amarcord ama mora

We had this Amarcord Ama Mora beer last night. Chocolatey!

Apparently it is made by a tiny brewery in Apeccio, Italy. The beer uses a selection of Pascucci coffee and Malawi sugar.

Too bad I didn't read about it before trying it, I could've paired it with some ice cream since it was like a porter.

Instead, we had this with kim chee gyoza and a salad.

I enjoyed this and would definitely buy it again.

What have you been enjoying these days?

things I'm liking

Well, there was no snow this weekend, not even a flurry, but the wind was fahreezing cutting through everything and anything you were wearing...still hoping for a white Christmas, though I know Satoshi is not.

So many things to post, so little time, so I'm putting them all in a "things I'm liking" post...starting off with the 400 grams of La Mere Poulard's chocolate chip cookies. Not liking that it is 100 grams less than her buttery sables, those are 500 grams.

Kinda liking Italy's Crik Crok chips...while I liked the flavor, the texture reminded me of crunchy Pringles and there was just way too much salt.

The kinoko tartine from Anri...a fourth of a baguette slathered with white sauce, lots of mushrooms and cheese.

Earlier this year, I tried the chocolate kakinotane which Kameda and Meiji collaborated on, this time they added almonds.

I would have enjoyed this more had the almonds been covered with chocolate too, seemed out of place.

Maisen's tamatoro menchikatsu pocket sandwich...whew, a mouthful to say.

Tamatoro is a shortening and fusing of two words: tamago (egg) torori (oozy)

Menchikatsu is a hamburger deep fried

Even though this sandwich was sitting out, the egg was still oozy.

This sandwich was huge, delicious and only 399 yen. (I would've liked a little veg in there but it probably would have made things a bit soggy)

Love socks with toes (not exactly sure what they call them in English).

I heard that they keep your feet warmer than regular socks because each toe is covered, kind of like gloves for your hands.

Oh and if you happen to have athlete's foot (I don't) it is perfect for keeping each toe from touching each other and spreading germs...

MUJI sells these socks that are made in Japan.

Another company, Tabio sells socks with toes that are made in Japan too.

I didn't know this but sock making is a large industry in Nara prefecture, Tabio and MUJI's socks are made there.

The pink socks are a perfect style for wearing ballet type flats.

Keith's chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies. We received these from my parents and have been enjoying them with coffee. (thank you!)

It looks like there are quite a bit of crumbs at the bottom of the bag, which I'm looking forward to sprinkling on ice cream.

Kinder's Happy Hippo Cacao...a wafer filled with milk creme and hazelnut creme.

Delicious and cute.

Gingerbread crunch by The Cookie Kitchen, we also received these from my parents.

Be careful, don't break a tooth, these are kinda on the hard side, the spices are so festive. (thank you!)

La Mere Poulard's crepes dentelles...thin thin wafers rolled into a little stick of sorts then covered with milk chocolate.

These stay very crisp because of the chocolate...yum!

And lastly, Antenor's black sesame pudding.

Not very aesthetic but very delicious, nutty from the sesame.

Bummed that they used a plastic bowl though.

What have you been enjoying?!

odds & ends

It is the end of the month, and I'm cleaning out some photos.

Kaldi's "canned" coffee....a little too sweet for me.

They also have a boxed tea, I didn't buy it because they didn't sell it in singles but I have a feeling that one might have been sweetened too.

Cioccolato Andrea Pansa (Amalfi, Italy).

A souvenir from one of Satoshi's co-workers (thank you!) Delicious dried fruit dipped in dark chocolate.

Bodegas Norton Extra Brut, an Argentina sparkling wine. Very very dry but delicious, loved that it came with a straw too.

Muji's Baci di Dama.

Tiny cookies stuck together with chocolate.

I think in Italian they mean "kiss of a lady" or something like that. These were very tasty.

As I took this photo of a Mini, a woman (in the background) came running after me to find out what I was doing.

I thought maybe it was her mini, but it wasn't. She lives in the condo complex where the Mini was parked and wondered what I was doing.

We ended up having a nice chat on the way to the train station, though I think we scared the "beep" out of each other.

I made some "kahlua milk" with some of my homemade coffee liqueur, a little sugar & milk. I also added some ice.

The liqueur was quite strong but delicious.

Spring soba at Irifune.

This soba was topped with bamboo shoots (which are in season now), some chicken & wakame (kelp). Very light and delicious.

The Ippudo near our place has discontinued my favorite ramen, Karaka-men.

So I was pleasantly surprised that they teamed up with Nissin and came up with an instant version.

I tried it one rainy day for lunch, it was really spicy and tasted just like the one I've had at Ippudo.

Some sakura (cherry blossoms) on our walk in Ikeda.

Some sakura (cherry blossoms) on our walk in Hotarugaike.

I thought I had seen all kinds of instruments travelling on the trains....this big bass drum tops it.

I bought the Easytone shoes by Reebok.

They aren't for playing sports in, but if you do a lot of walking they are worth it.

For me, I think they work especially going up and down hills or stairs.

Ciao Wine's Prosecco and Rosato sparkling wines.

I liked the one cup servings. They are dry and a little fruity.

We had a delicious April and are in the midst of Golden Week here though Satoshi unfortunately has to work here and there.

Have a nice weekend!

on a sunny autumn day

Wednesday was a beautiful sunny day.

I went to the post office then walked twenty minutes up to our favorite cafe. They were having a coffee sale and I wanted to see what I could buy.

It was only the 2nd day of the sale and pickings were slim. I wanted to buy their Ethiopian washed coffee but ended up buying some beans from Kenya, I hope it is good (though the coffee from this cafe is usually good). UPDATE: The Kenya is delicious! earthy, smoky and dark roasted...mmm.

From the cafe, as I was making my way home, I saw a yard sale of sorts. They had clothing on several racks and dishes on several tables. These colorful cafe cups and saucers called out to me from a table on the grassy area (I kid you not!).

Not wanting to ignore them, I went to see them up close. I flipped one of the cups over to see where it was made. It was made in Italy. I'm not sure if it is a brandname but I was sold on the colors (greenish blue, light blue and yellow). For 1500 yen (about US$15) for the set of 3, I thought it was a good buy.

On the walk home, I envisioned cappuccino and hot chocolate in these....so on Thursday morning, I made cappuccino/lattes to have with our breakfast.

Then Thursday afternoon I had another cappuccino/latte with a lavender brownie. The cups are not too big, not too small...just right.

Hope you have a great weekend. UPDATE: I think this tableware is Pagossin