Demolition Derby!!!

Last night I tackled a new level of DIY. I tore down a wall!

After the basement flooded, we had a few contractors come by to give us options. They all started with taking down the wall of my storage unit where the water was coming in so the damage could be properly assessed. My neighbor and I decided it would be cathartic to tear down the drywall ourselves - and it saved us $300 in the process. So with the help of some Youtube videos and tools from my handy friend, we single ladies took down that wall all by ourselves!

I was really looking forward to walking into Home Depot like a badass and buying a sledgehammer. But for a small wall, it was really unnecessary. Also, I was kind of afraid that we would sledgehammer right through the wall and the house would come crashing down on us. Instead, we used some pry bars, hammers, and a utility knife.

Tools of the trade

Fran got to take the first shot, since the water and mud from the flooding actually ended up in her living space. Here's me going at the wall:

More fun than spreadsheets

It was pretty awesome! The drywall was pretty easy to take down, especially where it had gotten wet and was already disintegrating. In some places, we were just tearing chunks of it out with our hands. Clean-up was pretty easy too since we had put down a tarp to collect all the pieces. The hardest part was breathing through those masks! Altogether, it took less than an hour to demo and clean up the mess.

And here's the bare wall of our basement foundation. Notice the little pile of dirt? I imagine that is where the flood of mud came pouring through.

I'm just glad I don't have to put the wall back up! I'll leave that to the pros. But if anyone needs a wall taken down, you know who to call!

Weekend of Feasts!

After last week's trials and tribulations, I decided to put it all behind me with two impromptu weekend feasts. On Friday, I was bemoaning the fact that it is almost the end of summer and I had yet to have any lobster. I planned on cooking myself a lobster dinner (even if you're going to eat alone, that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat in style!) but then invited my temp-roomie, his Russian friend and mother, and an old friend from high school that I ran into. Once the eclectic guest list was set, I stopped by the farmer's market during lunch and picked up some corn, potatoes, and a strawberry-rhubarb pie! Charles picked up the lobsters for a steal in Chinatown. And Vlad brought Dark & Stormy's. Here's our feast!

Cooking a lobster dinner basically involves just boiling things - the corn, the potatoes, the crustaceans. All you need is a couple big pots, some tongs, and a strong stomach for mass lobster murder. Eating the lobsters definitely involves more effort!

Thank you for your delicious sacrifice!

Saturday night I cooked a Korean feast for the Greater Boston Karaoke Club (aka my singing college buddies). Our co-President is close to her due date, but we figured we would squeeze in one last meeting and make it easier on her by having it at home. As usual, I went a little overboard with the menu. We had bulgogi (redubbed "white man's delight" by John), LA kalbi (Korean ribs), broiled jogi (yellow croaker, a salty fish), jabchae (vermicelli noodles), doenjang jjigae (fermented bean paste soup), and side dishes galore.

The bulgogi and kalbi were both pre-marinated from H-Mart, but I kicked them up with some extra onions and spices. This was my first time making jabchae since Molly used to always make the jabchae when we ate Korean food, but it wasn't so hard. It's a little labor intensive, but worth the effort! I used this recipe as a guide. I think I did pretty well, although I should really learn how to julienne carrots better!

My favorite Korean dish to make is doenjang jjigae (fermented soy bean paste soup). It is similar to miso soup, but more flavorful than the Japanese version. When I lived in Korea, I developed a real love for this hearty and pungent stew. My recipe probably isn't very authentic, but it is thick and stinky just the way I like it!

