Soba

We had cold soba a different way tonight. The soba had cucumber, okura, beefsteak plant and greated daikon on the top.

Frozn Fruit

One of our snacks in summer is frozen fruit. I just put peeled bananas and cut pineapples on wooden chopsticks and then put them in the freezer. My husband likes banana the most.

Peaches

I bought peaches that were carefully packed at the store a few days ago. I had checked every morning and waited until they were ripe. When they smelled full of sweet scents and they looked ripe enough, I put the peaches in the fridge for a couple of hours and then ate them. They were juicy and soft. It was worth the wait.

Gyūdon

I cooked gyudon (beef on rice) today. The seasonings are soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. These are a golden combination for Japanese cuisine. I can eat lots of rice with it.

Burdock Salad

When I make burdock (gobo) salad, I steam fine strips of gobo and carrot. When they are cooked, I add sesame sauce that I mix with soy sauce, ground white sesame seeds and a little mayonnaise. This salad is crunchy and full of sesame flavor.

Mabo Tofu

I cooked one of my favorite recipes today, mabo tofu. I minced some ginger, garlic and green onions and fried them with sesame seeds oil in a pan.
When there was a savory smell, I added some ground beef.
When the beef was brown, I added some miso (soybean paste) and dou ban jiang (spicy paste) and then fried it well.
I added some seasonings and water. I cut up some tofu and mixed it in the pan. I prefer kinu (silken) tofu that is softer than momen (cotton) tofu. I like having a smooth texture for mabo tofu.
After cooking it for 2 or 3 minutes, I added some cornstarch and water to make the soup thick. After a few minutes, it was done.
I like this spicy mabo tofu with rice. I have never tried real Chinese mabo tofu. I am sure my recipe is adjusted to Japanese taste but I am pretty happy with my mabo tofu so far.

Crêpes

I like making crêpes. I pour a little batter on the pan and then rotate the batter in the pan to make it even. I wait a few seconds, then flip it and move it onto a plate and repeat... I made 20 crêpes for lunch today. I made a cheddar cheese crêpe sandwich on a hot pan by heating some cheddar cheese in between two crêpes. The cheese melted and was delicious. I tried it with chocolate too. I also ate some crêpes with lemon juice and sugar. There were so many crêpes though that we couldn't finish all of them.

Apple Muffins

I am sometimes influenced by some food blogs. Today, I found a picture of big apple chunks in muffins. I couldn't wait to try baking it. I went to the kitchen immediately and started to cut some apples. The muffins were simple but good when they were warm.

Sauteed Salmon & Salad

Today's lunch was sauteed salmon, mushrooms and potato salad. I like that fresh salmon fillets are delicious and easy to get here.

Basil & Cheese Pizza

Because I was watching a DVD at home today, I felt like eating junk food. I mixed basil leaves in the pizza crust and I put only cheese on the top. I watched The Jane Austen Book Club, which was charming, funny and romantic.

Lemon & Orange Syrup

I made another fruits syrup for yogurt. I used navel oranges and lemons this time. The lemon made the syrup a little sour.

Sandwich and Soup

Today's lunch was a chicken sandwich and vichyssoise. I liked the vegetable soup served cold.

Summer Vegetables

I got some eggplants and cucumbers from one of my neighbors today. I can also see tomatoes, green peppers, watermelons, pumpkins, bitter gourds and more vegetables growing in his garden. I really appreciate this fresh gift.

Morning Mist

I saw beautiful clouds this morning when I woke up. The lake was veiled with morning mist.
I liked the contrast of the sky and the lake.

Nanaimo Bar Mix

Nanaimo bars were one of my good memories from Canada. I have kept a Nanaimo bar mix in my kitchen since I came back from Canada. I bought it long time ago but I haven't had a chance to make it. I'm scared to open the box but I don't to want to threw it away at the same time.

Pumpkin Pudding

This is another pumpkin pudding that I made. The pudding has a much greater amount of pumpkin than other ingredients so it sticks in my throat. The solution to this is whipping cream on the side.

Sparkling Strawberry Sake

Today is our wedding aniversary. We made a toast with sparkling strawberry sake from the local sake brewer. The Hananomai brewer also has an original flavor and melon. They are all good.

Pork Chops

We had pork chops for dinner tonight. I choose the meat with less fat but cooked it a bit too long so the meat was a little dry. I should take more care next time.

Salmon Sashimi on Rice

Today, I made salmon sashimi on rice, which is a frequent supper for us. From the bottom, there is rice, white sesame seeds, roasted and torn nori, daikon sprouts, avocado and salmon sashimi. This is what I usually use, although today, I added beefsteak plant and shredded daikon.

Pumpkin Pudding

I was surprised when I found that Andrew and I call one vegetable by different names. The picture below is of a pumpkin for me and Japanese people but it is a squash for Andrew and people outside of Japan. Since I'm writing this in Japan, I'll call it a pumpkin from now on.
I made pumpkin pudding today. I prepared a caramel sauce in the bottom of each of the cups at first. I then steamed and mashed one pumpkin. I mixed it with milk, eggs and sugar and then baked it in the oven.
Here is the pumpkin pudding when it came out of the oven. I had to wait for it to cool down before I could eat it though, since it tastes better that way.

Chocolate Pudding

I made chocolate pudding today. I changed a few ingredients from the caramel pudding. Since it is getting hotter these days, I feel like making a cold dessert.

Keema Curry

I cooked keema curry today. First, I fried chopped onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, zucchini, green peppers and grounded meat. I then added cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, clove, nutmeg, peppers and soup stock. The curry was delicious with rice.

Pumpkin Bread

I baked pumpkin bread today. I used cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. The bread was spicy...just as I like it.

Ice Cream

I have wanted to have a triple-decker ice cream on a cone since I was child. The reason I never had this was that I was shy to ask a store person I guess. Luckily, I just made three different types of ice cream this week and they were still in my freezer so I decided make a triple-decker today. I used mint chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream. While I was eating it, I dropped the ice cream on my T- shirt but I still really enjoyed it.

Red Sunset

We sometimes go for a walk in the evening. The sunset is often amazingly red. Here is picture of Andrew looking at the red sky over the lake. I didn't add any effects to this picture.
Here is some grass around the lake. They are taller than us.

Couscous

I made Tunisian-style couscous today. I don't have mixed spices "harissa" so I used coriander and turmeric instead. I had these ingredients at home: chicken, chick pees, zucchini, green peppers, onions, carrots and tomato paste.

Swimming

Today was the yearly swimming on the lake day for the local elementary school children.
The kids were swimming and adults helped them by swimming next to the kids and on boats.
There was one police boat in case of an accident.
All of the kids swam about 1 km safely to other side of the lake.

Crape Jasmine

I was very happy to find the first flower on my crape jasmine this morning. We have had one big crape jasmine for 4 years and I grew the new one from a cutting last spring. I failed 2 times and finally this one started growing well.
I'd like to suggest everybody to have crape jasmine. The plant is beautiful and has white flowers which bloom with a beautiful scent all year. The plant is also easy to take care of. I'd love to share some cuttings with you, if you want some.

Butter Tarts

When I baked pecan pie last week, Andrew told me that the pecan pie was similar to butter tarts. I had never tried butter tarts so we checked online and found they are a Canadian treat. Andrew didn't know this. I thought I should bake the tarts on Canada day.
The recipe said to bake them for 15-20 minutes. Andrew likes them "firm" so I baked them for 20 minutes.
My Canadian husband said my tarts had too many raisins and they are supposed to be on the bottom. I might try to bake them again to make them better.