Kit Kat Flavors

Hi! It is again sunny here in Tokyo :)

This morning, I bought a watermelon flavored Kit Kat on the way to work at a convenience store. Yes. I bought it on impulse near the cashier. On the package it says that it has a slight salty flavor. I was just curious to try it out...

In fact, Nestle Japan produces the Kit Kat in many unique flavors for a limited time only. I will list what they had this year!

2008/06 double berries (cranberry and strawberry)
2008/06 triple berries (cranberry, blueberry, and strawberry)
2008/06 cherry
2008/05 mango
2008/05 brown sugar
2008/05 azuki bean
2008/04 banana
2008/04 kinako (soybean flour)
2008/03 soy sauce
2008/03 green tea
2008/03 pudding
2008/02 mandarin orange
2008/01 gianduja
2008/01 tea

I remember they once had a pumpkin flavor and that was terrible...
I got sick... I'm serious!

Well... the watermelon wasn't that bad! But one is enough! Ha-ha!!!
Just to have a break, Kit Kat would be nice ;)
I enjoyed my snack today!

Tomorrow, I will be interviewed by a TV station. I hope I can do my best!

Please click below and vote for me.

My Accomplishments

It is very sunny here in Tokyo! We expect no rain for a week or so! But the sky is not clear... It's smoggy a little.

Okay. Today, I will list my accomplishments!

On 7/12, I won 2 dozen of Kirin Ichiban by submitting my Chinese recipe: Stir-Fried Chili Bean Sprout! It wasn't a contest, so I was just lucky enough to win :)
Surprisingly, my boyfriend was really happy with it! I asked him why and he told me that the beer I used to serve him was Happoshu (low-malt beer)! I don't drink beer, so I didn't realize it until then!!!

On 7/17, I won the grand prize at the Yodoran (iodine-enriched egg) contest! This was my second time to win the top prize :) This time, they asked for the summer sweet recipes using their eggs, and I submitted my "Danish French Toast with Lemon Sauce"! I wrote that I went to the cafe on 7/21, which was the prize.


On 7/21, I won "the Idea Pon Award" at Cookpad's Ajipon recipe contest. Ajipon is Mizkan's citrus seasoned soy sauce! They asked for stir-fried recipes using it and I submitted my "Ajipon Stir-Fried Colorful Vegetables".





On 7/28, I won 2 awards at mozuku recipe contest organized by Itoman Mozuku Sangyo in Okinawa. Mozuku (Cladosiphon okamuranus) is noodle-like seaweed which is mainly produced in Okinawa. My "Mozuku and Nameko Soup Rice Bowl" won the second prize (outstanding performance award) and my "Ginger Vinegar Marinated Mozuku Tomatoes" won the third prize!

Then today, on 7/30, my "Watermelon Broiled Eels on Rice" was introduced in the Cookpad's e-mail newsletter as an amazing summer treat recipe ;)







I'm changing my story! Speaking of summer, we need to be careful of food poisoning! There was a news that 5 people fell ill with food poisoning at a yakiniku restaurant! The source of food poisoning was Campylobacter! It is said that chicken is the most common food implicated as the source of Campylobacter contamination. Any raw poultry - chicken, turkey, duck, goose, game fowl - meat and its juices may contain Campylobacter, including organic and “free range” products. We Japanese sometimes eat those raw, so we need to be careful, or cook thoroughly!!!

Tonight, my boyfriend doesn't need dinner, so I am kind of lazy not cooking anything!
It's OK sometimes ;)

Please click below and vote for me.

Mont Blanc aux Marrons

Just few hours ago, we had a heavy rain after a long time!!!

The past few days, it is raining hard in many parts of the country. Yesterday, there was a concentrated heavy rain in Kobe. 4 people were killed by a muddy stream! They were playing at a river area and suddenly the stream hit them!!! How scary...

Anyway, nothing related to the rain, but I will show you my Mont Blanc aux Marrons! But this is not a cake! It is EGG SALAD :) I made this few years ago to make fun of my boyfriend because he doesn't like sweet stuff! I served it for a dinner and I still remember his uncomfortable face! Ha-ha ;)
The recipe is in Japanese, but I think you can understand the procedures (images).

