so blessed

Sometimes, I have the propensity to whine. About. Everything. Today, I started whining to myself about pretty much everything.

1. The baby is fussy.
2. The baby has a really bad, bleeding diaper rash. (allergy to something) All he wants is to be held.
3. I have 4 loads of clothes to fold, a kitchen to clean, dishes to do, a bathroom to clean, and lots of vacuuming.
4. I have a headache.
5. I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, so I didn't eat my standard breakfast of fruit and toast.
6. It's cold and kinda rainy outside.
7. I could go on.... trust me, I love to whine. :)

Then it hit me! BAM! I am so blessed! I live in a place, and I have enough money to buy Tylenol for my headache. The three of us have enough clothes/towels/dishrags/blankets to fill four loads in the washer... AND THAT ISN'T EVEN HALF OUR JUNK! How many people in the world can say that? So, the baby has a diaper rash. It isn't life threatening, a chronic illness, or a broken limb. It might be cold and rainy outside, but it is nice and toasty in my place. The pre-diabetes does stink, because now I have to actually try and curb my carbohydrate intake. I LOVE carbs.

Speaking of blessings, I want to dote on my smokin' hot husband for a minute. (I can, because I know he won't read this. He won't be embarrassed that way. HAHA) Well, he's pretty much awesome. :) He woke up early and attempted to fold the laundry. He just didn't realize it takes more than 15 minutes to fold four loads. He's always patient with me. He gives me foot massages about twice a week. Most importantly, he really enjoys going to work and making the money, so I can stay home with the baby for a little bit. He even took on a second job for a little bit, so I wouldn't have to work while I was pregnant and after. He is such a good father. :) He loves hanging out with the booboo bottoms. Michael patiently practices "life skills" with Charlie. He taught him how to point and drink out of a cup, not a sippy cup. Charlie gets so excited when he hears Michael's car horn honk when he locks the car. He starts bouncing on his leg and going "dadadadadadada." :) Yep, I have a good one.

It's official! I get the worst blogger ever award. It's been a week or two since I posted. ouch! I'm in quite a hurry today. I have so much to do to get ready for my trip to TN in two days, so naturally, this is the one and only day is 3 months that the baby won't stop screaming and crying for no apparent reason!

I made homemade spaghetti sauce with homemade meatballs the other day. It was fabulous!

Sauce:
In a large pot, put about 4 tbsp olive oil. Chop/Mince some garlic and let it soak in the oil. (about 6 cloves)

While the garlic is soaking, cut up a med/lg onion into tiny little onion-y pieces.

Go back to the pot and turnn it on med/high. Wait until you see little bubble around the garlic, and then throw the onions in there. Saute that until the onions are clear. Throw a couple bay leaves, some oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme in there. Turn to low.

Now you add the saucy part. Chop up about 6 good sized tomatoes. Throw in pot.

Add 2 Large cans of tomato paste. Add two cans of water. Throw all that in the pot.

Simmer it.

Meatballs:

In big bowl mix, 1/4 cup milk, 1 ish cup bread crumbs, 2lb ground beef, lots of parsley and thyme and garlic salt and pepper. (horrible punctuation) 1 egg, and I'm pretty sure that's it.

Mix everything with your hands.... form whatever sized balls you want and then drop them in the simmering sauce... Simmer for a couple hours and TADA spaghetti and meatballs!

Time to count my blessings.

God is so good. Looking back over the last year, it is amazing to see all the changes He has brought into my life. =] (charlie just slammed his hands into the keyboard and created that smiley.... thought i'd leave it)

Last year around this time, my husband was employed at a tiny engineering firm. That means we were paying exorbitant insurance premiums every month. I was almost ready to have a baby, and we had NO idea how we were going to afford the $500 a month increase in premiums to add another person to the policy. (Yes, NJ has insanely high health insurance premiums). Well, Michael was laid off in December, and we had to pay COBRA premiums at about $1500 a month, which is about what you get on unemployment up here. Luckily we have two awesome familes and a really wonderful church family. :) We didn't have to buy anything for the baby, and our friend Rosie was always inviting us over for dinner and sending leftovers home. :) (she's a good cook)

