Okonomiyaki Party!

Well, to be honest it was more like an okonomiyaki (also known as "Japanese pizza" by some) making party for me, and games and socializing for everyone else lol. I can't help but enjoy my time in the kitchen while listening to people having a good time in the next room.


Anyhow, I decided on making okonomiyaki for our gathering of friends after Thanksgiving because I selfishly wanted to make something comforting but Asian after making a big traditional(ish) Thanksgiving dinner a few days before. Surprisingly okonomiyaki is incredibly easy to make and I am a little sad I didn't get any other ingredients to mix in. Perhaps next time I'll get some mochi and mentaiko or cheese :) I think adding in the grated nagaimo is definitely key as it made the batter pretty gooey which translated into some good texture when eating. I also made a big pot of tonjiru (literally pork soup) to go with dinner. Tonjiru reminds me of the fall and I remember having bowls of it outside at some community event at the Board of Education back when I was living in Japan. Again, comforting, nostalgic, and tasty. Can't go wrong with that combination :) I'm sad I didn't take a photo of the entire table as others also contributed to the gluttony that happened yesterday. We had King Egg Rolls, muddy buddies, a giant smoked turkey leg, biscuits, and cake! I also appreciated how my friends finished off the last 1/3 of my apple pie that was in the fridge as well. I look forward to Christmas now and the next excuse I have to turn my kitchen inside out and cook up a storm :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Once again this year I cooked Thanksgiving for my family! It was lots of fun prepping and cooking for just about 1.5 days straight and I look forward to doing it again next year :) I'm still quite fond of the roast turkey recipe from Simply Recipes and made my first full sized apple pie from scratch! The recipe for deep dish apple pie in Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts was a big hit and the crust was also pretty delicious! I think I'll be making that pie again sometime. That and also Honey Cornbread recipe from Cook's Country. The cornbread came out dense and rich and rich and really went well with the flavor from the cornmeal.

The full menu from tonight was:

- Roast Turkey

- Rice Stuffing

- Regular Stuffing (from the box- we had some in the cabinet we needed to get rid of...)

- Pan fried brussel sprouts

- Roasted carrots

- Fried Smashed Potatoes

- Honey Cornbread

- Cranberry sauce from the can

- Apple Pie

- Spenda Pumpkin Pie

- Roasted Whole Sweet Potatoes

 

Needless to say I am suffering from a major food coma. My brother is also passed out from too much food lol. I think that's a sign we had a good Thanksgiving :)

Kale and Potato Soup

Even though the weather outside still can't decide if it's summer or fall, I have deemed it soup season in my kitchen lol. That and soup is just so easy to make in a pinch at home. Today, I went with a kale and potato soup that my mom read about in the newspaper back when she lived in Tucson. I think she said it was called something like "Portuguese  Kale Soup" but I'm not too sure of the ethnic origin of the linguica, kale, and potato combination so I'm just going to leave out the Portuguese labeling. Speaking of my mom, this soup will always remind me of how my dad likes to recount how my mom went in search of linguica at the supermarket and when she asked a store clerk to help her out she completely confused him by asking him for help finding the "Leticia" sausage. What I found even more amusing was my dad said he thought nothing of it until  a few minutes later when he realized "Leticia" is a woman's name, not a sausage lol. Also, thank goodness the store clerk figured out linguica from Leticia otherwise we would have been in trouble for dinner that day.

I really enjoy this soup with a side of crusty bread for dipping. The linguica is key to the flavoring of the soup as is the chicken stock and the kale some texture to the soup as well as color. This is pretty versatile and I can imagine putting other ingredients into it as well but today I went with linguica, kale, potato, onion, and white kidney beans.

Easy comfort food

I have to admit I do tend to make more Japanese food than others and I'd like to say it's because I really cooked for myself when I lived in Japan....but that's really only part of the reason. Japanese home cooking has always been a comfort food for me since I interned in Japan waaay back in the summer of 2003. That introduction to what Japanese food is beyond sushi rolls, tempura, and miso soup was something I'm eternally grateful for. That summer marks my fateful meeting with nikujaga, among so many other dishes, which is now one of my favorite dishes to both cook and eat! I use the recipe I got from my one of my favorite recipe books I bought in Japan. The title literally translates to "dishes you want to make again and again."