To tell the truth, I am finishing my diary in the morning...
I fell asleep again while writing last night.

Okay, see you again!

Please click below and vote for me.

Fortune-Telling Onigiri

Hi! This weekend I had a normal weekend.
My boyfriend was so busy every Sunday that we couldn't even eat dinner together! But finally we could, this weekend!!!

Today, I was going to summarize my recent events and accomplishments but some of them are not yet announced in public, so I will wait till then ;)

Anyway, do you believe in horoscope? Maybe I do... Every morning, I check my horoscope on TV. Actually, I don't check, they show us our horoscope!!! Sometimes I miss, but if I see, I will be concerned, especially when something bad is expected :( And things just come true and turn out bad, strangely! My boyfriend says I worry too much though...

Talking about horoscope reminds me of my fortune-telling onigiri (rice ball) recipe! I made this long ago. It is very easy! You just put a bite-size cheese in one of them, which is a winning ball! Yay ;)

I think I never mentioned this, but we eat onigiri every morning! Like a bagel, it is digested slowly, so you won't get hungry until lunch time! Also, to eat breakfast has dieting effects, so we try not to skip it! I'm not losing weight though...

Okay, I gotta go now.
Good night!

Please click below and vote for me.

Doyou no Ushi no Hi

Just me? It was extremely hot this EVENING and sweat dribbled down my back while walking back to home!

Yesterday was "Doyou no Ushi no Hi". It was a midsummer day when the oriental zodiac is ox. On this day, we eat unagi (eel) to take nourishment and beat the summer heat!

But why unagi?
I just searched and found that it can be anything that starts from "U" on this day! Can be "udon" or whatever! Interestingly, now we eat unagi just because someone has promoted to do so! Like getting a chocolate for your loved one on Valentine's Day! I couldn't find who started though.

Anyway, we had unagi last night! I served it with "Thai red curry marinated natto, mulukhiya (is a leafy gooey summer vegetable), and okra"! Why I used Thai red curry is because I won a free sample of it and had to use it. Also, yesterday I had natto and gooey vegetables for my lunch and got energy, so I used those vegetables for my boyfriend to get the same :)
I think I made a pretty entertaining dish.

Once in two years, we have another day to eat eel in summer, which is called "Doyou no Ni no Ushi no Hi" (8/5), so the next time I will serve the eel in an ordinary way ;) Of course I don't have to wait till this day though.

I'm drowsy now...
I'm so lazy tonight that I didn't even cook anything! (My boyfriend doesn't need dinner, so that is my excuse.)

Okay. See you next week!

Please click below and vote for me.

Koumibou

Hello! It is a tropical day again!
I hate taking packed train on such day because sometimes you're forced to stand next to sweltering passengers!!! Yikes!

Anyway, yesterday I got really sleepy and couldn't post my diary again. Gee... this steamy weather is really tiring!!!

Before I forget, I will write about last Saturday!
My boyfriend and I went out to eat creative Chinese cuisine at Koumibou. We live very close to the restaurant, but we just didn't have a chance to go there till this day!!!

The restaurant is so popular that many TV programs have featured it before!!! Once I saw it on Tsuyoshi Domoto's "Domoto Tsuyoshi no Shoujiki Shindoi"! On this program, he makes a small journey with a guest to a selected place. One day he toured our neighbors and had lunch at Koumibou. I remember he and the guest were eating Peking Duck!!! Also, the ramen that uses the broth of the duck seemed very delicious!!!

However, we couldn't have the Peking Duck. The portions were too big for us :( But we had chopped Peking Duck and vegetables served with pancakes, which was similar to the Peking Duck and was delicious!!! Also, all other dishes we had were great.

Next time, I'm gonna go there with my parents and sisters to have the Peking Duck ;)

Today, I went to lunch with my co-worker. I had a lot of vegetables to beat the summer heat! What I had was vegetable rice bowl (salad, natto, and mentaiko on top) and a green vegetable smoothie! Now I feel better!!!

Take care you all!!!

Please click below and vote for me.

Hikarin Cafe

Hello! We are having high 90's almost daily!
The heat from the ground is steamy like a sauna and makes me dizzy :(
Because of the heat or not, I was extremely drowsy this morning that I fell back to sleep... Also, I dozed off while standing on the train... I'm okay now though!