We had enough savings to last a month or so. Right at the end of our money (aka the week I had Charlie), Michael was hired by a huge company with awesome benefits. Our church provided all of our meals for two weeks after we came home from the hospital (not to mention all the baby stuff we got at the church baby shower). The next week my parents and grandparents were in town. They bought us food for that week (third week no grocery shopping), and they stocked our cabinets, fridge, and freezer with enough food to last a month. (I'm pretty sure they also put gas in my car.) They also packed a lot of our apartment, did almost all the lifting, and almost all the moving for us, AND started to unpack the important stuff. Our lease was up and we wanted to move to a better area. :)

I remember around February sitting on the bed, holding a tiny baby, and crying, because I knew I needed to go back to work at night. There was no way we could afford diapers, and toys, and wipes, and everything else that comes with a baby. Our friends Jill and Jeremy randomly showed up at church with enough wipes to last a few months. :) My friend Sharon volunteered to watch Charlie while I was in school in the fall. People at church have found great yardsale baby clothes. Just a few things here and there have really helped. My mother in law and my parents and my brother's girlfriend have given us tons and tons of clothes the last 6 months. Our friends Amber and Ryan have done so much for us they deserve a whole paragraph.

Amber and Ryan have three beautiful kiddies, the youngest of which is about a year older than Charlie. They gave us bags and bags of toys. The most important thing they've given us is gDiapers. They just gave them to us! (They aren't cheap!!) All we had to do was buy the cloth inserts. (not expensive) They've saved us thousands of dollars. :) I'm not very good at letting them know how much I appreciate them, but they are very dear to my heart! (They are in the process of adopting a little girl. Please check out their blog at www.wearespeechless.blogspot.com)

We've finally paid off all of our medical bills from having a baby (Babies are so expensive), caught up on our car payments (my in-laws helped with that), and now we have a little extra around the holidays (I have no idea how that happened... God did it). I've been able to stay home through the generosity of others and some creative couponing/budgeting.

I'm so blessed to be able to give back to my community and friends now. I've been able to cook meals for our friends at church, donate lots of food to the food pantry, give items for the Lily yardsale, send money to Worldvision to provide livestock to third world countries, pay extra on student loans, and lots of little things lately. I guess I just wanted everyone to know how thankful I am for all their support in the last year.

Thank you family and friends for all the food, baby items, free babysitting, emotional support, and everything else you've done for my family the last 12 months. :):) I will forever be grateful.

P.S. Michael was even able to quit his second job. :) He is home on the weekends now. I cherish our weekend family time!!
P.P.S. Some things I forgot to mention: I've been able to go home 3 times this year, (4 counting a couple weeks from now), donate lots of baby stuff to a friend and a women's shelter, Kelli let me borrow thousands of dollars of maternity clothes, and I'm able to pass some of my maternity clothes on to a new friend. Special thank yous to Rosemary, Jenn, Lynn, and Lisa (lol the 4 people who probably won't read this) for taking the place of my mom the first couple weeks. I owe you so much for doing my laundry, dishes, cleaning my carpets, picking up, and sitting with me while Michael was away on job interviews.... and a super special awesome thank you to my mom for not laughing at me when I called hysterical the 3rd night I had Charlie. :)

I have no idea what to title this :)

HAHA! Last night at house church, everyone found out that I don't like Chris Christie. (SHOCK! Oh the horror!) Besides not liking his politics, I firmly believe that fat people should not be in a position of political power. (Don't shoot me now. Keep reading.) It is no secret that America has a huge obesity problem. I believe that if you are influential you should lead a lifestyle that children would want to emulate. That includes not over eating as well as killing dogs and given a 100 mil/ 6 year contract to the NFL. (Yes, Vick, that was for you.) Being in an influential position gives credibility to your lifestyle choices and inherently makes them OK. Besides, he is really sweaty, and that makes him seem dishonest. (and I don't like his politics)

Ryan jokingly suggested next week, we start by listing things Jess does like. I said "I love bald people." (Ryan is bald) Michael, my wonderful husband but not so at the next moment, jokingly told everyone that I don't have Indian friends because they are hairy. Oh boy! I could have smacked him. :) (lovingly, of course) I would like to point out that I have many hairy friends, and Michael was referring to a Sri Lankan friend that does have excessive body hair. (Not all Indians are hairy. He knows that.) I left house church feeling like I needed to clarify the issue.
1. I don't mind body hair. Guy body hair is a little thick, but whatever.
2. I don't choose my friends, husband, lab partners, etc on the amount of body hair they may or may not have.
3. Contrary to Michael's and my joking, I would have married him even if he was hairy. :) It is just a bonus he doesn't have a lot of hair, because I do like that he is not hairy. He's Asian.
My house church family is so awesome, they knew we were joking. For some reason, that conversation (it went on a lot longer than that) left me feeling like it could be misconstrued by anyone, especially people who do not know Michael and I very well. (... and ... incidentally how much he likes to pick on me and I on him.)

