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This party is getting rowdier every week, and I LOVE it! Hmm…what does that say about me, I wonder? Lest you think I’m like one of those girls gone wild on spring break, let me assure you I’m so not. I’m a responsible and upstanding citizen, always doing the right thing, including my civic duty of voting.

In fact, that’s probably why I’m always summoned for jury duty, because every time you vote, I think your name gets automatically entered for random selection. I’m not sure if that’s how it works, but I seem to get a good share of these summons. Strangely, though, they’ve never selected me to be a juror. Is that lucky or unlucky?

It doesn’t matter, I’m feeling lucky today. Lucky to have you come to my party. Lucky to have you count me as your buddy. Lucky to be a part of this FF (Fiesta Friday) community. I think I just shed a tear.

And you’re lucky, too! Lucky to have the following cool people to party with:
— (Ignore that Angie person in the #1 slot. She’s only here to chaperone.)

Angie

Patty

Mr Fitz

Juju

Dimple@Shivaay Delights

Sadia

Laura

Indira

Elaine

Nancy

Ngan

Lauzan

Jillian

Anna

Alex

Julianna

Selma

Weebirdie

Seana

thebrookcook

Saucy Gander

Jess

Justine

Laila

Jess

Linda

timethief

Polianthus

Sofia

Sue

Prudy

Fae

Hilda

Sonal

Indu

Johnny

Jenna

NancyCreative

Margot

Petra

Sylvia

Paul

Janine

Nell

Margherita

Diana

Mila

Rakhi

Nick

Aditi & Nikhil

Gerard

Jun & Priscilla

Juju

Miyuki

Katie

You’re next!

You’re next!

If you’re new to Fiesta Friday, please read the blah blah blah (guidelines) here.

***

This is what I’m bringing to the fiesta, partly because I haven’t had Bibimbap in such a long time.

Bibimbap

bibimbap thenovicegardener

Steamed Korean or Japanese rice (about 1 1/2 cups per person)
10 oz. bag of spinach
2 cups mung or soy bean sprouts
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup dry shiitake mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – 1 lb. thinly sliced beef
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 eggs
soy sauce
sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. Marinade beef with 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbsp. of soy sauce, 2 tsp. of sugar, 1 tbsp. of sesame oil, and freshly ground pepper. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
2. Boil spinach very briefly (1 minute) and drain well. Season with just a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil.
3. Boil bean sprouts just until cooked (5 minutes for mung bean sprouts and 10 minutes for soy bean sprouts), drain well. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil.
4. Cut carrots into thin match sticks. Stir fry with a little vegetable oil and minced garlic, until fully cooked. Season with a little salt & pepper.
5. Soak mushroom in warm water for at least 30 minutes, or until they’re completely rehydrated. Cut mushrooms into thin slices. Stir fry with a little vegetable oil and minced garlic. Season with a little salt & pepper.
6. Sauté marinated beef on high heat for just a few minutes until just cooked.
7. Fry eggs sunny side up style.

To serve, put cooked steamed rice in a bowl, arrange vegetables and meat attractively over it, topped with a sunny side up and gochujang sauce. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds to garnish.

But really, mostly because of what I saw at FF4. I’m talking about this:

Sue@birgerbird brought that enticing bowl of awesomeness. My eyes popped when I saw it. Anything with an egg on top always gets my attention. I thought it was Korean Bibimbap, but actually it was Sue’s rendition of a Vietnamese comfort food,“Xôi xéo,” a dish of sticky rice, something I have never had before. The quest to procure Xôi xéo has just begun.

Other highlights from FF4 include:

Polianthus delighted us with her spring scene of crocus flowers and bumblebee. It has been such an unusually long winter this year in my neck of the woods. There’s nothing I would love more right now than to have my eyes feasting on a field of spring flowers with bumblebees busy collecting pollen. Spring, where are you? If your name is Spring, please come forward! I need to have a few words with you.

Patty@PattyNguyen brought us Sticky Toffee Pudding. Wasn’t that so sweet of her? Seriously, I think that could have easily come out of a professional bakery. Hey, maybe Patty is really a teacher cum photographer cum baker. Wouldn’t have surprised me at all.

Finally, Sylvia@Superfoodista showed us that wholesome food can be super exciting and super tasting. Just look at her Buckwheat Crêpe with Raw-tella and Banana. Doesn’t that look super yummy? I was so ready to embrace raw food after I saw that. Why, I was so inspired I made my first raw no-bake crust heart-shaped mango rose tarts. Did anybody try saying that five times fast?

***

Oh, by the way, as a good host, I will try not to steal the spotlight from my guests. They are the people who truly matter. So I’ll try to blend in and be as inconspicuous as I can and wear my muumuu dress to the fiesta. Besides, it’s comfortable, loose and baggy. That way it’ll accommodate when my waist line expands as I’m sure it will by the end of the fiesta. Now, I think I see someone in lamé walking up the steps.

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