If cows could talk (a Christmas reflection)

Being 8 months pregnant was not conducive to "properly" observing the wonderful and wondrous season of Advent (or maybe this is just an excuse). I barely made it to an Advent reconciliation service and kept up with my normal prayer routine, which isn't much at all.

One thing that has really stuck with me this Advent, however, is being pregnant as Mary was pregnant with her son. Although admittedly the focus of my "waiting" and expectancy is directed towards the birth of my own child, I cannot help but mix it up a little with the "waiting" and expectancy of the coming of Jesus and the great gift and responsibility young Mary was carrying.

What a mind job.

I have high hopes for my son, health-wise and cuteness-wise, but he is not the Savior of the world. And I am not 14 years old.

Something Fr. Mark spoke to in a Christmas Midnight Mass homily a few years ago struck me last night as I approached the nativity scene at church. I forget his exact words, but the idea was that the actual Nativity of our Lord was not this pristine, soft, lovely scene that is depicted in our churches and homes to commemorate the occasion. The Son of God incarnate entered the world in a hut of basically farm animals and their sh*t.

What the what.

Over the past couple months, I've been fussing about which hospital I should choose in which to deliver our son. It's not an unimportant consideration, and it is not unreasonable for a parent to want what's best for her child. Plus, for me personally, I'd rather labor for potentially 20+ hours in as nice and comfortable a place as possible.

Mother Mary did not have that luxury.

Can you imagine? Poor Joseph went from inn to inn, home to home, asking people for a room so his poor wife, whom for all we know was already in labor, could rest and deliver her child, the SON OF GOD. And all people could say was "NO ROOM!"... to a laboring woman!!!

I'm sorry, but I drop a piece of paper in the Inglewood Costco and a stranger passing by will pick it up for me. I roll a cart of groceries out to the parking lot, and the cart gathering attendant will load my groceries into my trunk without my even having to ask. Most people of good will I've encountered since my belly has been bulging have been nothing but accommodating and helpful. All because I am with child. And I imagine that if I were to suddenly go into labor, people would help me out too. At least call for help!

No room! No room! No room!

The priest at 백삼 last night (gosh, I don't even know his name! he's new from Pusan) described this ordeal, and it struck me. A part of me was devastated that we as human beings would refuse to help a mother trying to give birth to her child... any child, let alone the Son of God!

Las Posadas has new meaning for me.

I guess I wouldn't want a stranger to just come into my home and give birth. It's messy. It's inconvenient. It's a little weird if it's a stranger.

But still! At least make sure she gets to a hospital!

Of course, I am thinking from my 21st century American perspective (and position with greater convenience) here.

Back to the hut of farm animals as one's birthing center though...

No midwife, doula, ob-gyn, nurses... not even one's very own mother! Yikes.

And afterwards, no LDRP or private postpartum recovery room where you can have skin-to-skin time with your newborn and breastfeed in peace.

Just cow poo and feed. Maybe some hay.

And then shepherds who have been staying up all night and probably don't bathe often.

I wonder how Mary REALLY felt. I mean REALLY.

Yet, it is still glory to God in the highest.

All the mothers I've talked to say they don't really remember the pain or the laboring. Once the child is born, it all just melts away and all you are is MOM.

Does that happen even when you give birth next to pile of poo?

This Christmas, I'm just grateful that I will most likely (although who knows?) not be delivering our son next to a pile of poo. And I pray ever fervently for a healthy, happy, and even holy baby who will follow in the footsteps of the Son of God--joy, peace, suffering and sacrifice, love and all.

Spinach Meatballs (with Spaghetti)

Sorry for the low-quality photo. I was too busy eating these to take a proper picture. Come to think of it, this doesn't look terribly appetizing haha. But I swear they were really good!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef (I actually used 1.3 lb. of 90/10)
• 1/3 to 1/2 bunch of fresh spinach, stems cut off and chopped up
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I used a little bit more)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix well. (I really got into it with my hands... gotta add that 손 맛)
3. Form into small meatballs (mine were 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter).
4. Place meatballs on silpat mat on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your meatballs) until fully cooked. Every 7-8 minutes, flip/rotate the meatballs so they cook evenly.
6. When meatballs are fully cooked, remove from oven.

While the meatballs were in the oven, I cooked the pasta and heated ready-made (i.e. Prego) spaghetti sauce. I simmered the meatballs in the sauce for 8-10 minutes before serving them over thin spaghetti.

Yum!

I think this recipe will serve 3-4. We ate half and froze the other half for later.

Oxtail Soup (Korean)

꼬리 곰탕... a Korean family staple and a favorite at my house. My kid sister especially loved this when she was a baby. She would gnaw the meat off all the way to the bones and then pass out in her high chair ahahahaha. Most adorable thing ever.

This is really easy to make if you just use the basic recipe. I'm sure seasoned 아줌마s have extra tricks and secrets up their sleeve. I kept it simple.

Just peel and core as needed: 무우, 양파, 배 or 사과.

Do not forget the garlic! I think I used a whole head.

