, tteok, corn flakes and azuki beans. Pour a little bit of condensed milk according to sweetness that you desire.  Then finally,  put one scoop of purple yam ice cream.

Enjoy and stay cool!!!!! 🙂

Dance of the Irish

| Doyd

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Dance of the Irish“, posted with vodpod

 

A break from cooking and photography. 

I love listening to my short video collection of Jade’s music.  She works so hard on each song and we are simply proud of her.  

Enjoy this song.  It’s called “Dance of the Irish” and for her age and level, this is a difficult song but she pulled-it-off well. 

Good job Jade! …. and a pretty smile too 🙂 

Make a Bento Box

| Doyd

I am crazy for Bento and my dream is to become a  Bento Chef 🙂  Is there such a person? 

To prepare a bento box,  first of all, even before you start being creative, you need to have the money to buy all these tiny things to make your bento look really cute.  I love purchasing small bento accessories.  I buy only the best ones I like and keep them for future use.  These accessories are quite pricey considering that most of them are disposable so if you are practical, try to reuse these super cute bento accessories.  I am into knick knacks when it comes to cooking and I adore the colorful creations seen at Japanese Bento books.  When I see the photos of wonderfully made bento boxes, I always wish I could make that too.

Here, I created a simple bento box for lunch.  What’s included?

  1. Pan Fried Alaskan Salmon fillet
  2. Brown rice with pre-cut sea weed topping
  3. Seasoned blanched Broccoli
  4. Seasoned Spinach
  5. Fresh-cut Nectarines

Here’s how I made it:

For the Salmon, I just seasoned the salmon with salt and pepper then pan-fried with Olive Oil, about 5-8 minutes per side on Medium high until the skin is crispy.

For the Broccoli, boil water into a tiny pot or saucepan and season with salt.  Blanch the broccoli for a minute then drain and quickly rinse under cold water.  Using the same saucepan, brown some garlic on olive oil then add the blanched broccoli.  Season with a mixture of light soy sauce, a dash of sugar and some cooking sake.

For the Spinach, boil water into a tiny pot and season with salt.  Blanch 1 bunch of spinach then wash in cold water, drain and squeeze off the excess liquid.  Randomly chop to create bite sizes of the spinach.   Season with minced fresh garlic, light soy sauce, dash of sugar, tiny drop of sesame oil and a few pinches of sesame seed.

For the Brown Rice, cook it accordingly.  You can use left-over rice that you have in your fridge.   I just used my sushi mold to shape the rice like so (see photo) then topped it with a pre-cut seasoned laver (sea weed). 

For the Nectarine, cut into bite sizes and add into the bento.

I try my best to keep my seasoning at its minimum to make sure my cooking will taste as natural as it is. 

If you have some quick bento recipes to share, please do share to me 🙂