Today is one of those days. I woke up (that may be the highlight of the day) and everything went wrong in the first fifteen minutes. Nothing tragic or life changing but enough to make me want to crawl back into bed.

I had a to do list (including painting some pots, taking a shower and writing a blog on Korean food) and everything just kept getting in my way. First, I did something stupid. As per my routine, I went to the bathroom. For some reason, I decided to cross my legs. Without going into detail, there is reason you don’t cross your legs on the potty. (Add mopping bathroom floor to to-do list.)

I left the bathroom and got dressed. My shirt just felt wrong. Why is it so tight? Am I fat today? (I have fat days.) Nope, I just had it on backwards….and inside out.

Next, I went outside to put a second layer of paint on some clay pots I’ve been repurposing. As I’m sitting there feeling peaceful listening to the birds, a big fat toad jumps right into my paint!

It was like an episode of the Brady Bunch. This poor toad! He jumps out of the paint and is almost stuck to the grass. I felt like I was captain of the Exxon Valdez and just doused this guy in oil.

I jumped up and grabbed the hose and tried to rinse him off. (Note to self….when rinsing a toad be prepared he is going to jump.) He flies up in the air like SuperToad and lands on my foot. So I start screaming and kick him off my foot.

Well, my toad goes flying.  (Now PETA is going to come after me.)  I found him easily in the grass because he was still bright orange.  I changed the setting on the hose (mist, not power wash) and was able to get the paint off of him. (I did wipe him with a Bounty paper towel because that is how the wildlife people save all the ducks covered in oil.)

After all this, I decide that I’ll just sit down and write an informative blog on the Korean dish Daeji Bulgogi.

Where are my notes? Gone! They have vanished. Wait. What was that piece of paper that I just dropped my paintbrush on when I ran into the house to wash off the toad juice off my hands? It was my notes! (You’ll still get the recipe today but the educational part of it is gone like an orange colored toad hopping across the yard.)

So I grab my computer and try to look up information and I am as unmotivated at this point as I can be. I still have to mop the floor, my pots have got toad stools on them (he got a bit upset when I was hosing him down) and my recipe notes have key words covered up with blotches of paint.

Now I know all of this stuff is not the end of the world but it just was really a sitcom kind of morning. With that said, the following recipe will make any bad day better.

The marinade is made with Gochujang (fermented red chili pepper paste.) The paste is a staple in Korean food and is more savory than spicy. My theory on trying it, use less than the recipe calls for. Think of it like the first time you tried garlic. If you would have put a head of garlic in a recipe you may have never tasted it again. But if you start a clove at a time, you learn to love the flavor and kick.

My morning is coming to a close and my afternoon will be better. I think to be safe I will stay away from fire, paint and toads. (Or I may have to hop back into bed?)

Daeji Bulgogi (Korean Spicy Marinated Pork)

Ingredients

1 pound thinly sliced pork (I used a loin, partially froze it and then cut the slices)

Marinade

3 Tbsp light soy sauce

3 Tbsp minced garlic

½ Tbsp mince ginger

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp Gochujang (it will be in the International aisle at the store in a red tub)

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients in the marinade. Add the pork and let it marinate for at least an hour.

Prepare your grill or grill pan over medium high heat.

In small batches, grill up the meat. (It will go very quickly!)

I served mine with some sautéed peppers, rice and radish sprouts with an egg on top. (It was just the stuff I had around the house.)IMG_9683

Korean food has a lot of ingredients I am trying to figure out. Hopefully the next time I post on this subject, I’ll get up on the right side of the bed.