Three things I’m jazzed about right now

Mark Twain is thought to have said, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” Something about the way the heat descends from Sacramento and mixes with the cold ocean air creates a little microclimate of wind, fog, and mid-60 temps where I live. Brrr!

So when I went backpacking last weekend along the Pacific Crest Trail where I switchbacked the rocky slopes in 85℉ weather with the sun beating down my back (and a 50 lb pack towering over my head), I got a *real* taste of summer. Look out for my next YouTube video where I share “Everything I ate backpacking the PCT” and yes — there was kimchi stew.

In other summer news, the kitchen garden is in full bloom and the collab with my new favorite grocery store has officially launched. For the next two months, you can use my code FRUITANDSUP10 to get your Korean food fix and 10% off your entire order as many times as you want.

Now without further ado, three things I’m jazzed about right now:

1. Misugaru cake for breakfast

Misugaru is a healthy Korean multigrain powder that includes rice, millet, barley, black beans and more. When I was young, my mom used to make big batches of iced misugaru with a touch of honey and keep in chilled in the fridge, ready to be enjoyed in the summertime. Today, cafes in Korea offer misugaru lattes with milk which are also delicious. Nutty, toasty, and subtly sweet, misugaru is a nostalgic drink that reminds me of childhood.

So when I came across this super easy recipe for simple (and healthy) misugaru breakfast cake, I knew I had to give it a try. I had my doubts about the texture but after one bite, I was enjoying it so much that I was soon serving myself a second slice.

Misugaru cake (adapted from KBS Fun-Staurant) 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup misugaru

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 TBSP honey

1 TBSP melted butter

Powdered sugar and berries for topping

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix misugaru, milk, and eggs until well incorporated. Add honey and melted butter and mix to combine.

Add batter to circular glass tupperware that’s been oiled or coated with butter. Microwave for 8 minutes. Invert cake onto plate and when slightly cooled, sift powdered sugar on top. Garnish with berries.

2. First kimchi recipe from the garden

The dream I dreamt of growing my own food in the backyard is becoming a reality before my eyes but no matter how many times I go out back to graze on blueberries or pick a few sprigs of basil, I still feel tiny bursts of joy thinking, “I’m doing it! No—I did it!”

Last week, the Detroit red beets I planted a few months ago were begging to be harvested, the dark pink skins peeking up through the dirt and the robust beet greens getting impossibly bigger and shinier by the day. After plunging deep into the throes of Korean grandma YouTube to find inspiration, I was not disappointed. So I present to you now the crunchiest, beet-iest beet kimchi recipe that is sure to become a mainstay in your fermentation rolodex.

Follow in the path of some of my followers who have already tried making it themselves and discovered how delicious beet kimchi can be. If you do, tag me in your photos on Instagram. I would love to see your creations!

This blog and all of my recipes are an absolute labor of love but it’s still, uh, labor. Consider supporting the operation by subscribing to my YouTube channel! It takes two seconds and is completely free. Thanks for watching! It means a lot.

3. A blessing for your home

I recently visited family in Philly and when I saw my sister, I was reminded that I needed to finish an art project I started two years ago when she bought her house (see above). The painting and poem are now happily hanging on her wall, but I wanted to share the poem with all of you, too, because it’s always a good time to share the beautiful mind of the late John O’Donohue. You can watch me finish the painting and pack up the gift in this YouTube vlog!

Wherever you may be reading this—in your bed, on the couch, leaning on the kitchen counter—I hope your home is the kind of place where these words may ring true.

May this house shelter your life.

When you come home here,

May all the weight of the world

Fall from your shoulders.

May your heart be tranquil here,

Blessed by peace the world cannot give.

May this home be a lucky place,

Where the graces your life desires

Always find the pathway to your door.

May nothing destructive

Ever cross your threshold.

May this be a safe place

Full of understanding and acceptance,

Where you can be as you are,

Without the need of any mask

Of pretense or image.

May this home be a place of discovery,

Where the possibilities that sleep

In the clay of your soul can emerge

To deepen and refine your vision

For all that is yet to come to birth.

May it be a house of courage,

Where healing and growth are loved,

Where dignity and forgiveness prevail;

A home where patience of spirit is prized,

And the sight of the destination is never lost

Though the journey be difficult and slow.

May there be great delight around this hearth.

May it be a house of welcome

For the broken and diminished.

May you have the eyes to see

That no visitor arrives without a gift

And no guest leaves without a blessing.

That’s all for now. Thank you for watching, supporting, and kimchi-ing. I wouldn’t be here without you.

<3 Miij