Saturday, May 31, 2008

odds & ends

It is the end of the month, so let's clean out the photos that weren't posted about.

Baked some scones using a new recipe. These definitely have to be eaten with jam--not sweet at all, still delicious though.

New version of stuffed bell peppers, added some renkon (lotus root) to the beef and onions and left out the egg.

Made some 3-bean salad (only with 2 beans--canned garbanzo & cooked daizu(soy bean)). Added corn, bell pepper and onion.

Curry fried chicken. Added some curry powder, salt and pepper to panko (bread crumbs). Dipped the chicken pieces in egg then dredged it in the panko mixture. Ate it with some tonkatsu (pork cutlet) sauce--delicious.

New version of Meiji's almond--this one has salted caramel wrapped around the nut. Japan's latest fad is salty sweets. Delicious, but gets quite salty after awhile.

Used one pod of the Lifou vanilla to make strawberry jam.

Have been enjoying the jam on yogurt in the mornings.

Cut some basil tops so that it wouldn't flower, put them in water---hydroponics?? (maybe) Planted them in the soil, hopefully they will grow.

Found these cute bananas, called "monkey bananas" in Japan and are also called Senorita. Thought they would taste like apple bananas, these were really sweet, not tart like the bananas we get in Hawaii.

Tried the Green & Black's Organic Cocoa. Followed the instructions on the can. Not much flavor. Kind of disappointing.

Got this Japanese confection from one of the memorial services. It is called Hakata no hito (lady from Hakata). A tiny baum kuchen with a sweet bean paste filling--delicious.

Our neighborhood 7-eleven closed on Friday. Satoshi and I are particularly sad to see it go because it came into the neighborhood the same year we moved into the neighborhood.

Another store which closed on Friday is the bakery in our shopping arcade a.k.a. my almost everyday lunch pick-up place. Since I have to find somewhere new, looked into buying bento (boxed lunch) from a sozaiya (pre-made foods store)--420 yen (about US$4.20)--rice with crunchy ume (pickled plum), hijiki (edible brown seaweed), tsukemono (pickled veggies), iwashi hamburger (sardine patty), tamagoyaki (omlette), pumpkin & kusamochi (rice cake mixed with yomogi (mugwort)).

10 comments:

2kamuela47 said...

All looks so ono! I think I'll try the curry fried chicken one day. Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

That curry chicken with tonkatsu sauce sounds so good! I love tonkatsu sauce. :)

KirkK said...

Hi Kat - I enjoy these type of posts, because it gives me a flavor of what daily life is like. Why are all those places closing?

K and S said...

I hope you like it Laura!

Thanks Lori, I like okonomiyaki sauce better than tonkatsu sauce :)

I'm glad you enjoyed this post, Kirkk. I have a feeling that these two places were franchises and with the price of ingredients and such rising, they just couldn't make ends meet.

Take care everyone.
Kat

bourgogne said...

you are so good to catch up on old posts. i am so far behind that it is impossible to publish all my unposted material. i'm disorganized!

now i'm craving tonkatsu. i've never made it with curry. will have to try that. thank you!

K and S said...

Thanks Bourgogne! I hope you get a chance to try tonkatsu with curry :)

Take care.
Kat

Chibog in Chief said...

i just love the idea of fried chicken curry!! cant wait to try this recipe tomorrow!! we'll be having a small gathering :-)

K and S said...

I hope you like it Dhanggit!

Take care.
Kat

Anonymous said...

I miss so much Japanese bentos. They are so good, convenient and cheap...

K and S said...

Hope you can re-visit Japan so you can get your fill of bento, Uchimizu!

Take care.
Kat