Banana Muffin

Banana muffins are quick, easy, super tasty and relatively guilt-free.
It is one of the best muffins that I've ever made - I have made it a lot of times.
I bake it when I have over ripe bananas - well, it is killing two birds with one stone!
Usually, I reduced the amount of sugar and add some nuts when I baked this muffin. Because eating less sugar and more nuts is a great eating habit!

How to bake it?   There is more than 2400 reviews and great ratings!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/42719/banana-muffins-ii/?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=banana%20muffins%20ii&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

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Korean BBQ Short Ribs - Galbi Gui

Galbi, also know as Korean BBQ is meaty and flavorful.
Succulent Korean BBQ Short Ribs are easy to make and grill up in minutes, but require marinating for tenderness. So I always marinate the short ribs a day before eating. 
Usually, people call it LA Galbi. So they buy LA Galbi cut of beef.  But I don't want sliced bone part. Because there is some bone dust on the LA Galbi - I have to wash several times and soak in the water for a long time - troublesome job! - So I bought chuck.

If you have never made any Korean food before Korean BBQ Short Ribs is a great dish to start with. Also kids love it and it is a great way to introduce them to an authentic dish from another county that they will enjoy eating.
My Mother used to cook this for our family or when friends came over in Korea. She still cook this dish on holidays like new year's day or Korean Thanksgiving day. So, it brings very special memories of my family.
Well, enjoy Korean BBQ - you will lick your fingers as you eat this.

Refer to   http://mykoreankitchen.com/2013/03/29/la-galbi/
( I replaced apple with Asian pear and pineapple - It help to make tender meat)


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Cake Pops

Valentine's day is just around the corner.
So, I searched for Valentine's day ideas. Actually, I was excited to try a new recipe.
Chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and cake pops....
I wanted to share sweet treats with my friends, so I chose cake pops. It looks good and easy to wrap it individually.
I started to search for cake pop video clips and watched those with easy and simple recipes. 
Making cake pops is easy and simple. But I didn't make a smooth coating on the cake pops. The melted chocolate was stiff and it made an uneven surface and sometimes the stick came out of the cake ball. OMG!
I tried to make a natural wave pattern on the cake pop surface. It was the best result.

Refer to here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XEBTdJ67i4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ3XfC-5v3Y

According to the video clips, a block of styrofoam makes a really good holder to stick the cake pops in while they are drying. But I didn't have it. So I used a steamer because there are a lot of holes. It's a good tip! - I think a colander is good, too.

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Stir-fried dried anchovies and dried shrimps - Korean side dishes

I will show Korean side dishes today. There are stir-fried dried anchovies (myulchi bokkeum) and stir fried dried shrimps (maleun saewoo bokkeum).
Myulchi is dried anchovy in Korean, bokkeum as you might have guessed refers to stir-fried dishes. When I was young, my mother often put it in my lunch box as a side dish. This is really low calorie and high calcium, so Korean parents regularly prepare it for children.
As far as I know, there are two variations of myulchi bokkeum, one of which is soy sauce-based and the other is hot pepper paste-based. So I used soy sauce-based for anchovies and pepper paste-based for shrimps.
Try eating it with some steamed rice. It's unbelievable tasty. You won't be able to stop!

Stir-fried dried anchovies.
Heat the pan on medium high and stir-fry dried anchovies without oil - it will remove the fishy smell.
Add cooking oil and stir fry anchovies and some nuts until light brown.

Put oligosaccharide (rice syrup - http://www.maangchi.com/ingredient/rice-syrup) on anchovies to taste and stir - I didn't put soy sauce because dried anchovies are a little salty.

Stir-fried dried shrimp.

It is similar to Stir-fried  anchovies, just  a different sauce base.

After making golden dried shrimp and nuts put hot pepper paste sauce - Mix soy sauce, Korean hot pepper paste, hot pepper powder, sugar, ginger powder and some water to taste.  That's it!

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Do whatever you want - Self California Roll

This is one of my favorite california rolls. It's easy to prepare and offers a wide choice. You can use a variety of your favorite ingredients. You can also use leftover vegetables.
It would be perfect, if I added some poached shrimp to go with it, but I didn't have any shrimp.
Actually, making california roll is not easy. I think it's too much like hard work -I have to make a roll one by one. But, If I prepare the ingredients, we can make several at a time (choose your favorite things). If you are vegetarian, put all vegetables onto dried seaweed. If you are a meat lover, put ham, beef! Easy and simple.

How to make it? 
Julienne a cucumber, pepper, avocado, crab stick, sliced fried egg and ham (or saute beef)
Put aside, make a sauce - I made mayo and soy sauce (mix mayo and wasabi /soy sauce and wasabi)
Make sushi rice - http://norecipes.com/recipe/sushi-rice-recipe
Cut dried seaweed.
Wrap and eat.  Enjoy!

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