Rice Cake Soup

My mother would make rice cake soup (Tteokguk, 떡국) every year on Seollal (Korean New Year’s Day), the first day of the Lunar calendar and a very important holiday in Korean culture. Traditionally, according to Korean age reckoning, everyone’s age went up one year on Seollal, so the process wasn’t fully complete until you had a bowl of tteokguk. She'd sometimes make this soup on Western New Year’s day, January 1st, too, being that I'm also American.

Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk, 떡국)

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup (with 2 cans of water)

15-20 sliced tteok rice cakes

2 green onions, chopped

2 eggs

2 sheets of black seaweed paper

Fresh black pepper

Directions

1.       Bring the chicken noodle soup to boil, then add rice cakes and eggs. Lower to medium heat.

2.      Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes (depending how you like you’re egg cooked)

3.      Add onion, seaweed and black pepper. Serve immediately.

This is not an exact recipe for this traditional soup either. My family wasn't rich and my mother always improvised in the kitchen. This recipe is one of those improvisations. I'd say it's an 'Americanized' version to the Korean way. And who doesn't like chicken noodle soup? ;)

There's a funny side story to this post. I had asked my husband to run to the Korean market to grab the seaweed and rice cakes. When he couldn't find the rice cakes and asked one of the workers where he could locate them, his reply was, "Your wife's Korean." Ha ha! No question, he was totally confident in his statement.

So what's the meaning behind the rice cake soup? Like in some Eastern European cultures, they eat lentils on New Year's for good luck. The rice cakes are the good luck charms for Koreans, the disc-shaped rice cakes look like coins, symbolizing wishes for future prosperity for anyone who eats them. And the clearness of the soup symbolizes a clean, fresh start to the new year.

My husband LOVED it so much, he asked for it again the following day! Perhaps we will have some extra good luck this year? :) <3 Nothing but positive vibes, YEAH!

What's your annual New Year's meal? We'd love to hear yours! Happy New Year! (Again.)

Love & xx's,

Matcha Matcha Matcha

I'm a coffeeholic. I get my daily fix of Joe every morning with sugar and cream (hazelnut flavor in particular as of most recently), which is not exactly the healthiest but it's absolutely delicious! I've always enjoyed tea, but not as much as coffee. 

Since my favorite kind of tea is green tea, I was delighted when Matchanna sent me their own line of Matcha tea! Made from hand-picked green tea leaves in Japan, then finely grained into green tea powder, their Matcha tea is the finest quality I've come across in a long time! What exactly is all the fuss about Matcha tea?

Matcha tea has several excellent health benefits.

1. Improves digestive health.
2. Increases focus without the spike and crash in energy often caused by coffee.
3. Does not affect sleep as much as coffee.
4. Acts as an anti-microbial in the body.
5. Fights cancer.
6. Improves immunity.
7. Alkalizes the body.
8. Boosts metabolism.
9. Supports weight loss.
10. Lowers cholesterol.

Why should you drink Matcha tea? One cup of Matchanna tea is the nutritional correspondent of 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea and has more antioxidant activity than all of the other popular antioxidant-rich foods (per gram basis). Whoa! Talk about packing a powerful punch!

And Matchanna's green tea powder is not only high in its quality, but the taste is supreme. It is fresh, smooth and vibrant in color. For more info on Matchanna's fabulous products and the awesome duo behind it, go to their website here! Save up to 20% off if you subscribe today!

I'm so happy to be drinking more green tea again. And I'm feeling the results after only one week! You should try it too! With the Holidays coming up, why not jumpstart early to healthier choices? No need to wait until New Year's! And it is Thirsty Thursday after all... ;)

Love & xx's,

maQ + Suz

SHOP THE PRODUCT

Sunday Hiking Adventure

To close the long holiday weekend, I took the liberty to stop everything I was doing and to escape the city, even if only for the day. Life has it's unexpected twists and turns in every chapter of a person's story, and since we haven't been able to get away for a while, we just wanted, and more importantly, really needed the break.

Yesterday we went to Harriman State Park, the second largest state park in New York. With over 200 miles of hiking trails, it is a haven for hikers and paradise for dogs! We've been up to Bear Mountain last year and wanted to mix the trail up with a new path, taking the Blue Disc Trail. 