Now to the serious stuff....

Please please please donate to your local food bank! There are hungry people out there, and I believe most all of my friends/followers can afford to donate just 5 dollars. (If you can't afford to donate, because you do not have enough food for yourself, please let me know! I will make sure you have food!) The local food pantries can take your donations and buy food from the food bank for extremely cheap. The food bank gets discounted canned/boxed goods from grocery stores/donors/etc.. I believe this year they can buy canned vegetables for 50 cents, no tax. Your five dollars would buy TEN cans of green beans for a family! Next time you are about to buy your coffee, please consider donating that couple dollars to a needy family for the holidays!

Shasha's super famous eggnog!

I LOVE this eggnog recipe. I got it from my grandmother, and I have no idea where she got it from. If I had to guess, I'd say her mom. :) In fact, I love this recipe so so much, I actually use cow milk in it. Most other things, I substitute almond or coconut milk. I don't mind having an upset tummy for this.

12 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp. salt

12 egg whites

2  cups whipping ceam

1 quart milk

nutmeg

 

In mixer bowl, beat egg yolks slightly; add sugar and beat

till thick and lemon-colored.  Slowly add the 2 cups milk,

beating constantly at low speed of electric mixer.  Chill

several hours.  Add salt to egg whites and beat till

almost stiff.  Whip cream till stiff.  Stir the 1 quart milk

into chilled egg yolk mixture.  Fold in egg whites; fold in

whipped cream.  Chill one hour.  Stir before serving;

sprinkle with nutmeg.

 

Makes a bout 30 five-ounce servings.

 

(I prefer sprinkling with cinnamon AND nutmeg -- your taste preference)

 

***As a precaution, I like to buy my eggs for this from a small farm. I get weirded out using uncooked supermarket eggs for this. Think of all the salmonella.... yum...

Chicken n Dumplins!

Here is my super scrumptious recipe for chicken n dumplins or C and D as Michael calls it. :)
There are a few rules:
1. White flour only.
2. Don't skim the frothy fat off the broth. It's what makes it good!!
3. Never pronounce the 'g' in dumplin.... see?
4. Real chicken n dumplins has ZERO veggies. Don't add any. ICK!!
5. You can use frozen dumplins, but homemade is always the best!

Take a whole chicken. Stick in pot with bay leaves and thyme and enough water to cover the chicken plus some. Boil it on a low boil until it falls apart when you scoop it out. (4ish hours). Take the chicken out and stick in a bowl to cool a little. In the meantime, make the dumplins.

Dumplins:
In a big bowl mix approx 4 cups flour to 2 cups boiling chicken broth. Add a pinch or two of salt and a few tbsp real butter! DON'T EVER USE THAT MARGARINE JUNK. :) It is going to be really sticky. Roll it out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle flour liberally during this process. Drop dumplin squares into boiling broth.

OK now the dumplins are cooking. Next, pull the chicken apart into stringy pieces. Add to boiling broth. Let simmer a few hours. :)

answers to all your questions!

Before I get started answering a bunch of the questions that people keep asking me, I am going to tell you a little about myself.
1. I believe in traditional values. Women should stay home if they can, and men should work and provide. Church is not an option. Families have to sit down to a family dinner together, TV off. If your husband works, and you stay home, you should have a hot meal ready or at least on the stove.
2. I also believe in lots of non-traditional stuff. My last name is still my maiden name. My child's name is definitely pretty weird. I really don't like weddings. We really don't celebrate Christmas much (SHOCKER).

