Korean-Style Pork Belly Nachos

Well, that title was a mouthful. And deservingly so! I came across this recipe while looking for a smacking good-ass recipe for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Initially I was going to cook kalbi (galbi) but I wanted to infuse a classic American football munchie snack into something partly Korean. That's where I ran into this article on Buzzfeed and DUDE. It. Is. Splendidly. Delish! The flavors are insane! I can assure you, anyone to scarf down on these bad boys will be your new best friends as you've made their life complete. An instant touchdown! Did I mention it's in a cast-iron skillet? The Lodge cast iron is one of my favorite pans to cook in.

Korean-Style Pork Belly Nachos

Serves 4-6

Korean-Style Pork Belly Nachos

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of pork belly, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. red pepper powder
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• ⅓ cup + ¼ cup kimchi juice
• Tortilla chips
• Cheddar
• Monterey Jack
• Chopped kimchee
• Red onions
• Tomatoes
• Scallions
• ⅓ cup sour cream

Directions:

Combine pork belly slices with garlic, soy sauce, red pepper powder, honey, and ⅓ cup kimchi juice. Mix until the pork belly is coated in red. Pan-fry pork belly until fat has rendered and crispy.

Assemble your nachos. In a skillet, lay down a layer of tortilla chips, sprinkle on the cheeses, add chopped kimchi, toss on the cooked pork belly, top with some chopped red onions. Repeat.

Melt the cheeses under the broiler until crispy and bubbly. Mix together the sour cream and remaining ¼ cup kimchi juice and drizzle on top of the nachos.

K-Style pork belly nachos: Get. In. My. Belly. STAT!

These are the prettiest nachos I've ever made!

If you're a fan of pork belly like myself, make sure to get the meat nice and crispy. There's nothing sadder than soggy pork belly! The trick is not to cook the entire pound of meat all at once. Divide the meat into smaller portions when cooking it, that way giving the marinade and pork belly enough room to be cooked properly. I cooked mine just a knob above medium heat, because I like it really crispy. :)

And that sour cream kimchi sauce is OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. I swear I could put this sauce on anything and it'd taste superb! That's like a fried foodie junkie saying, "I love anything fried. You could fry carpet and I'd eat it." Ha ha ha! But seriously, the combination of the dairy with the tangy juice from the kimchi is excellent and just the perfect complement to this dish. Are you ready for some football?!

What's everyone making this Sunday? Are you a football lover? I'm not really into the game itself, but I adore the ads/commercials and the live performances during halftime. I'm actually really excited to see Coldplay play as this will be their first appearance at a Super Bowl. Plus, Beyonce and Bruno Mars will also be performing, so I've got a pretty good feeling that this halftime show will be awesome! Who are you excited to see perform?

I'm such a girl that I didn't even know who was playing in the Super Bowl until just now when I looked it up! :X In which case, whichever team you are rooting for, whether it's the Panthers or Broncos, have fun, be safe and let the good times roll! Hope y'all have a very nice and cozy weekend. 🏈❤️🏈❤️🏈

Love & xx's,

Graffiti Day

Mr. Smiley :) Put on a happy face! ♡

It's almost Friday! (Thank goodness.) We've been busy with several upcoming projects that I can't wait to share with you guys! I really haven't had the time to go and check out the new graffiti and street art in my neighborhood lately. I enjoy these city walkabouts, very much so, with my pooch, MaQ. We've been at this for a couple of years, running around the city and him posing in front of some seriously talented and amazing art! But this morning I had a little extra time so off we went! You can check out MaQ's Instagram feed for tons of New York City graffiti, videos and more! As you can see, he takes pride in his modeling work. It's tough being a stud muffin! :)

The first art piece MaQ posed with is Zukie's Art and these adorable lil' critters. According to the artist, "Zukies are mysterious creatures that do not talk. They communicate with thought bubbles and facial expressions. Zukies intend to generate emotions through their visual thoughts and that is how they create an emotional bond with us." - Miss Zukie

Bullseye! ◎

Happy Happy, Thank God it's almost Friday! Let's dance!

I can't seem to find the artist who did the mural with the bullseye in the background. If anyone by any chance knows, please get a hold of me! I always leave credit where credit is due. It drives me nuts when I can't find something I'm looking for! Can anyone else relate to this? :P

The photo to the left is me in front of Steve Zolin's mural. His graphic art is just simply amazing! It reminded me of Diego Rivera's work at the Detroit Institute of Arts. There's so much life and color in Mr. Zolin's piece even though when I look at the mural as a whole, it's very industrial-inspired. Lots of blue and purple tones, as if it's being vivacious with feelings of melancholy simultaneously.

