Cooking Attempts 41~42: Mmm~

Egg roll: 달걀말이
It's not the egg rolls that you get with Chinese food. It's basically an omelet that's rolled up. They sell square frying pans at the Korean market so that you can make a neat roll, but it's easy enough using a round one. You can mix in whatever you want (as long as it doesn't have too high a water content), but I chose chopped up kimchi. It was really easy to make. I used 3 eggs. Heat up the pan with oil, pour the mixture in. When it's about half cooked, instead of flipping the whole thing, turn the heat off and gently start rolling from one corner. Wait for it to cool in the pan so that it sticks and then cut into neat little pieces.

I think next time, I'll try a mix of cheese, green onions and red pepper.

Mackerel Radish Stew: 고등어무조림
It's not really a stew, because the liquid is simmered away as much as possible. But the closest translation is a stew, according to Yahoo's Korean dictionary. So! Cut some white radish (daikon) into bite-size pieces and line the bottom of a pot.

Cut some onions and layer on top of the daikon pieces.
I used frozen mackerel chunks that my parents brought for me from Toronto. They say that fatty fish are best for this recipe. I mixed chili paste, soy sauce, honey, chili powder, garlic and ginger and splooshed on top of the fish.
Then I put in just enough water to cover the whole thing. I also threw in some dashi (hard dried seaweed used to make fish stock) for extra flavour. Then I boiled at high heat for 15 minutes, medium heat for 15 minutes and low heat until the water had reduced to a sauce. The liquid from the daikon and onions thickens it just enough. The key is not to stir it while it's boiling. Otherwise the fish will break off into small chunks and disappear instead of staying nicely together like this!
I also threw in some chopped green onions just before turning off the heat altogether. It was really yummy. My first fish dish! ^_^

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives..."

Into the second year of Harvest Moon now. Relationships becoming more soap opera-like by day.

Year Two: Spring
Denny, that rat bastard, didn't do anything for Spring Harmony Day, which is when boys are supposed to give girls sweets. Sigh. Didn't get anything from Vaughn either, but that was expected seeing as how I only get to see him two days out of the week.
Decided to put all my efforts into my ranch to deal with the disappointment and was rewarded with the first prize at the potato festival. Mirabelle also gifted me with a white horse. I named her Winnie and brush her everyday.
Denny asked me out, but it was only to Chen's general store. Chen kept teasing us about how he should take me out to a nicer place on our next date. Denny kept insisting that we were just hanging out. I'm starting to get annoyed with his vacillations. Also, if he tells me one more time that I should start getting up earlier because the early bird catches the worm, I'm going to sock him. If he had to renovate his house just to fit another bed for a future spouse and figure out how to raise an island so that a church can be built for the wedding, he wouldn't be able to get up at 6am either.


Year Two: Summer
Spent summer trying to figure out how to upgrade my damn equipment so that I don't have to do all my farm chores one square at a time. I also raised up Rice Island out of the sea, which was a bad idea in retrospect, because I just don't have the time or the necessary equipment right now to grow rice. Dammit, should have raised Mushroom Island instead so I can forage for mushrooms, which is easy money.
Denny organized a fishing contest. I only got fourth place, because I'm still only catching small fish. Lanna, a former pop star, won first place. Now that I think about it, she's always hanging around the beach just down the street from Denny's shack. And I see them sitting together all the time in the Café. She better not try anything or I will cut someone.
My worries were later assuaged when I attended the Fireworks Festival. Denny asked me if I wanted to watch the fireworks with him. Ha! Take that, Lanna!


Year Two: Autumn
I walked into Mirabelle's store to buy some feed and was unexpectedly asked to help Vaughn take care of some farm animals. He was reticent at first, but accepted my help and told me that I wasn't completely useless. As heartwarming as his praise was, unfortunately I spied him a few days later talking to Sabrina, the meganekko daughter of the mine owner. He fixed the chain on her necklace for her. Damn them! I've got to either raise up Mushroom Island so I can start giving him mushrooms as presents or buy a cow so that I can get some milk and cook some porridge. ARGH, my brain!
As I still have many things to do before I can propose to Denny with the certainty of being accepted, I have decided to start up a friendship with the new guy in town, Will. He showed up on his yacht after I raised up Volcano Island. He's Sabrina's rich cousin, who's out to see the world. He's a bit of a playboy and I saw him talking up Lily the treasure hunter a few days into our acquaintance, which annoys me. But he has a yacht, dammit!


