"Moving out and moving on!"

According to my "Big Day" iphone app, I've got 39 days left in Korea...

With 39 days and counting, I knew it was about that time to start sorting through stuff and packing boxes to ship home. So, yesterday, Aaron and I walked over to the post office (yes, we walked ... and yes, it's that close...) to pick up the boxes. We only bought three boxes for now, but we're probably gonna end up using 3x's that many!  eeekkk.  How could I possibly part with all of my cute Korean coats, and how could Aaron possibly part with all of his new camera equipment and H&M sweaters!?  lol That's the question we've been wrangling with around here!

We poured some wine last night and toasted to:

before we tackled the packing!

For anyone living in Korea, looking to send stuff back to the US when they're finished with their contract, here's the deal.  For the slow shipping (which takes approximately 2 months), you can use ANY box, as long as the dimensions are within these measurements:

length + height + width = 2 meters (and they can't be longer than 1.05 meters)

Or, you can just pick up box #5, the largest box available at the post office.  It'll run you 1,600 won. 

Then, pack to your little hearts content... as long as you don't fill it with more than 20kgs!  That's the limit, for ALL boxes being shipped to the US.  And 20kgs will run you  51,200 won per box.  It'll obviously be less if you have less than 20kgs inside. :)

As you can see, Maverick is a big fan of his "new cardboard toys!"  I had to lay a heavy pot over the one in the background because I woke up to him, more than once, playing inside of it, on top of the stuff we had packed!  Oy vey! Speaking of Maverick... He got a bath today because he'll be meeting his potential new mom tomorrow afternoon! :)    

Kale, almond, onion and garlic sauce!

When Aaron and I were in Seoul last weekend, Jess told us about a pasta sauce she's been making at home that she thought we'd like trying, and boy did we! We've made it twice since we've been home already.  Hey, you can never take a good homemade pasta sauce for granted, right?!  Forgive me for the lack of photos in this post, but I accidentally deleted them off my computer while I was editing them. ugh... 

 So, here's what you'll need: 

a handful of greens (We used Kale.) 

4 cloves of garlic 

1 onion 

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil 

1 handful of nuts (We used almonds.)

Boil the greens, garlic and onion for 3-5 minutes in a pot. Then drain the water and move the greens, garlic and onions into a blender or food processor.  Add the oil and almonds and blend until it's the consistency of sauce.  If it's too thick, add a little more oil.  Make your pasta, pour your delicious homemade sauce over it and you're ready to eat!  How easy is that?!  ***We added a small dollop of homemade ricotta cheese too, which made it really rich and flavorful! 

Trip to the dentist!

Aaron is deathly afraid of hospitals and dentist offices! So, getting him to the dentist office before we move back to the USA and have to pay 10xs as much for the same procedures was a MUST! After months of bringing it up, he finally got the courage to go! (Mind you, he is a tough, manly guy in nearly every other aspect of life), which is why this was pretty cute to me!

When we got to the office, I sat Brownie (the weirdly famous Korean stuffed dog) next to A to comfort him! 

After a 20 minute teeth cleaning ($65), I went in to check on him and he was doing great! Not like I had an doubts!

Turns out, the guy got lucky and was told that he was CAVITY FREE!  Way to go A!

Homemade ricotta cheese!

Aaron and I just got home from a 3 day vacation to Seoul!  We stayed with Jess and Mayo, undoubtedly one of my favorite couples in the world, and ate the most delicious food, talked about life, love, relationships, traveling, the future, healthy food, crafting and blogging... We played games, took walks, watched a 4D  movie, drank wine, felt baby Perlaza jumping around inside Jess's belly and relaxed together... you know, all of my favorite things!  I left feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and blessed to have friends like them in my life!

*** Sorry there are no pictures of the weekend!  Sometimes memories are best held, well, in our memory! :)

So, this morning, NFL football has taken over the TV, Maverick is purring into the blanket next to me, I'm wearing my most comfy and cozy pajamas while lounging on my Thai lounge pillow on the floor and I have the next 8 days off of work!  Does it get any better than this?!  Well, yes, it can!  It can be better when homemade ricotta cheese is fermenting in my kitchen! :)

Making ricotta cheese is surprisingly easy and chances are, you already have everything you'll need in your kitchen (minus the cheese cloth)!  So, here's what you'll need:
1 carton of whole milk
1 spoon full of salt
2-3 spoon fulls of vinegar
a pot
a stove
a wooden spoon
a bowl
a strainer
a rubber band
a cheese cloth.

So, let's begin... Pour the milk into a pot, throw 1 spoon full of salt in, and turn the heat up to low/medium.  Then stir and stir and stir.  If you don't stir, the milk may burn on the bottom of the pot and that's never good!

You'll start to notice gooey stuff forming on the top layer of the milk.  Just take a wooden spoon and scoop it off and throw it away.

After a while, the milk will start to boil and rise.  Take it off the heat before it goes over the edge of the pot and drizzle 2-3 spoon fulls of vinegar over it. (I used brown rice vinegar, but regular, or apple cider vinegar work well too!)  With a wooden spoon, slowly drag the milk from one side of the pot to the other.  You'll notice that the milk's fat will begin to separate, and the liquid will become more clear colored.  If it doesn't., throw the pot back on low heat and continue to drag the liquid with the wooden spoon, adding a little bit of vinegar until the liquid is clear.

Then, let the mixture sit for 30 minutes (off the heat).
After 30 minutes, wet your cheese cloth and throw it over a strainer. I laid my strainer over a bowl to catch the liquid.  Then, pour the mixture into the strainer, ring it out and let the liquid drain through it. Tie it closed with a rubber band and hang it over your kitchen sink for no more than 6 hours.

Then, wala, you'll have your VERY OWN home made ricotta cheese!  So easy right?!
Recipe via by sweet food guru friend, Jess Perlaza!
Check out her food blog at www.greenteaandkimchi.com  

Winter Camp is FINISHED!

My 4th and LAST English Winter camp ended today!  This was the first time in 4 years that I was asked to teach 1st and 2nd graders and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit freaked out!  I only teach 3rd-6th graders during the school year, so I knew these little munchkins wouldn't know a lick of English and would have to be fully trained (yes, trained!)!  I'm proud to say that after teaching them for 1 hour a day for 2 weeks, they are leaving today being able to: 

- count from 1-20

- read the alphabet

- name a bunch of different animals

- name a bunch of different foods

- name all of the colors in a standard crayon box

- write their English names

- say, "Hello teacher!" in the morning.

- say "My name is ..."

- say "I like..."

- read a couple simple words

- understand simple English commands

and most of all, how to have fun!

I'll miss these little munchkins, but I'm thrilled to not be waking up to my alarm or walking a kilometer in freezing temperatures to work and back for the next two weeks! 

Let Winter Vacation commence!  

BTW: Aaron and I are heading off to Seoul on Thursday to spend 3 1/2 days with Mayo and a VERY prego Jess!!