Bumblebee K-Pop Fries Dupe

 I was down with a bad cold for five days--fever on Day 3, but it was a small one and only lasted a day--and my worst symptoms were a seriously stuffy head and lots of coughing and sneezing. I sound like a croaky toad when I talk, as well. I could sing bass in the choir right now if I could sing at all. I'm still a little stuffy and I have a lingering cough, but I could tell when I turned the corner and started feeling my energy return.

I was back to work today after missing all of last week. If there were moments that I worried that my faculty would figure out they could do just fine without me and I'd be out of a job, those worries were laid to rest as soon as I walked in the door this morning. Each of the faculty members immediately told me how much they'd missed me and how relieved they were that I was back to take care of the things that I take care of. I spent the day attempting to unravel the chaos that had ensued while I wasn't there, and I'm happy to report that I've made serious inroads into restoring order and sense.

Husband has now succumbed to The Crud (is it Omicron? a flu? a cold? Who cares? Neither of us were required to get tested, and since getting tested just opens up a can of worms, we both decided to just stay home until we got better) and is on Day 3. He is also stuffy-headed and coughing, but no fever so far. Little Gary got sick when I did, and he had quite a fever, but he bounced back far more quickly than I did and now has only the smallest of lingering coughs.

To make Husband happy, I made my version of Bumblebee's K-Pop fries last night. 

Bumblebee is a Korean-American fusion fast food restaurant. It was started in Utah, and I believe it still only has locations in Utah (only three locations, I think), but it's seriously yummy. Our favorite dish is the K-Pop fries, which are seasoned fries smothered in bulgogi beef shreds, cheese, and sliced green onions and then covered in fry sauce (a Utah invention that, once you've had it, means you can never go back to mere ketchup) and eel sauce. 

My Version of Bumblebee K-Pop Fries:

Yield: 4 servings

2 pounds ground beef or thinly sliced beef steak

1 bag frozen seasoned french fries 

2 or 3 green onions, green parts sliced (save white parts for another use)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Fry sauce (homemade recipe below, or buy a commercial fry sauce such as Some Dude's Fry Sauce or Heinz's Mayochup Saucy Sauce)

Eel sauce (optional. You can find this at Asian grocery stores. It doesn't actually have any eels in it.)

Bulgogi marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp brown sugar

4 tsp sesame oil

6 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it

1. If using ground beef, brown beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Drain fat. While the beef is cooking, mix the marinade ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the beef when it is done, mixing it well into the beef. Lower heat to med-low and allow beef mixture to simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Skip to Step 3.

2. If using sliced steak, marinate the beef in the bulgogi marinade for at least an hour, though overnight is better. Brown beef on the stove or under the broiler, slice into bite-sized pieces, and keep warm until ready to serve.

3. Cook frozen seasoned fries according to package directions. When fries are done, divide them among four plates. Spread 1/2 cup or so of the meat over each mound of fries, top with shredded cheese, sprinkle with green onions, and then squirt fry sauce and eel sauce generously over the top. Serve piping hot (if you are using oven-safe plates, you can slide them under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese).

Basic Fry Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp pickle brine from the pickle jar (or more, to taste, and to get a squirtable consistency)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and then spoon into a squirt bottle. Generously squirt the fry sauce over the fries in a criss-cross fashion, first going horizontally and then vertically. 

I Suddenly Feel Old

 I work with guys, a couple of them young enough to be my sons. This fact was once again brought to my attention last week.

After the students had mostly left the building at the end of the day on Thursday, Skyler was in my office telling me a story from his life. Tanner came in, grabbed my Sharpie marker, and said, "Dude, if you let me throw this at your back as hard as I can, I'll let you do it to me," and both of them immediately ran out of my office into the hall. I heard the thwack of Sharpie against dress shirt and flesh, a laughing exclamation of pain, and then the same thing again. Then I heard them decide to repeat the experiment.

Thwack. Laughter. Thwack. Laughter.

In explanation, Tanner stated that he just needed to wake up so he could focus on the work he had to do for the next few hours. I guess that's one way to shake off the sleepies, though it's not an idea that would have occurred to me--but I am not a guy in my mid-to-late-twenties.

 

We Survived Christmas

 We had an eventful Christmas, and I'm not even listing all the things that happened. I'm sure they'll come up later, as some of the events are having long-lasting consequences.

For one thing, Elannah came home early from her mission the Monday before Christmas. It was the right thing for her, as she had been struggling terribly with depression. She learned so much and was even able to teach and baptize a family in the short time she was in Nashville, but her mental health was going south so fast that I was getting really worried. Long story short (and there's quite a bit to that story), she made the decision to come home, and she made the right decision. I selfishly love having her home again, and now she's being a missionary to her sister, Sophia, and brother, Joseph. Her mental health has greatly improved.

And no, if you were wondering, there are no wedding bells ringing yet. As I keep telling her when she worries about not yet being ready to get married while her boyfriend is, she's only twenty! Don't take the plunge until you're sure, girl, and you've got plenty of time!

Another thing that happened was the prolonged attempt by my in-laws to get home to Indiana. It took them three days because of the constant flight delays and cancellations, and I will spare you all the exhausting, horrible details, but they finally made it home. Their dogs and cats were ecstatic. I'm sure the neighbor who had been taking care of the animals was also relieved, though she has been an angel to care for them for so long.

MIL has suffered through so many ups and downs with this cancer. She received good news that her live cancer cell count has dropped very significantly, so there's a great deal of hope. She also survived the long, horrible trip home, and that, I think, will give her more faith in her inner strength, though she has no intentions of traveling for a very long time.

We didn't get together to celebrate Christmas as a family until Boxing Day (Dec. 26th), but we had a lot of fun together. I made the traditional British roast dinner for Husband's sake, my mother brought the red jello salad that has been a staple holiday food since I was a baby, the kids all played games together and laughed loudly, and I got to hug my grandson frequently. 

Sian has now beaten her pregnancy record by remaining pregnant this long. Tyler came very early because of severe preeclampsia, and she suffered a couple miscarriages before this pregnancy, but she's had no problems with this pregnancy, and the baby is growing perfectly. She's exhausted and feels like a cow right now, but we are all very grateful for an uneventful pregnancy. I get to meet my new grandson in February, all going well.

Husband bought a rain shower shower head with his Christmas money. I love it. I live in the shower now.

I'm keeping this rather brief because I'm exhausted and want to go to sleep. I've started eating low carb/high fat again, and I'm still suffering a little of the "keto flu," though that has improved dramatically in the last twenty-four hours. I'm six pounds down in two days, though that is all water weight. We'll see how I need to adjust things as I go on. Be patient: I'm sure I'll bore you with details in the very near future.

Okay. I'm showered, blissfully tired, and going to bed now. Good night.