Ricotta you little beauty!

At the risk of this blog sounding like a homage to Martha Stewart I am going out on a limb here, to share a new recipe.  A ricotta cheese recipe.  If you have ever lived in a place like Korea, where cheese is the word they use to refer to some rubbery, flavourless, pre-sliced processed squares that quite literally leave a bad taste in your mouth, then you be more able to appreciate this post.  Especially if you are as addicted to cheese as I am.

It all started a few weeks ago, when I wanted to make a veggie lasagna (GREAT! Now it really does sound like Martha could be my homie*).  I needed some ricotta for the recipe and couldn't find it in the supermarket, being Korea and all.  So after asking online where I could find some a real South African tannie told me how easy it was to make. And it REALLy is this easy!  So for a more precise recipe, with measurements and detailed instructions you can find it easily on the web.  Otherwise just have a look at what I did...

You will need:
Milk - a guess I used about 1L
Cream - (is optional...my dieting self left it out)
1 (biggish) lemon
a cheese cloth (or some material that you could strain through)
and about 35minutes.

Bring the milk (and cream, if you so choose) to a slow boil.
Don't full on get it bubbling over, and remember to stir it regularly.
Let it boil for a minute or 2, and then turn the heat off, totally.

        

Squeeze the juice from one lemon into the hot milk.  You could also use vinegar, but I like the tangy aftertaste.

The acidity of the lemon will get the process going.  All you have to do is sit and wait.  It takes about 15minutes I guess.  I'm not too sure because I got sucked into an episode of 'House' and lost track of time.  You will now it is done when it looks a little something like what babies burp up. YUM!! ;)







Pour the liquid through your cheesecloth (the tannie also said you can use a stocking), to separate the curds and the whey.  (Don't know how little miss Muffet could have eaten that!!)
The longer you strain it for the more solid the cheese gets    - duh! -
But if you prefer something more like a cottage cheese strain it for a shorter amount of time.  You can also mix in herbs if you like.

The end product should look something like this. Yummy, homemade ricotta cheese!!  Now all I need is a bagel!!














*"homie" is a word that Martha pickup up in prison.  Before that she would simply say "friend".

I woke up on this abnormally dark, rainy day wanting to bake some rusks....but its a bit of a mission (especially finding ingredients in a typhoon).  So instead I have decided to bring you up to date a bit.

It has been a while since my last post, as I was gallivanting around Jeju Island (also sometimes referred to as Korea's Hawaii).  The tickets over were a present from MW along with the most special gift I have ever received.  Baring in mind that MW is not a teacher and has no relation to my classroom time his "Appreciation Plaque" really made me feel super special. 

So with that, it was on with the boardies and off to the airport. Fun in the sun for a week, while little Zach made new friends at the puppy motel (but that is a blog post for another day)!

I landed in Jeju after being in the air for only 50minutes. After spending about the same amount of time at the car rental place, I was told that I cannot rent a car because my Korean driver's licence was less than a year old. :(  So I hopped on a bus and made my way to Yeha Guesthouse.  (Clean rooms, friendly helpful staff, a free beer in the evening, other cool travelers about, VERY affordable!!) 

A blow by bow account of my assault on the island would take longer than you have time to read, so I will just show you some highlights of the trip.

These stone statues practically litter the island.  It is said that if you touch the nose of the stature that your next child will be a son. 

I met some AWESOME South Africans and we hung out for a few days. This is us in a lava tunnel.

Amazing waters and rock formations at a cool waterfall.

"VANG MY". Little joke between the SAFFAs.

Fourwheeling around a small Islet of Jeju(Udo). So much fun!!

In a quaint little coffee shop on Udo islet. 

One of MANY picture perfect beaches, felt like a REAL holiday.

Drinking from the falls. Was the FUNNIEST thing taking these pics. Was in HYSTERICS.

Just another tough beach day! 

At the top of 'Sunrise peak', a volcanic crater.

Looking down from Sunrise peak.

A cute unicorn lighthouse at Iho beach. With Briony, another awesome SAFFA.

The same beach, with the same Briony.

There are still hundreds of photos I could show you, but for now this will have to suffice.  It was such an amazing break, and so good for the soul.  Thank you to all the crazy-awesome people I met for making it so much fun, but most of all a HUGE than YOU to MW! You rock my little world.

  

What a show

After seeing Alphaba do her thing and defy gravity, it was time to move on to a concert of a different kind.  A few weeks ago I managed to secure some very sought after concert tickets from a ticketing site.  A local (extremely popular) Seoulite kicked her summer tour off at Olympic park, here in Seoul.  Her name, Lena Park to you or me, but more commonly known as 박정현 to her fellow Koreans. 

Catapulted into stardom by the reality hit show 나는가수다 (I am a singer), Lena Park made a name for herself by outlasting the elimination process so long that she finally "graduated" from the show.  She managed to become a favourite among the audience members (the voters) every week, partly due to her charmingly adorable personality and partly because of her phenomenal voice!  Having watched the TV show I had to have the concert tickets.

Dubbed the "Fairy" of the singing reality show, Lena park captivates her audience.

MW and I ventured out of our respective air-conditioned little hideouts, and met up at Olympic Park.  It was 'unbearably scorching', decidedly so. ;)  After resorting to eating ice and some zealous fanning we made it into the concert hall. PACKED!She came out (a few minutes late) and blew us away.  She was raised in the states so her Korean although fluent comes across as very 'cute' at times. (I should be working that angle soon, haha!).  The crowd lapped it up and were stunned by her singing.  I am going to attempt to add a videoclip to this post.  On the TV show she covered every imaginable genre but her latest album is mainly a collection of love songs and ballads.  