Question #1: I get this all the time. Your last name isn't McCracken? Are you two even married?
I go by Jessica McCracken, but my legal name is Jessica Fugunt. I could tell you I didn't change my name because of some obscure statistic, such as women who keep their maiden names earn 27% more over their lifetimes. Here is a good one: Approximately 1/4 of all women in the US keep their maiden names. Changing your name to your husband's last name is a definitively Western tradition. In all of Asia, half of Europe, and most of Africa, women do not change their names.
I wish I could tell you that I kept my name because of some weird belief or value, but it just comes down to sheer laziness. :) I tried to change my name at the beginning of a semester of school. It messed up my student loans. Then, I just never tried again. I would have to go to the Social Security office, fill out a bunch of forms, actually get a copy of my birth certificate, etc... Then I would have to contact everyone to change the name on my lease, bank account, credit cards, loans, send off for a new passport, and all that other fun stuff. That is honestly just a lot of hassel.
I used to worry that my husband would have his feelings hurt. He just doesn't care. Taking his last name is not something that is important to him, and Fugunt sounds way awesomer than McCracken. Besides, there is only one Jessica Fugunt in the world.... (until my brother eventually marries his fabulous girlfriend).

Question #2: Here is a good one. You don't have TV? What do you do at night?
We're not some weirdos who believe TV is of the devil. I promise. My husband was laid-off for a few months. When we moved here, we barely had enough money for the security deposit on our apartment. We needed other things more pressing than TV at 100 bucks a month, like a mattress. We decided that when we got back on our feet, we'd consider TV. We both ended up working full time, opposite shifts. Six months later when we could afford it, we both decided that we didn't miss having cable. We spent a lot more time together doing fun things around town with that money. We'd go to different arts festivals, museums, take walks, go to the beach, and have all kinds of fun day trips. Now that Charlie is here, I don't think we'll have cable again for a while. I like that he doesn't get to see dead people, violence, sex, etc.. while one of us is flipping through channels.

Question #3: You don't get each other gifts for Christmas? You give that money to charity??
Yes. We don't get each other gifts for Christmas. Christmas is so materialistic, and we have everything we need. I just buy it when I need it. Why do I need to wait until Christmas to give Michael some tie or gift I could just give him the month before?
It started back in our first year of marriage. My husband was laid-off at the time, and we couldn't justify buying each other gifts that we didn't really need. We had food, clothes, shelter, and lots of other cushy wants in life (two dogs, heat, sushi, dates, etc). There were people around the world and here in America starving for Christmas. I couldn't stand it. We saved up little scraps of money here and there, cashed in our coins from our coin jar, and we donated all of it to buying chickens to help feed a family/make them money(eggs) in Indonesia. The next year my husband was laid-off again (notice the pattern), so we decided to do the same thing. I didn't need new jewelry, a massage, or anything of the sorts more than someone needs to eat. This year we decided to do the same thing even though he is currently employed.
I still get gifts and participate in gift exchanges, and I will be buying my son gifts. We, as a couple, just choose not to buy each other Christmas gifts. (Besides, we are constantly getting each other stuff throughout the year.)
Insert here: Please donate to your local food bank, especially during the holidays. It is a matter that is very close to my heart!

Helping a Friend with a GOOD Cause

My friends are in the process of adopting internationally. :) Hopefully, Lily will be with her forever family very very soon! Please check out her blog of the whole process at www.wearespeechless.blogspot.com. I promise you this family is very deserving of your time. :) Also, link her blog on your blogs as well. Lastly, any donations would help, but please don't feel obligated.

Charlie is a little monster today. He had his second flu shot, and he is one SUPER UNHAPPY baby. I feel so bad for him, and I have no idea what to do to make him feel better. He's never been so fussy with any of his other vaccinations. Hopefully, this will pass soon.

I've been really really homesick lately. I miss my family and all their quirks.... even my sister. (See alal you got a mention) I probably think about moving back home or just the Southeast in general 50 times a day. I have a tendency to exaggerate, and that is not an exaggeration. Take this example at HomeGoods today. I was pushing my buggy down the aisle, and this other lady had her cart in the middle of the aisle sideways. There was no passing in any direction. She looked up and saw four other people trying to get around her. She just went back to rifling through the shelves. She didn't even bother to move her buggy! She even looked annoyed that people would try to go down "her" aisle. This rarely happens back home. Favorite example of why TN is way better than NJ: People in NJ leave their carts in the parking lot! My car has been dinged about 20 times now. Why can't people take the extra time to put their buggies in the corral? Or just push it back up to the store? ** Disclaimer: I know I'm biased. :) I also know that if my friends from NJ moved down South, they would dislike it just as much. Please don't get your feelings hurt. I'm just venting, because I want to go home.