Mimi's Gyopo Doenjang Jjigae
2 oz. sam gyup ssal (Korean pork belly)
1 small onion, cubed
1 potato, cubed (I used small new potatoes leftover from the farmer's market)
1 small zucchini, cubed
1 chili pepper, sliced into rounds (green or red)
1 scallion, sliced
firm tofu, about half a block or whatever you can fit in the bowl
2 tablespoons Korean soy bean paste (doenjang)
1 teaspoon Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Saute the pork in a medium pot, preferably a Korean stone pot. Add the onion and garlic. Add doenjang paste, chili pepper flakes, and about 2 cups of water, to fill pot about 2/3 way (remember to leave room for the veggies and tofu!). Make sure the paste is dissolved evenly, bring to a boil. Add potatoes and bring to a boil again. Add zucchini and chilis and let simmer till potatoes are thoroughly cooked. A few minutes before serving, add tofu and green onion.

NOT the Best Week Ever

It hasn't been a very good week in Mimi's DIY-Land. My poor Puppy hasn't been feeling well, my basement flooded, I nicked my car's front bumper (and by "nicked", I mean, I wrenched it off), and got a scope put up my nose - ouch! It was almost ridiculous how crappy my week was, that I almost didn't freak out. Almost.

I'm sure next week will be the second "worstest" week as I try to deal with contractors, mechanics, and the expensive bills they come with. But my brother and my friends have really stepped up to help out, so it's nice to know that I'm not alone. And as bad as it's been, it forces me appreciate the good things I have in my life. So here are the GOOD things that have happened this week.

1. Massachusetts Tax Free Weekend
It's a good thing this weekend is tax-free weekend in MA. Even though I will have to spend $9 zillion on vets, car repair, and basement waterproofing, at least I can do some tax-free shopping.


2. Sick Doggy + Ridiculous Doggy Cape
Poor Puppy has a rash on his back. It actually doesn't seem to bother him, but it bothered me, so I brought him to the vet. She ended up shaving his whole back, leaving him naked and leperous-looking. I felt so bad for the poor guy, that I cut up an old t-shirt and made him a cape to cover up his back. I'm sure that pissed him off even more, but look how cute!

He looks like those kids at the pool that have to wear t-shirts because their skin burns so badly. Awwww!

3. Scrabble Magnets
I actually made these last week, but showing them off on the blog is a good thing to happen this week! After my brother moved out all his stuff, I was left with zero fridge magnets. This doesn't sound like a huge deal, but it was actually quite inconvenient. Where to hang my vistor's parking pass? or detailed baby shower planning Excel sheets? or Groupons that I will never redeem?

My solution was to take some old Scrabble tiles (purchased on eBay for just a few bucks). Then with a little Super Glue, I glued on magnets and voila! Educational and fun fridge magnets!

The Michelle Obama magnet is motivation to do push-ups and stay away from the fridge, but the Scrabble magnets are more fun to play with. Magnets, magnets everywhere!

4. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Sausage

I love when I discover a new recipe to use up my farm share veggies with. I typically am not a big cabbage fan, but we got some in the farm share last week and I had to use it up. My trick to farm share eating is if you don't particularly like a vegetable, a.) foist it upon someone else or b.) cook it with sausage or bacon! Here is my recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

1 head of cabbage, remove outer leaves and as much of core as possible

1 package of sweet Italian sausage removed from casings

2 cups cooked rice (I used brown basmati rice)

1 onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 can of diced tomatoes

salt, pepper, oregano, fresh herbs

Bring a large pot of water to boil and submerge the entire cabbage head for about 10 minutes. The leaves should be tender and easily removed. Drain and rinse the leaves in cold water and set aside.

Cook the sausage meat, drain oil, and set aside. Saute onions and mushrooms until tender. Combine in a bowl with cooked rice, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. (You won't need much salt since the sausage will be pretty flavorful).

Lay a cabbage leaf with the spine side down and, depending on the size of the leaf, add 1-2 tbsp of the meat and rice mixture. Roll like an egg roll, burrito, or wrapped food of your culture. I fold the bottom once, fold in the sides, and roll up. Place in a lightly greased baking dish. Cover the rolls with diced tomatoes. (I also added the last of my fresh herbs to the sauce). Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. enjoy!

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I feel better already! Now the weekend is just a few hours away. The only thing that will break this weekend is the mic that I rock out on at karaoke tomorrow night!