kimchi jigae

When I was a little girl, I remember my dad putting a bunch of nappa cabbage in a brine. I asked him about it, and he told me he was making kimchi. I didn't want to try it because of the strong smell. Little did I know that I would fall in love with kimchi in my twenties. Kimchi is a fermented spicy cabbage that plays a huge part in Korean cuisine. Its a perfect combination of spicy, salty, and sour. And I guess I feel okay eating exorbitant amounts of it since its a vegetable. But anyway, back to the point. Caleb and I hadn't had Korean food in a while, so we went to a Korean grocery store in Ann Arbor to get the goods. We really needed two main things: kimchi and red pepper paste. We decided to make a kimchi stew called "kimchi jigae." It was to die for. Caleb and I almost finished the whole pot. We ate it with white rice. 

Caleb looked up several different recipes online to get an idea of what we were supposed to do. Here's what we did:

1. Saute several cloves of minced garlic and one finely chopped medium onion in oil. 
2. Add 1-2 pounds of sliced pork. Saute until pork is fully cooked.
3. Add two cups chopped kimchi
4. Add water until ingredients are covered
5. Add 1 tablespoon of red pepper paste. If you like it really spicy, add a little more.
6. We put in small white stringy japanese mushrooms. not sure what it's called. 
7. We then added sliced up andouille smoked sausage. This is not Korean whatsoever, but it really added a nice flavor. Caleb's idea. 
8. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.  
9. Add cubed tofu and let simmer for 5 minutes. 
10. Turn off the stove. Add in sliced green onions. Serve over rice. 

If you're not a huge fan of kimchi, you may still like this dish because the strong flavor of the kimchi is watered down and mixed with other ingredients. Caleb prefers this dish over straight kimchi. If you're not a fan of spicy flavors, I'd try some other Korean dish like beef kalbi or bimbimbap. 

Happy Cooking!

Jessie

mend dem jeans

It happened. The moment had finally come when Caleb's favorite pair of jeans ripped in the knee. For me, I was initially thinking this would be a great opportunity to go shopping with him for a new pair. It was quite a large rip. But then, unexpectedly, he asks me if I can somehow repair them. He who does not care for clothing whatsoever, surprised me with his affectionate bond with this particular item of clothing. And believe me, I was very much surprised, but I jumped at the opportunity to learn a new sewing trick. Once again, I pored over the internet looking for different methods. I personally didn't want to use a patch. This pair of jeans is gray in color and so it would be difficult to match. And this is just me, but patches aren't my favorite look. Some are nicely done, but I would rather try to mend his jeans so that you barely notice it. I found just the article I had been looking for. And guess what? It was written by a guy who is always mending his own jeans. Cool huh?

How To - A Simple Guide to DIY Denim Repairs  

In order to understand the instructions above you need to be familiar with Warp, Weft, and Twill. He suggests to read the article below first.

Understanding Raw Denim: Warp, Weft, and Twill

In all honesty, this will take time to read, but once you get the concepts down, it will save you money in mending your jeans. This method is not a quick fix like an iron on patch. You mend the actual tear in the fabric. In my opinion, it also looks cleaner and not as grungy. The gentleman also gives tips on how to spot minute tears before they get too big. Following his tips can really make our jeans last a lot longer. I love buying new jeans, but just like everybody else, I've got a budget too. 

You can just barely see the stitching on the knee. It was a long rip. Sorry I didn't take any photos before. I also did some mending around the pocket area. 

  

These are my jeans. I was devastated when I saw small tears at the knees. So they definitely got mended.

You basically use your sewing machine and buy matching thread. The article I'm referencing gives really good step-by-step instructions. For being a novice seamstress, I thought it was an excellent article and help.

So go mend dem jeans!

Happy Sewing,

Jessie