Centre-fuge Public Art Project with Hissxx's kitty cats & MaQ!

Yay! Hiss Art has made yet another appearance at the well-known trailer that displays graffiti from different artists with the Centre-fuge Public Art Project. We photographed some of his older work as well a few months back on this graffiti blog post. Funny random fact about MaQ: he despises cats! When he was only an itty bitty puppy (a stocky 18-pounder at 10 weeks!) one of our friend's cat's scratched his nose in retaliation of MaQ trespassing onto his 'territory'. Poor bub, ever since then, the two don't mix. They're like oil and vinegar. You should see us with a New York City bodega cat. They really startle us when they're outside of the stores sometimes. Perhaps someone wants to play peek-a-boo and the other doesn't? Ha ha!

I'm with Batman, not Robin. ;) Graffiti by: Ramiro-Davaro Comas

Isn't this Batman & Robin piece so dope? I believe MaQ secretly thinks he's Batman. Eh, who am I kidding, I think everyone secretly WANTS to be Batman. Heck, I wish I was, don't you? :) Batman is my ultimate favorite superhero. Everything about him is just so bad-ass and the toys that he's got? Talk about cool. The artist behind this stunner is Ramiro-Davaro Comas and I can't wait to see what he'll do next! I'd love to see an artist do a mural of X-Men characters. I would be totally geeked up about it!

Look at me! Graffiti by: Billy the Artist

Lastly, I have Billy the Artist's new art up on E. 6th Street. (Between 1st and 2nd Ave.) We also covered a mural of his back in September in this blog post, see for yourself; he's all sorts of awesome! Thanks for stopping by! We hope you had fun looking through our batch of graffiti photos! Until next time... have a spectacular, vibrant day! ♥♥♥

PS Don't forget to check out MaQ's IG Page down below! :)

Love & xx's,

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Mirina Girls

Hey everyone! I have some fun and exciting news! I've been chosen as one of the Mirina Girls ambassadors for Mirina Collections! Mirina Collections is different from most jewelry houses as they create their designs from start to finish in the heart of Manhattan on 47th street at their Design Warehouse. Most jewelry stores receive their designs from overseas allowing them to keep their prices at a minimum. However, at Mirina Collections they focus their energy on their customers receiving a true 'made to order' experience which is all sorts of awesome! Their necklaces are handcrafted and take about 2-3 weeks to create. Isn't that neat?

Khaleesi-inspired statement necklace from Mirina Collections.

The first necklace I received is the gorgeous Amazon statement piece. It is just beautiful! The pieces are plated from 925 sterling silver with various gems and crystals. I just love the details, and even though it's a big piece, it doesn't look gaudy or off-putting. The Amazon is one of their top selling statement necklaces and is the perfect accessory to go from day to night. I always have a hard time transitioning between the two without going home for a quick change (especially if I'm about to paint the town red) but this necklace is great for both! I like to keep my accessories fresh and versatile, with the newest designs available.

Wearing the Amazon necklace from Mirina Collections. ♥ ❤ ❥

And now, something for YOU! I'm offering 20% OFF all necklaces for my fantastic readers! Trust me ladies, if you're an accessories fanatic like myself, you got to check out Mirina Collections! They have something for every fashionable gal! Please use my coupon code MIRINAGIRLS when you proceed to checkout.

Gorgeous statement necklace from Mirina Collections.

Do you have any questions regarding Mirina Collections' necklaces? Feel free to comment down below! Follow me on Instagram & Twitter for more stylish updates on the blog! Have a great rest of your Hump Day, folks! :)

Details from the Amazon necklace.

Love & xx's,

Daktoritang (Korean Spicy Chicken Stew)

During the winter season, I love a warm, hearty bowl of comfort food. My girlfriend has been asking for my recipe of daktoritang, a Korean spicy chicken stew and ever since we chatted about it, I've been craving for it like mad! It's a quick and easy recipe, one of those 'throw it all in a pot' and 'sit back and relax' type of meals. Takes only about an hour total to make! Such a yummy dinner for any night of the week.

Perfect for any chicken lover, you can adjust the spiciness according to your taste.

Daktoritang 닭도리탕 (Korean Spicy Chicken Stew)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

A hearty Korean chicken stew with rice.

