Hella Challah

I had a hankerin' to make bread, so I did ... for Christmas.

Ho ho ho.

Korean Seafood Pancake

A gal cannot live on steak alone, and to be honest, I only ever hoover a NY strip when I'm visiting my red meat-loving folks. The rest of the time, I'm thrilled to munch on something like the above: haemul pajeon, aka a seafood-scallion egg-and-flour pancake dipped in a chile pepper- and sesame seed-studded soy sauce. Of course, we usually order pajeon as an appetizer that leads into, you guessed it, Korean BBQ ... Ah well, what can I say? Koreans love their meat.

Moo ... Steaks

Mmmm, steak good ... marinated NY strip steak really really good ... compliments of master griller Pop.

Spicy Food, Spicy Friends (and Fathers)

There's dad asking me why in the heck do I always have to take pictures of him when he's trying to eat his food in peace. And I said, because. Because I want to have him in this gol'darn blog. Because it's not just about the good eats, but the good folk with whom I'm noshing, chowing down, pigging out, inhaling everything ... in ... front ... of ... me.

In this particular instance, ma made bibim-naengmyon with strips of kimchi and NY steak flavoring the sweetly spicy, sesame oil-spiked chili sauce. I can't remember the last time I've had this addictive noodle dish—it's been years.

Thanksgiving Blowout 2008

Go big or go home is my mom's unspoken motto when it comes to picking out a turkey for Thanksgiving. Up above there is an 18-pounder—modestly sized, according to ma, who has consistently gone for the 20-plus pounder when shopping for her butterball of choice. Mind you, no one would blink an eye were she feeding a small army of 10 or 12 or 16, but for a gathering numbering in the 4 to 6 range, all this flesh can be a bit excessive. Ah well, next year, she promises to pick out a petite bird. Wait and see ...

Nevertheless, I gotta say this year's big fat turkey-with-all-the-fixins day was extra-special fab.