Korean Beef with Rice

I love the flavors in this easy recipe and just had to share it with you. If you like Korean beef or bulkogi, this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper
diced green onions for a bit of color
(If you like it a bit spicy, you can add 1/2-1 tsp. of crushed red pepper. I have never tried adding this, but found it in the original recipe which I have modified a bit.)

I start by mincing the garlic cloves and adding them along with the ground beef to a medium heat pan. After browning the beef, I drain the fat and add the brown sugar, soy sauce and ground ginger. I find it doesn't really any added salt or pepper, but feel free to add those if you like. After the meat caramelizes a bit, you can serve it over some white jasmine rice. I like using Trader Joe's microwaveable rice. It has the perfect stickiness and is so yummy with the beef. Top off with some green onion and you are all set.

I also serve this dinner with some grilled pineapple. The flavors in each food really complement each other well. I used a grilling pan and slice the pineapple lengthwise into wedges. I grill it until it becomes sweet and tender.

Enjoy!

Just for laughs...

Cute Bento Meal

I am getting into more of a habit of using my bento boxes, especially on Friday's when we dash off to our homeschool art class about 25 minutes away. Sometimes we have time to eat before we go, and other times we end up noshing in the car on the ride over.

Here is what was for lunch today.

Even Mommy got a bento! Notice the dark chocolate... hehe!

What's for lunch at your place today?

Egyptian Inventions

We are currently studying about Egypt in homeschool as we work our way through the Story of the World book 1. We take breaks from our text to read other related books, mostly nonfiction, but a few fiction. Today we read Ancient Egypt: Discoveries and Inventions. I had found the book on ebay or something. As I am addicted to  always searching for books to make our lessons rich and interesting.

After reading about everything from lighthouses to the shaduf to door locks, we tooks a few minutes to have to the kiddos draw their favorite Egyptian inventions.

My son drew a farmer, who looks remarkably like a Roman soldier or Superhero, to illustrate the shaduf, a device used to water crops.

My daughter drew an Egyptian girl, that remarkably resembles a Lalaloopsy, standing near a zoo and a lighthouse. It is fun to see there own interests, i.e. superheroes and Lalaloopsy dolls coming out in their required work. Too cute!

No Bake Granola Bars

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. We go through snack bars so fast around our house that I decided I should figure out how to make them myself. This recipe is easy and delicious, but it is crumbly. I recommend that you consider wrapping them in parchment paper to keep them together after you slice them. Now on to the recipe...

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of butter
2 cups or rolled oats
1 cup of rice Krispies
1/2 cup diced pecans
2 TBL chia seeds

You begin by melting butter, brown sugar and honey over medium heat until all are combined and beginning to simmer.

Next I add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (oats, chia seeds, Rice Krispies and nuts) that I had already set aside for mixing into the sauce pan.

After the mixing is complete, you will want to press the granola mix firmly, and I mean firmly, into a parchment lined pan to firm up. The more you press them together, the better they will stay together.

After the mix is pressed into the pan, you can sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over the top. Then, let the bars cool and slice them for storage. They can keep for several days on the counter and don't require refrigeration. If they last that long!

 

I hope you enjoy them, my kids and I sure do!

Lalaloopsy Hide and Seek

I came with a fun idea to do with my kids today. I hid my daughter's Lalaloopsy dolls all over the house and then sent her texts on her iPad for her and her brother to find around the house. We had so much fun and laughed ourselves silly! 

Here is a collage of the dolls and their hiding places.

Some of my clues...

Don't blow it. I am near a favorite summertime past time!

If you don't sing off key, you might find me.

Ready for battle, I am a real hero!

Things are going swimmingly for me!

You can find me in a jiff!

At home in a book is where you can find me.

Spread out for a nap. I am feeling cool.

You catch the drift. Make up whatever little rhyme or clue works for you and the particular dolls or toys you choose to use. I just winged it as I went and the kids were squealing with delight! It is a fun way to use technology, such as an iPad, iPod or iPhone too!

Grandma wants a Bento!

Today I was making lunch for the kiddos when my Mom came to the kitchen to join us for lunch. As I finished up making each cutie their bento, I placed them on the table. I then asked my 83 year old mom, who we live with, what she wanted for lunch. She then informed me that she wanted a cute lunch too! LOL!

 

My children's lunches were jungle themed with plenty of animals and plants (pea pods). I gave them some boiled eggs, crackers and some bugs (raisins and dried blueberries). The log in the center is a rolled piece of ham. 

For grandma's bento, I used pea pods, ranch dip, crackers and some chicken salad. I added a couple of cute toothpicks just for fun. And she loved it! It was fun to see her smile. I joined the gang and even made myself a bento for lunch that day.

I hope you are having a fun lunch today too!