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.
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