At the (seated) concert.

The show was sold as a 2 and a half our event, and lasted 3 and a half hours.  Each song was followed by a little informal story telling and sometimes an explanation of the meaning of the song.  Two costume changes, two guess appearances, some fireworks and an incredible display of vocals ensured that the tickets were worth their hefty price tags. 

I'm a FAN! 

"So much happened before Dorothy dropped in"

"Double, double toil and trouble.  


Fire burn, and caldron bubble." 

Many of you will recognise the above quote from 
Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.  These are the words uttered,
almost as a chorus, by the three heinous witches as they 
prepare a potent potion.  The whole of last week I had those 
lines stuck in my head, alongside the lyrics to 'Defying 
gravity'...spot the connection yet?  Yes, the witch themed 
thoughts were thanks to my subconscious getting worked 
up and excited about watching the musical 'Wicked'.


On Saturday MW and I braved the rain and ventured out to 
the theater to watch the Australian cast in their rendition of 
the Broadway musical, Wicked.  This story is based on the 
life and times of the wicked witch of the West, who you 
might remember as the green-skinned, flying-monkey-
commanding, terror from the Wizard of Oz.  And it is through 
Wicked that one learns that Alphaba was in actual fact not 
all that bad, merely misunderstood...some might say ;) 


We arrived with just enough time to grab a bite to eat and 
make our way to our seats.  We found ourselves in the 
gallery, front row, with a stench that can only be described 
as putrid.  Well I suppose that is not the ONLY word that 
may describe it, but the bottom line is that there was a foul 
smell that made my gag reflexes kick in every couple of 
seconds.  Luckily we were not the only ones who could 
smell it, and after listening to other people complain we 
jumped on the metaphorical bandwagon. The result, 
AWESOME seats (in the wheelchair section)!! 


You know how when you are so consumed in something 
that when you glimpse at your watch you realise that you 
have been absorbed in it for ages more than the few minutes 
you thought you were??  Well, that is what this show was 
like.  I got sucked into an emerald coloured land in which 
time seemed to slow to a snail's pace.  The singing, acting, 
props and set, the costumes and the story were all perfect! 
Absolutely worth every penny.  So if you have the required 
number of pennies, and the time, I would HIGHLY 
recommend seeing this spectacular show. 

At the entrance to the theater. ^^

(And for my Korean friends who are worried about not 
understanding everything, FRET NOT!  There are screens 
with Korean subtitles all over the theater.)

confession time!

I am horribly ashamed.  After YEARS of teasing and making fun of  stereotypical geeks others, I have stooped to the very bottom of the nerd barrel.  Yes, I am addicted to very much enjoying playing Diablo III, the latest computer game hit, from Blizzard Entertainment.  

This, in my defense, is pretty much the first computer game that I have ever tried playing.  It has the inexplicable ability to absorb time.  After playing for what I think has been an hour I realise that not only have I blacked out for 5 hours but I also ate a meal and drank 3 small bottles of banana milk.  Previously I thought of computer games as a mere waste of time or a warped form of procrastination, but now I know that these poor gamers cannot help themselves.  
Some, lucky enough to be so good at playing games are able to turn it into a profession, and a very lucrative one at that (more than US $400 000 annually at the top).  And speaking of being good at playing computer games, South Korea is where you might find the best.  Blizzard spent 12 years making Diablo 3, and it was cracked (look at me and my geek speak; cracked = completed) in no more than 5 and a bit HOURS after being made available here in Seoul. 
If, like me however, you are not good enough to become a programer, Diablo III can again help you make a buck or two.  You are able to sell your virtual loot, to other gamers for REAL MONEY.  The better or more magical the items are the more you can get for them.  You can even exchange the gold that you have collected for actual cash.  3 400 000 pieces of gold should earn you about 1 US dollar.
A quick internet search will tell you that 1US dollar is worth   4672 634 610 Zimbabwean dollars....makes you think! 


I would like to wrap this post up with a quick apology for all the verbal abuse I have dished out to the little 'Nigel-no-friends', who stare at PC screens in stead of meeting real people. NOW I understand....I am one of you!! ;)  The apology would have been longer but I have to get back to my Wizard.

beach at the bar

After a long week of slogging away in front of computers and students the weekend finally made an appearance, albeit only a brief one.  Some unwinding was definitely in order, and for this MW and I headed into Seoul for a drink or 6.


We arrived here...

, the Bungalow in Itaewon.

When we got there it was pretty full, and we had to take a seat at the bar while we waited.  Service was not all that great but by the bottom of our first cocktail a few seats opened up.  We moved to the more comfortable seating area, with a twist. 

Obeying the sign we entered the "beach".  

(After loading this picture I now realise that it looks like I hang out in sex dungeons...i DON'T!

All the seats are suspended from the ceiling.  Some of them are like the swings from my childhood and some of them more comfortable - kind of egg shaped, like the ones in the first 'Men in black' movie....but i digress ).  The floor is covered in about 4 inches of soft, white, beach sand.  Digging my toes into the sand, while sipping cocktails and having hilarious conversations really did let me escape from the work week, and almost in a sense from the city itself.   

Go check it out!! 

Time for a new philosophy

During one of the mindless Facebook surfing sessions that I get sucked into, practically daily, I came across something rather profound.  The simplicity and layout of the diagram OBVIOUSLY appeals to my overly logical mind.  From now on I think that this is something I am going to apply to my life. Warning:  Don't get caught up in my feedback loop for too long ;)
Thanks to Christy for sharing this on Facebook.

Happy end of the week to you all :)