Sushi rice

2 ½ pounds chicken thighs

2 large potatoes, cut into large chunks

2 carrots, chopped into ½ inch pieces

1 large onion, cut into 8 chunks

4 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ cup water

½ cup soy sauce

 2 tbsp white sugar

3-4 generous tbsp gochujang/Korean hot pepper paste

(adjust based on how spicy you want it!)

Directions

1.       Mix chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic in a large pot over medium heat

2.       Pour in water and soy sauce

3.       Mix in sugar and pepper paste and bring to a boil

4.       Reduce to low and simmer covered, for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

5.       Serve with sushi rice.

Close-up of daktoritang, a Korean Spicy Chicken Stew I made for tonight. Delicious!

Cooked in gochujang (a Korean fermented red chili paste) along with vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, it's a real hit for spicy lovers but what I love about this dish is the ability to be able to alter the hotness of the sauce. Growing up I remember seeing four different pots over the stove, straight up from Goldilocks, when my mother made this. One was extra spicy, one was regularly spiced, the third was mildly spiced, and the littlest pot was for, well, you know how the rest of this goes...

Anyone hungry? Winner-winner, chicken dinner! Don't forget to download the recipe above!

I love it spicy so I usually put in 4 heaping spoonfuls of gochujang in, however, if you would like it on the milder side, I'd recommend a generous 2 tablespoons for it. As for the chicken, you can use any part of the meat, just as long as it's close to 2.5 pounds. I really like chicken thighs, so I used boneless ones for this recipe.

Chicken stew, where are you? You're about to get in my belly, that's where! ;)

You can get gochujang at any Asian market. They're also available online at Amazon and other similar places. If you have more questions about this stew, please comment below. I am always happy to hear and answer questions from my readers. You guys rock! TGIF and hope everyone has a nice weekend! Have a good one. :)

Daktoritang 닭도리탕 (Korean Spicy Chicken Stew) Photos © Suzanne Spiegoski

Love & xx's

Midweek Lush Bath

Hump Day vibes are in! During the middle of the week, I like a good long soak in the tub. That's when I normally catch up on my reading or listen to some fine tunes with a few candles lit. Mmm... sounds heavenly right?! Well, I've recently discovered LUSH's bath bombs and bubble bars, and they are simply divine! When I went to the store for the first time with MaQ the entire place was so aromatic, my baby boy got super excited and started sniffing the store out like he was straight up from the K-9 unit! I really love that it's a pet-friendly store, as does MaQ, since he's constantly trying to score with the ladies! ;)

I picked up two bath bombs, first the Tisty Tosty which is scented with precious rose and orris root. Did you know rose perfume is known to ease tension and give people happy, positive feelings (just like falling in love)? It’s also very beneficial for dry or rough skin. I found this bath bomb to be very soothing and my skin was so soft afterward!

Lush's Tisty Tosty bath bomb fizzi in with The Comforter bubble bar, look at her go!

I mixed in half of one bubble bar, The Comforter, which has the friendly fruity aroma of a blackcurrant candy with the Tisty Tosty. Yum! This bubbler isn't called The Comforter for no reason. It truly is the ultimate relaxer, it brought me such a sense of comfort, just like as if I was huddled in a warm cozy blanket. And the color (I'm not a fan of pink usually) was cheery yet calming.

Sex Bomb & Tisty Tosty Bath Bombs.

The second bath bomb I picked up, which was my personal favorite out of all of them, was the Sex Bomb. With jasmine, clary sage and ylang ylang, these powerful aphrodisiacs are known to relax you as they warm your heart, and other body parts too. The soya milk makes the water milk and softens your entire body. It's one of LUSH's best-selling bath bombs, and I can understand why. The smell was intoxicating! It was even on Nylon's 2015 beauty hit list. You've been warned!

Lastly, the Milky Bar is a comforting milk bottle bubbler filled with moisturizing cocoa butter, skimmed milk and olive oil for supremely soft skin. And the delicate scent of orange oil is just incredible. I really did feel like I was on Cloud Nine! Just pure bliss. It reminded me of some of the milk baths I used to take with my mother's Korean bath products. Just as silky and delightful as I can remember! ♡

Splish-splash I was taking a bath! :)

Are you a bath freak like myself? I swear if I had the time, I'd take baths every day! They're the best form of R&R. How do you unwind after a stressful day? If you're a LUSH addict like I am, what are some of your favorite bath products? Do you like a different kind of brand? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday everyone!

Love &xx's

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