One Crazy Week

This week has been crazy!

Two of my courses were shortened into the first half of the semester. So, I've done twice the amount of coursework in the same amount of time as a normal class. The last week has been nonstop preparation and final exam taking MADNESS! I can honestly say I'm exhausted. Charlie hasn't liked the change of pace (read here: I've been ignoring him a little to get all my work done), so he has been protesting by not sleeping. Poor little guy.

Charlie's new thing this week is to whole bodily fling himself when he doesn't get his way (like being immediately picked up from the shopping cart when he gets bored). He usually hits my nose or my face or my eye. You get the point. I'm starting to look like a battered woman. He is so strong willed and stubborn. I have no idea who he gets that from.... (definitely not me. :) I thought this wouldn't start until he was a toddler. I had no idea 10 month old babies could have such a strong will!

Michael may or may not have an exciting opportunity for advancement at work. So, we are praying about it a lot, and we REALLY hope he gets the opportunity. :) To our little human eyes, it looks like the perfect scenario. It may not be in the grand scheme of things, but we have hope.

Speaking of the little booger, it is time to go to sleep. :) More tomorrow. I promise I haven't forgot about all my faithful readers (all two of you)!

kimchijeon

Korean pancakes are so so yummy! They are more of what we would consider a fritter. :)

In large bowl mix:
1 cup kimchi (the more sour the better)
1 and 1/3 cup flour
1-1.5 cups water
a couple spoonfuls of the kimchi juice
a dash each of sugar and salt
mushrooms, shrimps, green onion, etc...

Fry it up in a pan with oil like you would a regular pancake. The thinner and crunchier the better. :)

My favorite cookies with icing.

HI! It is fall again. Everyone knows what that means!!! LOTS OF BAKING! Below is my favorite cookie recipe with favorite homemade icing. :)

Cookies.
Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1tsp vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 package yellow cake mix


Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Beat thoroughly. Gradually stir in cake mix. Put in fridge while the oven heats to 375 degrees. Bake approx 10 minutes. (grease the cookie sheet)

Icing.
Ingredients:
1/2-1 stick butter
2-3 tbsp milk (I use coconut milk)
3-4 cups confectioners sugar

Beat all ingredients together. Pipe onto cookies. 

Yukgaejang (spicy beef stew)

This is in the pot now! :) I'm so excited to try it!

Ingredients:

• beef brisket- 1lb
• 1/2 onion
• 12 green onions
• 5 cups bean sprouts
• kosari
• 1 stalk celery
• garlic
• hot pepper paste
• sesame oil
• salt
• pepper
• soy sauce

Directions:

1. Put meat and onion in pot. Cover with water. Boil for 40-50 minutes (This is your stock)
2. Cut the green onions, celery, and kosari into pieces about 3 inches in length. Put them all into a big bowl.
3. Put 3 tbs hot pepper paste, 1 tbs of sesame oil, 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs of salt, and some grounded black pepper into a small bowl and mix it. This is your hotpepper oil sauce.
4. Put the hotpepper oil sauce into the vegetables mixture and mix them all up.
5. When the beef is well cooked, take it out and set it aside to cool down.
6. Add the mixture of vegetables and hotpepper oil sauce into the boiling beef stock. Boil it for 20-30 minutes.
7. Slice the beef thinly and add it into the boiling soup. Cook it about 5-10 minutes more.

ENJOY!

Sweet and Sour

Sweet:
I got to go on a date with my husband sans baby for the first time since early May. It was much needed. :) We also got a jogging stroller that I am so excited to use. vroom vroom. Then when we got home, my hubby bubby packed up the baby and took him to hang out for a couple hours. YAY alone time. :)


Sour:
I have a really hard time making friends. :'( It hit me today that I really don't have many mom friends that I hang out. (One to be exact). Trying not to mope, so I'm gonna make cookies or cake.

I will blog more tomorrow. I'm so tired tonight!

Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi stew)

Can I just say this is one of my favorite dishes?! LOVE LOVE LOVE! It is super easy to make. You can throw everything together in ten minutes and have it cooked in 30. :)
 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups Kimchi with juice, chopped
• 1 sm-md onion, sliced
• green onion, sliced into 1/2 in long strips
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cans tuna- don't drain the water (some people used pulled pork)
• handful dehydrated shiitake mushrooms (mostly for flavor)
• 1 heaping tbsp hot pepper paste (a korean spice)
• tofu (I leave that out)
• sesame oil

In big pot:
Combine all ingredients. Add enough water to cover all ingredients. Boil for 20-30 minutes with lid on. Serve over rice. Drizzle with sesame oil immediately before serving. Enjoy!