The trail climbs two mountains (!), Almost Perpendicular and Pound Mountain, and passes two major rock formations, Elbow Rush and Claudius Smith Rock. It's crazy, the trail dates back to the 1920s! It wasn't the hardest hike I've ever done but it was steep and all together we trekked around 7 miles! We played with MaQ's Hawaiian Flyer Frisbee, and of course, he chased around one of his Chuck It balls, his ultimate favorite toy. All the exercise was a great way to burn off all the turkey from this weekend. :)

Take a look at our photos from our hiking adventure below! I love when my hubby and I go somewhere because the photo results always speak for themselves, but the making of memories are what are instilled within us forever. And for every day I'm alive, I'm am utterly grateful. And, any time spent with those two hooligans is always a plus! At least to me it is! ;) ♥

How 'bout it, New Yorkers? What are some of your most memorable scenic trails in New York? There's so many to choose from, I know! What are some of your ways of staying fit with all the Holiday food ready to entice you? 

Love & xxs,

maQ + suz 

Lessons Learned in 2 Years of Marriage

You might start reading this blog post with a lingering 'ICK' in the back of your mind. But this isn't one of those entries where I'm going to go on and on about how wonderful marriage is or how blessed my life has become, now that we're husband and wife. I'm not one to fabricate - so this all all about keeping it real and remaining true to myself.

If any married couple wants to argue their relationship doesn't have it's ups and downs, all the while claiming they're 100% always happy with one another, then they're telling you a BIG FAT LIE. Don't get me wrong. I madly love my husband; with every fiber of my being. This doesn't mean I don't want to ring his neck simultaneously! Love is pain. And pain is love. Marriage isn't always easy. Think about it. You're making the ultimate commitment to another person. You're flawed. They're flawed. At some point, you're bound to come across some bumps in the road, even a cul-de-sac (or so it feels like at the time) every now and then, which can be downright frightening. Just because you love someone doesn't mean they can't disappoint you or let you down, or disagree with you or call you out on your bullshit. Some days feel like it'll never be right. But at the end of each day, if you both love each other, no matter what circumstances or obstacles life wants to throw our way, we're in this together. Just because you're on a sinking ship doesn't mean you need to bail. (Hello, Jack and Rose from Titanic!) Because for better or for worse, we are in it for the long haul. If that's not dedication toward another living soul, I don't know what is.

A week ago was our 2 year anniversary. I would've done a post earlier or on the actual day if my life wasn't so crazy at the moment. We still haven't even had a chance to celebrate because life has really gotten in the way lately. And with the past week, especially with so much chaos going on in the world, I still feel the need to fight against hate with acts of love. Whether they are in real life or down on paper, or in a blog post, I still and always have felt the urge to share some of the life lessons I've learned from my journey thus far. So here's a few lessons I've learned in 2 years of marriage.

Lessons Learned in 2 Years of Marriage

• Always stay true to you. Sure, it's not about you anymore. And if you mix in children (furry or non-furry), it becomes less and less about you. This doesn't mean you should lose yourself in the process now that you are married. Be your own individual. Have your separate group of friends, your own thing, whether it's a career, or a hobby, or time-spent volunteering or getting in your workout fix. Just do it because you love to. Don't take it for granted or push it aside because (e.g; there's only 24 hours in a day, or whatever excuse you want to conjure ), life is too short to completely base your life on someone else. It is truly good to have your own time by yourself and in the process, remain true to yourself and to have your own identity.

• Compromising is KEY. This can be challenging for my husband and I at times because we are both extremely opinionated, passionate and stubborn people. And when one partner is angry or upset by the other, it can be difficult to come to some sort of agreement. We always eventually do, but the longer I've been married, the more I'm starting to see that the sooner a compromise can be reached, the sooner you can move on from it. You have to keep the ebb and flow of life constantly moving. And it saves a lot of time and grief arguing over something that's usually not very important and actually quite silly.

Constant and open communication. This kind of goes with compromising because without talking to one another, neither of you are going to get very far! And if talking means shouting, yelling, screaming, or anything non-positive, this will also get you nowhere. You have to be able to sit down like two adults and talk things through, no matter how much you don't want to. The lines of communication (along with the compromise) have to be a two-way street, where you meet somewhere in the middle and work it out.

