Guemho Potlucks

One of the blessings of living in our apartment complex, Guemho Bestvill, is the community it provides.  There are several other YISS families that live here with us, and lots of other families with kids for Marc and Emmalyn to play with.  We have been getting together for cookouts at the playground (one in the Fall, and now we are revisiting the idea as the weather has gotten warmer again).  

Good food, great friends, sweet memories!

Mommy's Helpers!

 Mmm-mmmm!

 Enjoy!

our "Korean" kids

Marc had a morning playdate and lunch with two of his friends, Mika and Coby.  Mika moved here just before she turned one and the boys were born here.  This must be why they ate kimbap -the Korean version of sushi- for lunch... and LOVED it.

 They also watched an episode of Mickey Mouse clubhouse while they ate... which turned into a dance party.  So we brought a little America back to their lunchtime.

Something to be thankful for!

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. 

Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with another (large!) family that works at YISS.  They were some of the first people we met in Seoul, and honestly - I can't imagine being here without them around!  It was fun to host the meal, have lots of kids running around, and share holiday traditions.

Gingerbread (graham cracker!) houses!

During this holiday season, we definitely miss our family and friends back in the States.  However, one of the joys of Thanksgiving is to take a step back and look at all you have to be thankful for.  Harry Ironside once said, "We would worry less if we praised more.  Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction."  How true that is!  And we have SO MUCH to be thankful for:  good health, a good job, great friends, and the ability to stay connected with loved ones on the other side of the world!   Most importantly, we praise God for His saving grace, for His kingdom work around the world, and for His plan to use His people for His good purpose.   Give Thanks to the Lord, all the earth!

apple of my eye

 One of the things we love about Fall - in addition to the awesome weather, hoodies, fall festivals, etc - is the abundance of apples - to eat, make into delicious apple desserts, and - of course - make homemade applesauce (especially since you can't buy applesauce in the store in Korea).

Marc loves to be included on anything I am doing - so thanks to my handy Pampered Chef "safe cutter," Marc attempted to chop up the apples with me this morning.  He would put a piece of apple in the bowl, then put a piece in his mouth. ;)  This was one food indulgence I did not hinder.

 LOVE the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking.

Happy Fall!

Dessert Baked Potatoes

This Summer we were able to spend a few days with my mother from Maine. She always comes with creative new ideas to do in the kitchen - and this was her latest: a baked potato for dessert.  When she asked us if we wanted to have baked potatoes for dessert, we were definitely skeptical - until she listed the ingredients: ice cream, hot cocoa powder, whipped cream, sprinkles, and nuts. 

She had me at ice cream!

AND, despite appearances (yes, I was skeptical), this was a delicious dessert!

So - how did she do it? 

 First, we cut a box of slightly melted vanilla ice cream into 12 squares and formed them into rough shaped "potatoes" (we used plastic wrap to grab each section of ice cream and form it- to keep the mess off our hands), placed the on a baking tray and placed in the freezer (best to do this quickly, they melt fast!)  Once refrozen, we rolled the ice cream "potatoes" in hot cocoa powder creating the potato's skin.

Replace in the freezer to firm up once again, until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, place a single "potato" on a plate, split with a knife -as you would a normal potato- and fill with toppings! This is where you can be creative.

We chose Ready Whip for "sour cream"and yellow sprinkles for "cheese"

We also added peanuts on top of the ones that wanted it - and to me, it really added a lot of flavor to the dessert.

When Jarrod saw this dessert (from a distance) he really thought it was a baked potato and said he would pass on the "dessert".  :) He was surprised and delighted to find that it was really ice cream!

Recipe:

Dessert Baked Potatoes
serves 12

1 half gallon vanilla ice cream
hot cocoa powder
whipped cream
sprinkles
peanuts - broken into pieces

Allow ice cream to become slightly soft, divide into 12 sections and form into the shape of a potato.  Refreeze.  Roll in hot cocoa powder. Refreeze.
When ready to serve, divide in half, fill with toppings: whipped cream, sprinkles, nuts.
Enjoy!