Belsnickle Cookies, so Christmas appropriate...

I was in the serious mood for baking this week.
There is nothing like baking good ginger spiced cookies around this time of the year.
The aroma, the flavor, the texture, and the spirit you feel...

I would like to introduce a very nice cookie recipe this week.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbook, "Cooking from Quilt Country" by Marcia Adams.
Yes, it is Amish cookbook (FYI; I am not an Amish..., but I adore them) and I found this German originated cookies are so Christmas appropriate.
It is soft ginger cookies with orange glaze on top.
Some calls them Belsnickle cookies - I like this name better for the season.

Kimchee Jjigae 2, the easiest Korean stew you can make

After indulging myself with deep-fried turkey feast for Thanksgiving and got busy taking all the Christmas stuff out to decorate the house afterward...

I simply don't have much energy to cook. 

But I gotta eat..., you know.

So here I am.

I am going to make an easiest Kimchee stew in the world.

Only 4 ingredients and you will get a nice pot of stew that can awaken your soul for the spirit of Christmas. 

All because I found a container of store-bought kimchee (kimchi) I purchased about 2 month ago that I totally forgot about its existence... (I left it in my 2nd fridge where I don't check often)

Gogalbi, not your ordinary galbi

 I am a southern gal and I have to admit that I really love southern style Korean food.

If you ever visit Busan of South Korea, there is a district called Nampo-dong; very famous for their seafood street vendors and restaurants.
You will smell smoky grilled fishes and other sea creatures on every little ally; Fun hang-out place with friends.

The dish I am introducing today is called "Go-galbi" originated from Busan.
It almost sounds like express take-out Korean BBQ dish but it is not.
Well, it can be..., I guess.
It is actually a mackerel(Go-deong-uh) slobbered in sweet tangy chili sauce.
They call it "galbi" because it is cooked like galbi and meaty like galbi.
I don't own a open flame brick BBQ pit in my cosmopolitan cave, so I will adapt the traditional cooking method into my everyday humble skillet over the gas burner.
It tastes as good as the ones in the restaurants.

Doenjang Jjigae, the ultimate Korean comfort

Doenjang Jjigae (Korean soybean paste stew) reminds me of my father.

As I recollect, he loved this stew.

My father passed away almost 6 years ago by car accident.

And I didn't even get to say good-bye to him.

After he is gone I realized that I never had a chance to serve this stew for him.

In fact I never got a chance to cook anything for him.

And that hurts me...,

and brings me to tears.

I know he would have enjoyed this stew very, very much.

My mother used fix this stew quite often just for him.

Of course her Doenjang paste is all home-made, and she has her secret to give this stew more depth.