Yesterday, the third Monday in July, was Marine Day (a holiday) in Japan!
My boyfriend and I went to Odaiba to go to the "Hikarin Cafe". It is a cafe opened by Nosan Corporation which is famous for their Yodoran (iodine-enriched egg)! I wrote about them often since I won some prizes at their contests every season.
Last week, I again won a prize, "the grand prize", and received lunch for two at their cafe! That's why we went there ;)

The cafe is open from 7/19-8/31, for a limited time only. They have an anti-aging food platter for adults and a well-balanced food platter for kids! Moreover, they have many different kinds of sweets and drinks. They all use healthy ingredients including their eggs!

The cafe was kind of crowded, but we could seat without waiting, which was good! It was a bright white cafe with a lot of cute images of Hikarin, the character of Yodoran, on the windows. There were some of my recipes in their handmade recipe books displayed there! We had a good relaxing time!

Moreover, there are many entertaining places in Odaiba. At the DECKS Tokyo Beach, there is a place called DAIBA 1-CHOME SHOUTENGAI (image on the right) where you can time-trip to Showa era (1950s). Also, there is a SEGA amusement theme park called Tokyo Joypolis.

On this day, there were a lot of people going to Fuji TV's "Odaiba Boukenou Final". I have no idea what that is, but it seems like popular with kids.

If you have a chance to visit Tokyo this summer, Odaiba is a place you want to go ;)

And lastly, you know what!? My bracket broke off again...
No more 3s!!!

Okay, I have another thing to write, but maybe tomorrow.
Good night!

Please click below and vote for me.

Nenrinya

Hi! It was raining this afternoon! Maybe after a week or so. And needless to say, it was very hot and humid!!!

Today, my co-worker bought us Nenrinya's baumkuchens! I didn't know about the store, but she said it is very popular in Tokyo! She had to stand in a long line to get them!

Nenrinya's baumkuchens are different from those in Europe! They say they instill Japanese traditional sensibilities when they bake. Why I say baumkuchens (plural) is because they have 2 different kinds: firm rings (crisp coating) and soft rings (sponge cake type). This is their distinction!

Hmm. They both were great, but too complicated to understand the quality! I mean, I know many other baumkuchens said to be good and just couldn't compare with them... Anyway, I perfectly enjoyed the fancy snack ;)

Different story, but I could make an appointment with my orthodontist tomorrow morning because someone has canceled!

I'm drowsy now... so will stop!
Have a nice weekend ;)

Please click below and vote for me.

Fat-Burning Sour Drink

It is again hot and humid in Tokyo.
Glad not raining though!

Hmm. It is hot but I'm not losing weight!!!
Okay, here I'll translate my sour drink recipe, which helps burn fat ;)
I wrote about the sour drink before, but will explain it again!
Sour drink is a drink made by soaking fruits and sugar in vinegar for more than a week. The flavor of the fruits will be added to the vinegar after a period of time. When ready, you dilute it with water (or soda or anything you like) and drink.
The vinegar contains nutritional elements that are effective in relieving fatigue. Also it reduces blood cholesterol levels and there are many other good things for your health.

This time, I soaked white grapefruit and ginger in vinegar! I believe some people know but the grapefruit contains a fat-burning ingredient. Also a pungent ingredient of the ginger increases metabolism!

---------------------------------
Fat-Burning Sour Drink

Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 5min + soaking time about a week
Number of servings: about 10

Ingredients:
200cc Mizkan's Rice Vinegar
200g honey
100g (about 1/2) white grapefruit
100g ginger

Directions:
1. Remove grapefruit peel, leave the pith on, cut into wedges. Peel ginger and slice.
2. In a scalded glass storage jar, dissolve honey in vinegar.
3. Add grapefruit and ginger, cover it with a lid, and keep in refrigerator (or in a cool, dry, dark place).
4. Shake gently once a day. After a week, remove grapefruit and ginger (you can eat grapefruit as is and can use ginger for cooking).
5. In a glass, dilute the mixture 4-5 times with soda or sparkling water (I recommend).

My original recipe in Japanese is here.
---------------------------------

Oh my god. My braces broke off. I need to see my orthodontist tomorrow, if possible :(

Please click below and vote for me.