2012.

Picture courtesy of Karolina K.

I've done the countdown in Times Square, I've done it at church multiple times, but I have never experienced a new year like this.... :)

Since my lovely friends in Suwon were in charge of the Christmas party, I thought it would be appropriate if I took care of the New Year's. This party was pretty much planned last minute and I think it's safe to say that it turned out pretty awesome. Old and new friends showed up fashionably late and ready to party.

Unlike America, the land of easy party foods, it was tough to come up with snacks to feed my guests. Thanks to handydandy HomePlus, Dave and I were able to whip up some yummy and wallet friendly goodies.

Pomegranate White Sangria
This drink only needs 4 ingredients: Pomegranate seeds, any white wine, sprite, and slices of orange for decoration. This easy to make drink was probably the biggest hit at the party.







Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Sounds like a handful, but this delicious snack is so easy to make!  Just take the Korean version of Ritz crackers, spread some PB on it and make sandwiches out of them. Melt some chocolate, in this case Ghana chocolate (also popular in Korea), and VOILA! If you want to be fancy, just roast some peanuts, crush them up, and sprinkle on top.

For those who watch their figure
We have a couple of vegetarian friends that we definitely did not want to disappoint. These finger snacks were made by spreading some cream cheese on toasted bread and topping them with  water crest and slices of cucumber. Sounds extremely healthy, but tastes awesome too.







Korean Cho-Bap

I guess this also falls under the vegetarian category. You can find Cho-Bap in sushi restaurants around here, but making them at home is definitely cheaper and it takes no time to make these. A big pack made to feed 4 people cost less than 6,000Won. Just mix rice with the seasoning that comes in the pack, roll them into little balls and stuff them into the delicious marinated tofu pockets that's also included.







We had other snacks like chips and salsa, PB&Banana sandwiches, and pizza. Overall, making all this deliciousness took no time. Dave and I definitely did not slave over the stove and we had more than enough food to feed over 10 people.

Since most of my money was spent on restaurants my first year here, my new year's resolution is to cook more at home. I miss all kinds of food from back in America, and will definitely try to recreate my own version of them using ingredients available in Korea. 2012, please be good to me!

Final spread