every year when it’s appah(dad)’s birthday, I love to cook for the fam. this is how I show my daughterly lurve.  this year was no different. my family knows I go all out (like the 10 course prime rib feast last christmas which I then ended up in the ER later that evening with pneumonia…uhh yeah…thatstoryanothertime)

so this time they all begged me to just make something ” SIMPLE” or else they threatened we’d all go out and eat (oh-hellz-no)

in my best korean accent I told them “ohrye, ohrye!” (translation: alright, alright!) :P

the game plan: simple, comfort food.

this has got to be my simplest family dinner yet. thankfully, my family is not too picky and not too hard to please.

because korean families love their sa-ra-da (aka salad)

salad

something spring-y- mixed greens, strawberries, asian pear, diced egg, and toasted cinnamon and sugar walnuts (so simple to do and so delicious) tossed with a light balsamic vinegarette

and then the 5 hour beast…I mean, pot roast ( although I followed no conventional pot roast recipe) yeah I know this is more of an autumn dish but nothing says simple comfort like some slowly braised meat and potatoes (and basically everything else in our fridge ).

after seasoning and searing the sucker, I  basically threw in nearly everything in my seasoning cabinet, some jesus juice (of the malbec variety), stuck on the lid, threw it in the oven and crossed my fingers.

3 hours later, I added rustic veggies galore and some more crap. yes, now I had put in everything but the kitchen sink. lid back on dutch oven, threw it in the oven again and crossed fingers one more time.

2 hours later…

potroast

voila! yes, somewhere in there is 10 pounds of  pot roast à  la choisauce.

the final plate

dinnerplate

simple, comfort birthday plate- buttermilk biscuit, spring salad (from above), and pot roast à la choisauce over a bed of buttered egg noodles and mashed potatoes.

cake

my cousin was sweet enough to make this delicious and adorable cheesecake for appah’s birthday

singing “happy birthday”

happybirthday

singing happy birthday in our family can be quite the comedic scene. starting the tune is usually awkward no matter who starts it. 90%  of the fam is singing it in korean (no, its not just with a fobby accent “happy busssday.” the words are actually in korean lol) and the rest of the fam (or rather just me) is singing it in english. haha don’t worry at least its in the same tune :P (I know the words in korean but sorry! it just feels too fobby and awkward even when everyone else is singing it haha)

dadnerintoo cute. appah with my baby niece, erin.  kids adore him and he always loves to hold them/have them sit on his lap. although this looks strikingly similar to a picture of us maybe 9493843 years ago he still sees me/treats me like this *sigh*

it’s okay, I  love u and happy birthday, appah!

love,

jina (the korean name)

_

 

 

maison de choisauce, somewhere in lala land