Why is life so hard??

When I was 17, I never wanted kids. I never thought I'd get married. I never thought I'd live up North. I never thought I'd still be working on my first degree at the ripe old age of 22. I had everything planned. Get degree, go to med school, be super awesome famous doctor.

What really happened: I went to school, goofed off, met Michael. My grades were average, so I moved back home. I went to a different school. Then I got married and moved to Indiana and changed schools...twice. Michael was laid off, so we got a job in New Jersey. I changed schools again (the fifth college). We had a baby. Now?? Now, I'm not so sure what is going to happen.

I'm a huge control freak. I like to be in control of everything and know exactly what is going to happen. When I don't know what is going to be happening long term, I start to feel like I might die. Please don't laugh. It's true! I have great amounts of anxiety over things as simple as running out of cloth diapers, the baby pooped, and they are all in the washer!

I have a huge dilemma. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Do I want to stay home? Do I want to be a nurse or something else? What is God's plan for my life? I HAVE NO CLUE! (Maybe I can be a famous blogger and make millions... ha)

There are pros and cons to each scenario. If I finish nursing school, we would be financially secure for pretty much ever. The trade off is my baby would be in daycare full time for the next three semesters, and I really don't enjoy patient care (they whine a lot). We don't have the money for daycare, and I definitely do not want some stranger raising my baby. Nursing is very stressful, and I don't deal with stress very well. I'm working on handing that over to God. I have no idea why it is so hard for me to relinquish control (haha again). If I stay home and pursue a degree in something else in the evenings, we probably wouldn't be as financially secure. I've contemplated finishing a degree in history at Rutgers (I applied and was accepted). I'm only two semesters away if I go full time. The pros: Charlie would only have to go to a sitter for about two hours every day. He'd have me all day, and then Michael would be home with him in the evenings. The cons: I have no idea what kind of job you can get with a history degree. Work part time for a non-profit maybe?

I've been praying about this for a year. It just dawned on me that maybe God hasn't given me an answer, because I'm a crazy person! Just kidding. More likely because I'm afraid to give the whole decision over to him. I keep trying to keep veto power.

Why is life so hard?

My verses of the day:

Psalm 46:10- He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”

See... I have no reason to feel like impending doom is bearing his full wrath upon my head!

Psalm 55:22- Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Food Experiment

I get pretty bored with the same foods every day, so last week I had a grand idea. "Why not make food from a different country every week?" JACKPOT! This last week we had Korean food. It was so good, I'm extending it to this coming week as well.

Today's recipe: 잡채 JapChae (Pronounced: jahp-chae)

• dangmyun (type of korean noodle)
• 1/3 lb beef sliced thinly (any type of roast or steak)
• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 medium size carrot sliced into matchstick sized strips
• 1 medium size onion sliced thinly
• mushrooms (5 dried shiitake-soaked if dehydrated and 1 package of white mushrooms-sliced)
• 3 cloves of garlic-minced
• 7-8 green onions cut into 2 in strips
• Soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and toasted sesame seed

1. Boil 2 bunches of noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 3 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.
2. Cut the noodles several times by using scissors and add 1 tbs of soy sauce and 1 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside.
   
3. In the boiling water, add a bunch of spinach and stir it gently for 1 minute. Then take it out and rinse it in cold water. Cut it into 2 in pieces.
4. Add ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl.
   
5. On a heated pan, put in a few drops of olive oil and your carrot strips and stir it with a spatula for 30 seconds. Put it into the large bowl (don’t burn it!).
6. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your sliced onion. Stir it until the onion looks translucent. Put it into the large bowl with your carrots.
7. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add the sliced white mushrooms. Stir it for a bit and then put it in the large bowl.
8. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your green onions. Stir for 1 minute and put it into the large bowl.
9. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 3 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then put it into the large bowl.
10. Add 2 tbs of soy sauce, 3 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs of sesame oil, and 1 ts of ground pepper to the large bowl. Mix all ingredients, then sprinkle 1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds on the top.
11. Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a side dish.

New to Blogging

Obviously, this is my first blog posting. More to follow....