10/28/09

squash

remember i made hobakjuk with kabocha squash? well, last night i tried it with butternut squash. i found that i like it better using kabocha squash. it's fuller and more flavorful.

10/26/09

halloween

i'm going to a halloween party at will's school this weekend. i don't know what to wear! i'm really not a costume person, but i'm sort of looking forward to this party...now if i could only come up with something interesting...

10/21/09

hobakjuk recipe

i don't remember the last time i posted a recipe. or if i ever posted one myself.

i finally made hobakjuk on monday night. although i do have butternut squash, both my mom and will's mom said to use kabocha squash, so i did.

i adapted a recipe from maangchi. you can watch her video if my recipe confuses you.

ingredients:

for the juk -
1 kabocha squash
water
honey to taste
salt to taste

for the dduk -
1 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup boiling water
dash of salt

process:
juk -
  1. cut the squash into smaller pieces (i cut it in half 3 times lengthwise to make 8 pieces).
  2. put squash pieces in a large pot, pour 3 cups of water into it, and steam over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes.
  3. when flesh is soft, spoon it out into a pot. throw away the rinds. add water (about 6-8 cups) and boil.
  4. add honey and salt to taste.
dduk (optional)-
  1. while squash is boiling the first time, make the dduk. boil some water.
  2. add 1/2 cup boiling water to the sweet rice flour. mix with a wooden spoon, and then knead with hands into one big piece of dough. wrap in plastic and let sit for 20 minutes.
  3. put 2 TBS of sweet rice flour in a bowl. then take pieces of the dough and roll them into little balls (a bit larger than a jellybean). put them in the bowl with the sweet rice flour (so as not to stick to each other). keep the big dough wrapped in plastic so as not to dry it out.
  4. after the squash has boiled the second time (without rinds), add the dduk balls. the balls are ready when they have inflated from original size.
a couple of notes:
  • we didn't add very much honey or salt because the squash itself is so flavorful.
  • the dduk is a bit labor-intensive. i read somewhere that it's easier to just cut up the dduk used in dukbokki and put it in the porridge. i made extra balls and froze them for easier use next time. although it took time to do it, i thought it added a lot to the juk.
good luck!

10/12/09

marathon = done

full disclosure...

first things first. i don't know what my exact time was yet, but it was over 5 hours.

i started off the race great. the first 13 flew by and i felt great. then my legs started hurting. and at 15 i was in major pain. from there i run-walked the rest of the 11.2 miles. yes, it was miserable!

it was really cold. i wore a garbage bag over me and socks on my hands for the first 9 miles (thx rebecca), and i was wearing my tank and long sleeve too. i remember seeing a thermostat at around mile 4 that said 33 degrees. chilly. people on the sidelines would cheer me on by saying "go garbage bag!" or "yeah garbage bag!". haha. that was one of the highlights for me. oh, i also picked up a pair of gloves that had been thrown on the ground because my hands got cold again, around mile 20. i think i should've picked up a sweater too, but there weren't sweaters after mile 13.

i think my legs hurt because they were so stiff from the cold and i didn't stretch enough. looking back, i wish i had worn another sweater and pants instead of shorts. i didn't shed a drop of sweat during the entire run. i had pain in the tendon behind my knee - i never had that pain during training. i didn't feel out-of-breath at all but my legs hurt so bad i toyed with the idea of dropping out at mile 20. in the meantime i was beating myself up over having to walk so much.

will went to mile markers 4, 12, 26 and chinatown to cheer me on but we never saw each other. isn't that sad? but i think if i had seen him during the race i would've ran to him and cried. haha.

at mile 26, i was running and i heard someone call out my name. i saw two friends, rob and mark. they had these huge smiles and they were cheering me on and trying to get photos of me. they were so cute. that helped big time and helped me end strong.

the race did not go the way i'd hoped. as you can tell, i think i'm still trying to get over that. but i'm glad i finished and at 30 years of age i did a full marathon. also, the chicago race course is pretty cool.

thank you all for your support and encouragement on this journey.

EDIT: half - 2:21:59, full - 5:29:05

10/9/09

countdown

i picked up my race packet at the expo tonight.

i felt one with the city.



i'm getting all kinds of advice about the cold weather, like

- wear a cheap sweater and throw it away when you warm up
- cut a hole in a garbage bag and pull it over your head
- cover your shoes with plastic bags

- and meanwhile, don't try anything you never did in training


hmm.

coffee + wine

i've been holding back due to training.

but after sunday

it's SO over, y'all.

10/8/09

fall grocery list

+ pumpkin
+ butternut squash
+ sweet rice flour

for new recipes for pumpkin bread and hobak juk (korean squash porridge).

10/6/09

really

public transportation etiquette = respect/politeness towards others = common sense = stuff we learn in kindergarten.

c'mon people.

signs of fall

-- boots and coats everywhere
-- a few trees have begun to change color
-- people are no longer hanging out by the lake
-- the beachside restaurant has closed shop for the season
-- the sun sets 2 hours early
-- i broke my umbrella last week. actually, the wind broke my umbrella. we've broken 3 umbrellas and lost 2 since moving here. ha.

oh, and of course, the highest temperature this week will be 59.

10/5/09

week 18 of 18

my friends, i have come to my last week of training. i admit i am ecstatic!!! this coming sunday i will be running the 2009 Chicago Marathon.

my goal is to get across the finish line in one piece. i didn't train for the last 2 weeks because of a cold, but i finally did run 8 miles on saturday, and it was okay. i'm hoping to get rid of the last traces of a cough that has lingered. so i won't be aiming for a specific time.

according to weather.com, the temperature will range between 41 and 47, with 30% chance of rain. that is chilly! i will most likely wear my regular training outfit - lightweight shorts, tank, cap, and also add a dry-fit long sleeve.

a couple things:

--> if you want to track my progress, click here. the race starts at 7:30 am central time.
--> if you want to give to world vision's efforts to provide water in africa, click here. i've raised $521 so far.

this week's runs:

mon: 3 mi [done]
tue: 4 mi [done]
thu: 2 mi [missed]
sun: RACE [DONE!]