this and that

Had some photos that weren't blogged about...

Remember I wrote about tamatoro? Well, we recently tried the ebi katsu (shrimp cutlet) version...for some reason this one smelled really "eggy", I think I like the menchikatsu (hamburger cutlet) version better.

For Christmas, we received this matcha (green tea) kougelhopf from my host-sister. (Thank you!) It is made by Jouvencelle, the same place that I tried their matcha fondue.

The cake is a marble of white and green tea with sweetened black beans here and there.

On the outside it is drizzled with green tea chocolate, delicious!

I recently came across this chijimi spinach at the market, it was priced higher than regular spinach and it was the first time I'd seen it.

It boasts more minerals, it was definitely darker than the usual spinach I see in the markets.

The package also said that it is only a winter item.

The leaves were kinda "curly" so it was hard to clean. I prepared them kinpira style.

It was nice to try but I don't think it was worth paying the extra money for it.

I came across this cafe sign awhile back, "no charge, no tax, no future"...kinda funny, kinda negative...hopefully they'll be able to stay in business...

We had this Bodegas Carchelo from Spain with some wagyu and miso dip (the first meal out of my kitchen for 2012).

I liked the deep purple color, it was easy to drink and went nicely with the steak which was marbled nicely with fat.

This Chilean Espino Chardonnay was delicious too, a little on the dry side but fruity. We had this with Grilled Thai Beef Salad.

I saw this huge garnet pendant while walking with Satoshi before Christmas...so we played, "how much?"

FYI: 3,990,000 yen (about US$51,000)

I've written before that I like Mascot's curry paste here.

They also have an instant version with garbanzo beans that I like too.

Let me catch you up on the first couple of days of the new year...

On New Years Day, we visited MIL, after hatsumode. She is doing fine but cannot sit on the floor. She also doesn't cook much so, I picked up many items for O-sechi for our lunch. (I've written about hatsumode and O-sechi before here).

And Satoshi, has been doing danshari from before the New Year and even during the first days of the New Year...we have a saying that what you do in the first days of the New Year is what you'll be doing for the rest of the year, guess he'll be decluttering in 2012.

Oh, and you want to hear something funny? Satoshi who refused to wear thermals because "only old men wear them" wore them under his business suit yesterday...ha!

We had flurries yesterday...woot!

What have you been doing/enjoying during the first week of 2012?