You'll also need salt (sea salt or kosher) and black pepper.

First, put the oxtails in a pot with some water, just enough to cover them and then a little extra. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for a few minutes. This is to boil out all the bloody gunk. Meanwhile, if you want to save yourself some time, bring clean water to a boil in another (maybe bigger pot).

After most of the bloody gunk has floated to the top of the water, remove from heat and dump the bloody gunk water. Make sure you don't boil the oxtails for too long or at too roiling of a boil just to suck the bloody gunk out (it'll make the meat tough and lose flavor). Rinse any remnants of the bloody gunk off and place oxtails in the clean water pot (the clean water should come an inch or so above the top of the oxtails in the pot).

Add all the ingredients prepared before to the pot with the oxtails. Add some salt and pepper. Simmer for 2-3 hours.

Remove from heat, and leave pot open to cool over night. If you have enough space in your fridge, you can cool it in the fridge.

Once chilled, the fat will harden at the top. Skim the fat off and throw out. Remove the 무우, 양파, and fruit.

Serve the meat on the bones and the broth with chopped green onions. Add salt and pepper to the broth to taste. Some people like to dip the meat in 양념 간장 (soy sauce with red pepper flakes, green onions, garlic, sesame seeds, vinegar).

If you have extra broth, you can use it as a base for other soups! Delicious.

Sorry I don't have a photo of the finished product. I just ate it without taking any pictures hehe.

Wilted Kale and Tomato Salad

Apologies in advance for the lack of measurements in this recipe. I learned to cook from my Korean mother, whose idea of measurements is "요만큼" or "적당히" or "잘 보면서." Three thousand miles away and far from affordable Korean restaurants, I would call my mother to ask her how to cook things... only to hear on the other end of the line, "Oh, you know, you just have to put in enough." Thanks, Mom.

I've been eating a lot of kale salad lately because kale is so delicious and healthy... and a good source of   vitamins! Gotta eat those leafy green veggies during pregnancy! This evening, I needed a little snack to hold me over until we eat a late dinner (of Korean bbq no less). So I whipped this up around 5:30 pm to get some nutrients in my body before I poison myself with grease and fat (and some protein) galore in a couple hours.

Here are the unmeasured ingredients:

• Kale (I used two leaves for my little half-serving here)
• Tomato (I used about 2/3 of one of those tomatoes they sell on the vine)
• Minced Garlic (1 clove)
• Onion (um... you know, just enough)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (again, just enough... to cover the pan in my case)
• Balsamic vinegar (I used 2 splashes)
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Pine Nuts (optional... I didn't use them here)

Directions:

1. Mince garlic, mince onion, dice tomato, and cut kale leaves off the stem into slightly larger than bite-size pieces.
2. Coat pan with evoo and put over medium heat.
3. When the oil is hot enough (test with a drop of water or a piece of onion for a slight sizzle), toss garlic and onion into pan. After 1-2 minutes but before garlic browns, lower heat to medium-low and toss in tomatoes. Increase heat to medium if the tomato is taking too long to cook (do not overcook!) and your stomach is grumbling (like mine was).
4. After the tomato has cooked for a few minutes, add kale. You might need to add a little more evoo at this point. Eyeball it, as my mother would say. Stir so kale is coated with oil and wilting nicely. Add salt, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper to taste. The kale will shrink and turn a slightly deeper green. 
5. Before kale turns too saggy and lifeless, remove from heat and place onto serving dish. Grate parmesan cheese on top if desired. I also like to add pine nuts to my kale salad sometimes to add more nutrients and flavor. But this time I went for the cheese.
6. Eat while still warm.

Other kale salads I like:

• Massaged kale with some kind of citrus fruit, onion, toasted almonds, and golden raisins and/or dried cranberries
• Warm kale and potato salad in a lemon or mustard dressing
• Roasted yam and kale salad

Peach/Nectarine Raspberry Pie

Here is the recipe (roughly):

Ingredients

• 4 fresh peaches/nectarines - peeled, pitted, and sliced thinly
• 6 oz. fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 (9-inch) pie crusts
• 2 tbsp butter, softened and sliced thinly

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place peaches and berries in a colander for at least 15 minutes to drain excess fluid (or else your filling will be too goopy and soak the crust), then transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, mash about 1/3 of the raspberries. Add both sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix mix mix!
4. Toss peaches with mixture until evenly coated. Transfer to a pie crust. Dot with butter, and top with remaining crust. Cut vents in top crust. (Can also sprinkle coarse sugar on top crust.)
5. Bake 45 minutes in preheated oven until crust is golden brown.

Some hints

• Use good crust... the crust I used was not that great and took away from the deliciousness of the pie. Next time, I will likely take the time to make my own (fatty) crust.
• The whole process took me a little less than an hour and a half.
• Watch out that the filling doesn't ooze out of the crust while baking... in fact, bake the pie on a cookie sheet just in case. I saved myself a nasty oven cleaning job by using that sheet!
• Eat warm or with ice cream. Yum.