Year Two: Winter
Mining the depths of Volcano Island is the primary source of income for me in winter. As I am but a beginner miner, most of my finds are amethysts and topaz, but it should be sufficient to get me through the winter. How is it that you get a plate of gelatin when you pour water on little pools of lava? Perhaps it makes sense to a Harvest Moon geologist.
Gave chocolates to Denny and Will for Winter Harmony Day, but Vaughn wasn't around since it wasn't a Monday or Tuesday. I must say that the challenge of courting Vaughn is making him more desirable than Denny. Relationship with Will is coming along nicely. I'm keeping my eye on Lily, that treasure-hunting hussy, to make sure that she doesn't get her claws into Will.
Went to the Starry Night Festival with Denny like last year. Not close enough to Will yet and Vaughn is (AGAIN!) nowhere to be found. At this rate, I think I'll just end up marrying Will with his yacht and mining heir money. It's not mercenary if I find him genuinely likable.


*meganekko: "glasses(-wearing) girl" in Japanese, a term used in anime and manga to refer to females wearing glasses , which is considered their most attractive trait

So Robert gave me Harvest Moon for Christmas...

...and so began the adventures of Jutea, owner of Moopie Ranch.

Year One: Spring
So I started working on my new ranch. It wasn't as run down as Taro and Mirabelle intimated, seeing as how I have a huge island all to myself, with a dinky house, stable, supply shed and a large field. Started farming a few plots of turnips and potatoes and cleaning up my field of stones and branches. Turns out clearing away the rocks and branches was a bad idea, seeing as how they can be turned into material stone and lumber by using the sledgehammer and axe. Huh. There are also these huge boulders in the field that I just have no idea how to get rid of. It's still okay, because my stamina runs out at an alarming rate and I don't know how I would water all the crops if I had more planted than I do right now.
Wandered around town, saying hello. Everyone was welcoming, if slightly repetitive. Started scouting for eligible bachelors and found three that seem even remotely interesting. Denny is the fisherman who lives in the purple fishing shack on the east coast. He's super nice and friendly. Vaughn is the animal wrangler who lives...well, actually, I don't think he even owns a house. He's also standoffish, but he has an awesome black hat and has that mysterious vibe thing going on. Pierre is a well off gourmet who's on the main island to study ingredients and develop new recipes. Tried to give him some curry as a present, but he wouldn't take it, the snooty bastard.
There was a turnip festival at the end of the month, but alas, I had sold all my turnips accidentally and couldn't enter the contest. I won't make that mistake again.

Year One: Summer
Finally saved up enough money and lumber to expand my house. Sadly, the renovation doesn't include a kitchen, which seems silly to me. Also bought a chicken coop and Mirabelle was kind enough to give me a chick. Named it Cheepy. Can't wait for it to grow up and start giving me some eggs. Bought another chicken and named it Lauren to keep Cheepy company.
Growing tomatoes and corn this summer. There's a tomato festival at the end of the month, so I'm going to enter it. Experimenting with watering and ripening times to get the grade A tomatoes I need.
Bought a fishing pole and started testing out the waters. Caught some dinky fish! Gave one to Denny and he was really happy about it. Gonna start giving him one everyday from now on. Figured out that Vaughn (the mysterious one in the cowboy hat) likes eggs. Excellent. Going to give him a fresh egg whenever I happen to see him.
My tomato got second place in the festival! It should help me in my hunt for a husband!

Year One: Autumn
Finally built myself a kitchen, but so far I can only make chestnut rice, normal rice and bread. Gotta get more recipes somehow. Oh! I got myself another chicken and named it Kko Kko. And the brand new incubator lets me hatch new chicks every 3 days. Time to sell me some chickens! Going to keep the original three and sell the rest. Mirabelle also gave me a little dark brown puppy! I have named him Poopy.
Took an eggplant to the island potluck to add to the stew. Everyone said it was delicious. Of course it was. After all, my eggplant got first place at the festival!
Gave Denny a fish for his birthday. He was really happy and we have progressed to 4 hearts. Vaughn continues to be taciturn, but still accepts the occasional egg. Sometimes, I think he's just using me for the eggs.

Year One: Winter
There's no farming to do in winter, so focusing on my animals and gathering stone and lumber. Went to the snow festival and built a snowman with Gannon the carpenter, because no one else would help me. Apparently, I haven't been paying enough attention to them all. Well, of course not, I've been focusing on Denny and Vaughn!
Gave chocolate to Denny on Winter Harmony Day. Was going to give some to Vaughn, but as usual, he can't be found when you want him. So I ate the chocolates for stamina. Denny's showing more interest now. He invited me to watch the ocean with him and then guess what? He asked me to go to the Starry Night Festival with him! He invited me over for dinner (some fish stew and burnt chestnut rice) and then we went to the festival together. Now whenever I talk to him to give him his daily fish present, he hints at having a wife and children to go fishing with him. As much as our relationship has progressed in the past year, I'll continue giving presents to Vaughn until I can be sure of Denny's affections. Also, I've got my ranch to run. Hope next year will be more profitable so I can build a barn and get myself some sheep!