When the season changes from summer to fall new foods start to emerge. I love fall food. Fall is most definitely my favorite season.
Living in Korea, I see different food/produce come about when the seasons change. I can still find pumpkin and apples (thank goodness), but it’s the juicy bright orange persimmons, the gargantuan asian pears and succulent little tangerines that are shining right now. If you take a drive out into the countryside of Korea you can see trees laden with these fruits. The pears are so BIG that each pear is meticulously tied up in a bag to support its weight.
Aside from the delicious fruit and veggies that surface in the fall, so to does one of my favorite Korean treats…
Bungeo-bbang a.k.a the waffle fish. These cute little guys can be found at any street food vendor stall.
The waffle batter is poured into a fish shaped mold and then a sweet red bean paste is added in. The mold is then closed and roasted. The finished product is a sweet steaming little fish that is much enjoyed on a cool day.
I bought one today, actually three. I only wanted one, but the lady would only sell me three…Ha! Oh well! 3 fishies for about 80 cents; you can’t go wrong.
Onto other things.
I got home this afternoon and was craving something sweet. We are having a couple of friends over for some drinks tonight, so I wanted to make some treats. The easiest think I could think of was no-bake chocolate macaroons. So easy and so fast.
These ooey-gooey morsels are the first thing that I learned to make as a wee one. I was granted access to the kitchen at any time and would dabble in this and that. These macaroons are the yummiest thing that a little girl can make that does not involve the oven. I can vividly remember standing on a wood block in the kitchen, propping myself up to reach the counter, happily mixing my bowl of chocolate, oatmeal, sugar and coconut together.
A perfect treat to satisfy any chocolate craving. The rich cocoa powder shines through, with hints of coconut and peanut butter in the background. Some treats, no matter how old they are, never go out of style!
No-bake Chocolate Macaroons:
- 6 Tbsp. of cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 butter or margarine
- 1/4 peanut butter (optional)
- 1 cup sugar
Bring these five ingredients to a boil. As it boils, keep stirring, for about 4 minutes or so.
- 1 cup coconut
- 3 cups quick oats
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Remove your chocolatey pot from the heat and stir in the coconut, oats and vanilla. At this step you can get a little creative…you can add in whatever you like really…flax, nuts, dried fruit, whatever!
Drop by the spoonful on a wax covered cookie sheet and then refrigerate for an hour or so. Then eat your little heart out 🙂
Have a fabulous day.
xo
C.
Do you remember the first thing you learned how to make/bake?
Cara's Healthy Cravings 
I love those little fishies!! How cute! Recipe for chocolate treats please? 🙂
The first thing I remember “making” is macaroni and cheese. Okay, so that doesn’t count. I’d have to say meatloaf then. My cooking has evolved over the years, and I can honestly say I’ve found my niche when it comes to making dinner/treats!
I think Mac and cheese counts!
I’ve never seen or heard of those bean-filled fish. Interesting! What makes them a specialty of fall?
I don’t really know why they only are served in the fall/winter, they just are! Maybe because they are a hot yummy treat? Who knows 🙂
Those fish are so cute! I bet they are yummy, too. And oh man, those macaroons make me swoon. Would you mind sharing your recipe??
I remember making chocolate chip cookies – and I think they are still my favorite thing to bake.
I will put up the recipe in the morning (my morning) as I am just tucking myself into bed! I won’t forget, I promise.
These cookies have been a lifesaver for us in Sudan… it is faily easy to “import” oats, cocoa and coconut when we come back from nairobi, and the whole lack of oven thing does definitely impede on my sweet-making. I have never made them with peanut butter though… I am intrigued…tell me more…
also – I loooove the waffle fish. how funny are those things? (while I was waiting for the pictures to load on my computer I was trying to picture what a waffle-fish was – I was thinking it was a real kind of fish! ha!)
love love
Ha! The suspense of a slow Internet connection, eh?
Those little fish look so fun and delicious!! But those macaroons look amazing. Can’t wait for the recipe!
Fall is my favorite season too. 🙂 The waffle fish are so cute and they sound delicious too with the sweet red bean paste!
I was a little uncertain when I first tried them last year (sweet beans?) but now I love them.
I love those fishies! I might miss those most from Korea (and Bibimbap and all those wonderful soups!) Great pics! I’m going to attempt my first real cooking since coming home from Korea. I think I’m going to do a banana bran muffin and some sort of cheesecake. I’ve got lots of pinto beans and spinach too, so maybe I’ll come up with some sort of dipper (I’ve got a party to attend on Saturday! I find cooking for one is not so inspiring! But I’m working on it…) Miss you!
Let me know what you come up with!
All of those ideas sound great.
It’s always nice to have an excuse to cook; I am sure all the party-goers will love your treats.
thanks so much for your compliments on my blog. So sweet of you.
Those fish are hilarious.
I had NO idea you had a blog.
How exciting 🙂 I don’t know much about WordPress, but I’m guessing I can’t “follow” you? Oh well, I’ll sign up for email!!
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