This is where you find the food we eat and the drinks we pair with our Kdramas, but just the good stuff! As you may know, Kdramas love food, even if our favorite characters never seem to eat it. Maybe a recipe or two to inspire us as well.
June 21, 2018
Phew! It’s hot here! So, we had Banh Mi’s again with all kinds of fresh and pickled veggies as well as lemon-grass marinated pork and Chinese Barbecue Char Siu seasoned pork as well– everything on the grill today as to not make our house unbearably hot! Homemade cookies and Pinot Grigio rounded out our delicious meal!
May 4, 2018
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Who cares if it’s a couple days early! We had a buffet of home-made tamales, enchiladas, and a taco bar, 7-layer bean dip, a meticulously prepared fruit pizza, and a decadent peanut butter pudding dish. Also, strawberry and lemon margaritas, moscato, and our favorite rose wine that has been featured several times on this blog. Our group wouldn’t be the same without food!
April 21, 2018
About a year after we made this dish the first time, we made it again! See May 6, 2017 for the recipe for Bun Thit Nuong! We again grilled some beef and put it over cold noodles and lots of lettuce and herbs on top with a yummy fish sauce! Again, a Pinot Grigio paired well with this, but it was B.R. Cohen this time. And a Viognier by Wild Pig rounded out the wine selection today. For dessert, a homemade apple strudel with vanilla custard from an German recipe. (Amy has a foreign exchange student from Austria staying with her this year, so this was his mother’s own recipe!) It’s never a bad time to gather for food and friends, and we had an amazing time!
February 24, 2018
Another wonderful meal was prepared by Phantom, Ally’s husband. This is called Banh Tam, and it’s a yummy coconut sauce drenched pasta dish with shrimp, jicama and pork with fish sauce. It has become a favorite in our house, and now in our freethekimchi group too! We also had a lovely dessert as usual from Amy of a berry shortcake with home made whipped cream and peach Bellinis!
January 21, 2018
Our first meeting after the New Year! We had Vietnamese Banh Mi which was to-die-for with grilled flank steak, pickled veggies, hoisin sauce, cucumbers and cilantro. Also, a sweet and sour “hangover soup” of sorts, after Phantom indulged in whiskey-fest the night prior. But really, he was the chef, so everything was still perfect. For appetizers, we had a goat cheese, almond, apricot cheese spread, an assortment of cheeses and ham, and crackers. Amy and Lady-in-Red brought some lovely desserts including homemade custard made by Amy’s hubby (Mr. B), a traditional cheesecake, a Mexican cheesecake, and banana pudding (always a favorite)! So, we can always be sure that even if we hate the drama, we will always love the food. (But how can we hate Gong Yoo?)
December 17, 2017
Merry Christmas! We were full of Christmas “spirit” this meeting and we’re a little crazy having a meeting this really busy holiday season, but we did it nonetheless. And because several of us had parties the night before, some home-cooked chicken soup, in the form of pho, was just what the doctor ordered. This, in addition to some Rum Chata and Fireball whiskey, an array of sweets (double chocolate cake, kissed shortbread cookies, a homemade apple pie) and a pretty intricate veggie tree topping it all off! And what’s a Christmas party without gifts?! We had those too!
November 11, 2017
We had authentic ramen today, and it was so good! And Amy baked yet again! We are certainly spoiled in terms of our food. Doesn’t that soft boiled egg look delish? And that beautiful crust of a lemon meringue pie! I’m just hungry looking at it. Amy! I think you need to bake me another one!
September 29, 2017
Our small gathering this week consisted of Nene and her lovely family of four, our family of four, Kimmi and her husband (who couldn’t stay for the drama), and Chi. We had grilled chicken because it’s just too nice to not go outside and enjoy outdoor cooking, an Asian cabbage salad, white rice, and spicy Topokki. Of, course, Phantom offered his phenomenal homemade kimchi to round out the meal. To drink, there was a selection of various Pinot Grigios and a Strawberry Bellini, super yum! For dessert, the kids had chocolate cupcakes with psychedelic unicorn icing, and an Italian wedding cake for the adults!
August 19, 2017
What’s a drama without food? We would venture, not a very good one! We had Ally’s favorite noodle dish (Bun thit nuong) again this week (which was also on the menu on May 6th), a wonderful frosted banana bread brownie dessert by Kimmi, with a salad by LadyInRed. (I know I had no less than six of those brownies!) A nice Cupcake Black Forest Decadent Red wine and a seasonal favorite of Peach Bellini by Belmonti (from ALDI, no less!) rounded out our meal.
July 29, 2017
We had a perennial Vietnamese favorite today, Pho, which Ally’s husband makes from scratch, using techniques he’s picked up from amazing Pho restaurants across the country. Also, seared sushi grade tuna in an Asian salad, a Caprice salad, fruit, watermelon, and an amazing chocolate-on-chocolate cake from a local bakery for Ally’s “30th” birthday! Really, she just turned 40, but her husband says that she’ll always be 30 to him!
We had an amazing cocktail of lychee, lemon, and strawberries with ginger ale and Malibu rum. And a bottle of Rose from Amavi Cellars, Walla Walla Valley 2016 which was oh so refreshing! Perfect for Goblin-watching.
June 24, 2017
This was another great meal. Again, grilled meat–Eun Tak’s favorite–wrapped in lettuce! But paired this time with authentic Korean side dishes (banshan), found here: Korean Bapsang. We made Gamja Jorim (Korean braised potatoes), Kongnamul Muchim (seasoned soybean sprouts, spicy and mild), Sigeumchi Namul (Korean spinach, but we substituted kale), Oi Muchim (spicy cucumber salad) and also a non-spicy version. Also, we did a quick green bean stir-fry with ginger, onions, and garlic, some sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Fresh summer fruit rounded out our meal. Amy made not one, but two desserts, a pineapple upside down cake and her legendary banana pudding.
But I was too distracted to get a picture of Amy’s banana pudding, which was amazing and featured in our blog this month. 
Then we had Boba tea! This was so fun to make ourselves, and discovered that Coconut Rum pairs so well with Taro, or Thai tea, or anything else really! Like Chi said, it was like drinking a tropical cocktail on this hot summer day.!
May 6, 2017
Grilling is our specialty, apparently, as we made it again to the grill to make a Vietnamese grilled roast and cold noodle dish (Bun Thit Nuong Recipes) for our second installment. We and Kim Shin (and also Eun Tak) have our love of beef in common, and not to leave Mr. Grim Reaper out, there was a fresh veggie pizza with avocados, tomatoes and celery on the menu as well!
Also, for dessert, a lovely homemade velvet cake; honestly, the best velvet cake ever, made by our own Amy, who couldn’t make it to the lunch, but managed to still awe us with her baking prowess.
Chloe’s Pinot Grigio was such a hit last time, that we indulged again, while Bogyman brought an Oo-La-La-fancy French red wine, which was a little robust, but still wonderful.
April 8, 2017
For our inaugural meeting, we had Galbi on the grill, Kimbap (see Recipes), assorted veggies, a goat cheese/apricot log with crackers, homemade Kimchi, something from a take out restaurant (not all of us can cook and that’s ok!), grilled pineapple, and for dessert: homemade carrot cake and a peanut butter and chocolate pie.
The Italian wine, Chloe Pino Grigio 2015, was the wine that we agreed paired with the food the best on this day.
Since we were watching Goblin, the Kimbap was made in honor of Eun Tak’s preparation of the Samshin’s gift of spinach.
Free the Kimchi 