I love flipping through this book but I haven't had time to sit down and actually cook all that many of them. However, I can definitely say the nikujaga and karaage recipes are big hits with me and also my family. My dad couldn't stop eating the nikujaga and he firmly believes (and I do too most times) that the onions are the best part. Not the beef or the potatoes, despite them being the namesakes of the dish lol. Today I just added the last carrot I had in the fridge to give some more color to the table and a lot of times I'll add either shirataki or chunks of konnyaku in as well add in a different texture to the plate. You could also decorate with some snow peas or just leave it as meat and potatoes. So versatile, and yet so yummy!

It's finally feeling like autumn

It was rather sudden but it's definitely feeling like fall now. The temperature has dropped down to the 50s in the morning and I finally had to put on a sweater this week at home. Though I do miss the crisp fall air that I experienced once in Michigan and twice in Japan. However, one thing is the same regardless, it is the season of apples!

Apples were my favorite fruit when I was a child and now they still rank pretty high for me. Fuji apples are definitely my go to apple but when I can get my hands on them I love a good honeycrisp or empire. There's just something so very satisfying about a good crunchy apple! That being said, I also enjoy trying any new apple I might come across at the market and this time, I discovered Envy apples. They're apparently a hybrid of gala and braeburn created in New Zealand. I won't lie and say the "New Zealand" also piqued my interest since lately running away to New Zealand has suddenly risen up in my hypothetical escape plans when I get stressed out at work. I've only had one so far and there's this wonderful sweet note that you get with each bite that makes it hard to stop wanting more. Sadly the apple I had was a bit grainy, but I'm not sure if that's the texture of the apple or if I just happened to pick out an older one. Regardless, I think they're definitely worth a try!

Tonight's dinner..

Yakisoba and pea shoots! When I was living in Japan, there were two different opinions about cooking yakisoba in my English conversation class. One adamantly said the noodles are much better if you don't add water and the other said you have to add water or the noodles won't come apart. I'm still debating between the two myself, but I think I do enjoy the chew of the noodles sans water a bit more than the ones that have water added to it. Pea shoots are one of my favorite vegetables but are so easily over cooked (sadly I overcooked them a bit today D:) but I love the slight crunch and the flavor that a little salt brings out of them. I think pea shoots definitely rank high for me, right up there next to on choy and spinach :)

Quick and Easy Steamed Eggplant

I don't remember exactly where I found this recipe but I think I did a search for steamed eggplant on google and it came up somewhere. This is super easy and always a hit with my family when we need an extra side dish at dinner. Simply cut the eggplant into about 5cm pieces and steam the pieces until soft, about 7-8 minutes. While steaming the eggplant, mix together about 3T soy sauce, 1T black rice vinegar, 1T sesame oil, 1T chili oil, 1.5T chopped garlic, and a pinch of salt if necessary. These are ballpark figures, I typically eyeball the amounts and then adjust things to taste. Once the eggplant is done, let it cool before mixing with the sauce.

It's feeling like fall...

It's kind of amazing how in the course of a week we've gone from 80 degree weather to below 65. This is definitely a sign the season is changing. Though, it's not the same as having the crisp fall air of the midwest and east though! Today was definitely the first day I felt a little chill on my way home from work so I looked up a quick lentil soup recipe and tried out cooking lentils for the first time today. I definitely need more work with timing how long to cook the lentils but this was a pretty quick and adaptable recipe I'll be trying again. I'm sure it'll be even better once I remember to buy salt. It's pretty delicious with some crusty bread too!
Here's the original recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/lively-up-yourself-lentil-soup-recipe.html

Alive again?

Here goes...the third? attempt at blogging what I make lol. Now that I've finally moved out on my own again, I anticipate cooking more often but we shall see!

Tonight's dinner is one of my current go-to one pot/pan mixture of whatever's lying around. I've fallen in love with the chewy bite of Israeli couscous and any combination of that with chopped sausage and vegetables and beans simmered in low sodium chicken broth has been a lifesaver when I need to make something fast. This is also great for me since I always have enough left over to take for lunch! Paying rent once again coupled with no longer working within walking distance of 4-5 different lunch options really forces me to think about what I can make that will stretch for lunch for at least one or two days!

Today's mix is Israeli couscous, a can of black beans, a can of diced tomatoes in juice (no salt added), 1 green bell pepper, 1 sm. yellow onion, and sundried tomato and mozzarella chicken sausages. In my eagerness to get to eating, I managed to put in a little too much chicken stock so it's a little soupy today but still good :)