Hotteok in Winter. Here is Hazell dressed for winter on her kickboard. To keep her warm, I bought her a hotteok: A Korean Sweet Cinnamon, Nut Caramel Donut. She didn't care so much for the donut but she does look good in her winter clothes. You can find them in the traditional markets. This one is at Gwangmyeong Sagaree Station. If you wanted some more information on this iconic dish read further below.  One dish that I believe is universally adored in Korea is hotteok. Hotteok is a leavened dough cake that is stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and nuts. Them the dough is flattened and fried. Through the frying process the sugar melts to create a delicious caramel filling. According to some accounts from food historians, this snack was brought to Korea by Chinese immigrants who first landed in Incheon's international port. And even though the snack and the name resembles western "hot cake," hotteok's etymology is Chinese/Korean. "Ho" comes from the Chin...

Did you eat your tteokguk, Korean New Year's Rice Cake Soup? If you did, you became a year older. Happy 2019 everyone. So rice cake is made from Garaetteok and in case you wanted some more information, here is an excerpt from a food radio show I wrote.  The long white rice cake called garaetteok are examples of the steamed and beaten rice cakes. These garaetteok are usually sliced into disks and used in the lunar new year dish tteokguk. The white disks represent coins. The fried rice cakes usually have flowers on them or stuffed with red bean paste. The boiled rice cakes are called gyeongdan and you can usually find them colored with different powders such as sesame seeds, red bean or millet.

Hey World! It's been a wild couple of years. I haven't stopped eating or writing; it's just that I have this job, businesses, kids and family. Lol. I am not complaining. I love my wife and kids. I have been transitioning from a world-traveling, entrepreneur to a line cook/chauffeur/worker bee. It's all good. In 2019 I (hopefully...if my publisher gets it today) be putting out a book, the video productions and tv segments that I worked on in the last year should be aired and my littlest one will be starting daycare.  When I do go out with the kids, it's usually more work than play, since I have to keep the girls happy while not disturbing others. You don't want to risk the ire and judgement of others while parenting.  My cooking habits have changed since my daughters see food differently. They like colors and fun packaging. Black pepper is even too spicy at times so I tend to make a lot of Kimbap, dumplings, bread and grilled fish.  At night, aft...