365 Inspirations—202: Kalbi Barbecue at Home with Friends

Yoon barbecuing Korean kalbi for friends

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."—Harriet Van Horne

We have this nice gas barbecue that my parents gave us when they moved. It's their old one, but it's new for us. For several summers it's just been sitting on the side of our house with an empty propane tank below it. It gathered leaves and dirt and spiders and other critters. I wasn't even sure the thing worked.

We had planned to have a dinner party with a couple friends and the weather has been so nice, I wanted to barbecue kalbi, a Korean specialty. I've never cooked kalbi on the barbecue and I've never used a gas barbecue at any place I've ever lived.

Yet, I was determined today. I googled where to fill my propane tank and found that a U-Haul up the street had a refilling station. On the way to the station, I stopped by the Korean supermarket and picked up kalbi, Korean potato salad, chap chae (Korean noodle dish) and kimchi. What's a Korean dinner without kimchi? I also bought lettuce and garlic to make kalbi wraps.

When I got home, Yoon hooked up the grill to the propane and we crossed our fingers to see if it would actually start. It did and I was so excited. Not only were we going to have our very first gas barbecue meal at home, but we were cooking Korean food for friends. This was a real treat!

I'm happy that I didn't just decide to bake something instead. A little effort went a long way and we had a very memorable dinner with friends!

Do you like to barbecue in the summer for friends?

365 Inspirations—194: LONG Summer Days

Sailboat on Puget Sound today

“I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days—three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.”—John Keats

I am just now getting on the computer. The weather has been so nice in Seattle, I haven't wanted to be online. This weekend, Yoon and I have made it a point to be outside as much as possible.

It doesn't get dark out until almost 10PM here! I absolutely love it. Last night, we walked around Greenlake at 9PM and saw the sunset on the lake.

It was so peaceful. People were sitting on the lake's edge staring at the crescent moon.

Today I cleaned house in the morning and then when Yoon finished with his yoga classes, we headed to Carkeek Park on Puget Sound with our lawn chairs and books. We found a perfect spot in the sand and set ourselves up.

The water was sparkling and the temperature was perfect. Families mingled along the water's edge. Some waded out to their waists. Cruise ships heading to Alaska passed by. It was a day for boats and water toys. We saw paragliders, sailboats, canoes, rafts, motor boats, and other floatables.

When we got home, I cooked salmon, corn on the cob, green beans and garlic toast and we ate dinner out in the garden. It's now 9:22PM and the sky in pink still from the sunset.

I'm going to go and enjoy the rest of the evening while it's still light out.

How are you spending your long summer days?

365 Inspirations—181: Eating Outside

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”—F. Scott Fitzgerald 

The past three days in Seattle have been HOT, HOT, HOT!

It's hard to do much when it's hot.

Granted, hot in these parts is not  really considered hot compared to other areas of the country.

Local weather right now at 10:00pm is 80 degrees. Tomorrow is supposed to be up in the 90s!

It's hot in the house because we don't have air conditioning in the Pacific Northwest. It's never usually hot enough to really have it.

I set up the table in the front garden and we've been eating outside for dinner for the past three nights. It's been so lovely.  This evening, I put a white table cloth over the table and got fancy napkins and tableware and set it all up for fine dining.

We have a fence that keeps our front garden area very private.

Tonight we had tacos with all the fixings and watermelon. It was delicious.

Do you like to eat outside in the summer where you live?