Focus on the good, not the bad. While it's easy to get caught up in what you find annoying, frustrating or irritating in your partner's flaws, try to remind yourself in the good qualities they carry instead. Don't just say, 'ugh, he sips everything through his teeth and I find it to be the most unnerving habit!' but rather, "yeah he sips through his teeth, but I adore him for making me coffee every morning." I find it that the more you're worrying about what is bothersome in your partner, you'll only become more in tune to whatever it is that's bugging you and you will start to mirror the bad habit! Everyday is a choice of how to look at your partner. And it should only be with loving, adoring thoughts - no matter how hard it may seem. Even on those absolutely terrible days.

Make time for just the two of you. Living in one of the most competitive cities in the world, it's challenging enough to work and thrive let alone maintain a social life. This should never be an excuse not to be able to sit down and plan for some quality time. Just you and him. (Or you and her ha ha!) It doesn't have to be extravagant, luxurious or even extraordinary. It's the two of you embracing one another, conversing with one another, sharing a moment together in time, because you're not alone. It can be just staying in and watching really bad prime time television, all the while joking together about it, snacking down on some tasty treats and spending whatever time is left together. Because you never will know when you're time is up.

Take a road trip together if you haven't already. To me, this is a milestone in your relationship, like when you two first moved in together. If you can survive through the experience and actually enjoy your time together with something like that, then you can pretty much get through anything. It's not a day trip kind of thing, but something that's going to take you at least a week to do. We did take a road trip before we got married and were only engaged. We drove from New York to Michigan for one of my close girlfriend's wedding and to see some relatives. It's one of those journeys together as a couple where you really see the person for who they are. And we both loved every single minute of it. We still laugh from those memories until tears are rolling down our cheek. 

Always love. This seems easy right? Did you forget we're human? We may want to love 100% of the time, but we all have insecurities and pockets of anger, moments of sadness, pure despair. Even in those tickles of annoyances, you're probably not filled with only loving thoughts. Always try to remember, no matter what your partner is going through, if they're not intentionally hurting anyone or themselves, then love them with everything you have. It is the most courageous and powerful act of all. And I know for some you will find this way too cheesy, but I do too believe that love conquers all.

Until next time, be well my friends. Take care of each other. And take care of yourself.

Gilles, my sweet darling- I love you. To infinity and beyond.

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

P.S. - Many many thanks to our dear friends & photographers, Gary Calderwood & Agnes Fohn for our wedding photos! We love you! xoxo

Doenjang Jjigae

A traditional Korean stew I've been living on since I could eat, I refer this soup as the, 'cure all' mother of all soups. To me, it is one of my go-to comfort foods whether I'm feeling a little under the weather or dreadfully sick, this stews is packed with protein, vitamins and other nutrients that doesn't only do a body good, but is good for the soul. And especially on a cold, end of October, Monday, what's better to warm you up than a delicious bowl of something home-cooked for dinner?

Fermented Soybean Paste Stew (Doenjang Jjigae) Recipe

Makes 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients

2 green onions

1 (12-ounce) package of medium or soft tofu

1 onion, sliced

1 zucchini, quartered

1 (10-ounce) package of button mushrooms

2 Tbsp fermented soybean paste

Water

2 garlic gloves, minced

Preparation

Dissolve the soybean paste in 3 cups of water into a large cooking pot. Stone pot works great for this. *I use a masher to blend the paste in the water more efficiently. Add sliced onion, zucchini, tofu, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil,and then add garlic. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add green onions and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately with rice, kimchi, and other side dishes (banchan).

There are also many variations to this dish. You can do a kimchi jjigae, one with some kind of meat like beef or pork, or instead of all the vegetables listed, you can opt for only one kind, like Napa cabbage or soybean spouts. During my childhood summers, my mother used to put in the Swiss chard she grew in from our backyard. It was amazing. Still is.

You've got to try this soup! I strongly urge you to eat this with rice though. Especially if accompanied with other tasty side dishes like kimchi. Both the soup and kimchi are on the salty side, and taste too strong without it's imperative sidekick. So don't get it twisted. Don't separate the two! They go along together just like peas & carrots! :)

What are some of your favorite, everyday comfort meals or soups? Something that's easy to make, is nutritious, and doesn't have you slaving over the stove all day long? I love to hear from other bloggers and their food testaments and recipes. Or if there's another fellow Korean blogger who's made the same soup but in a different way, holler at your girl! 🇰🇷

I hope you guys had a nice weekend and an even better Monday. Have a great week!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz