2012 right around the corner. . .

I can’t believe there are only a couple days left of 2011 and the New Year is right around the corner! Where did the year go? I have so much to do with the move, wrapping things up at work, saying good-bye to friends 🙁 . . SO MUCH TO DO IT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY. . . but what’s going to get me through these next few weeks are seeing friends & family, spending time together and eating!

I am Korean, so while growing up, my family often did the typical korean “New Years” traditions: bowing to your elders (I think this is for good luck in the new year), playing games, and making and eating duk mandoo guk. “Mandoo” is like a wonton, which is a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese cuisines. My mom would make these from scratch every new year’s day: make the stuffing or filling, drop in the filling on a wonton skin: http://www.asiandumplingtips.com/2010/03/wonton-skin-buying-tips.html and seal the little sucker with egg yolk. I remember my fingers always being covered with the flour, egg and whatever else got stuck there.

My friends and I have had Mandoo Parties on New Year’s Day, where we would make homemade mandoo and then make the duk mandoo soup – the best!

Duk Mandoo Guk Soup

Homemade mandoo

Another great korean food to enjoy on New Year’s Day is Chapchae: http://koreanfood.about.com/od/riceandnoodlerecipes/r/chapchae.htm

If you have guests coming over and need to throw something together quick and easy – for ANY occasion- Bruschetta: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/bruschetta-pizzaiola-recipe/index.html