California Roll for Hinamatsuri

Last night, my boyfriend attended the after-hours party with his work mates.
He often gets a bite to eat when he gets home, so I made "California Roll for Hinamatsuri" for him.

The recipe is simple.
It is a regular California roll but you give it a twist.

You make 3 different colored sushi rice (pink, white, and green) and draw diagonal strokes on a sheet of nori.
The white color is plain sushi rice.
For pink, you mix "Sakura Denbu", which is pink colored & seasoned shredded codfish.
For green, you mix "Aonori", which is a type of edible green seaweed in powdered form.
The order of colors must be pink, white, and then green.
These are the colors of Hishi Mochi (diamond shaped rice cake), commonly consists of three layers; pink, white, and green, from top to bottom. Hishi Mochi is usually presented with hina dolls, which I showed you yesterday. It is said that pink represents peach flowers, white represents snow, and green represents grass.
Those colors have a meaning to get the power of nature.

Don't you think this is a good idea?
My boyfriend enjoyed eating it :)
By the way, I didn't know the actual meaning of Hishi Mochi until I translate this into English.
It was a good lesson for me!

Okay. This is all for today.
I hope you have a nice weekend!!!

Please click below and vote for me.

Recipes for Japanese Doll Festival

Hi! I'm back!!!

As I said yesterday, I'm gonna write about my cute recipes for Japanese Doll Festival (Hinamatsuri).

The Japanese Doll Festival (Hinamatsuri), or Girls' Day, is held on March 3rd.
On this day, we set up hina dolls (hina-ningyo) since they are believed to protect girls from bad luck.
Platforms with red felt cloth (hi-mosen) are used to display a set of hina dolls. Those dolls consist of the Emperor (odairisama), Empress (ohinasama), three court ladies (sanninkanjyo), and five musicians (goninbayashi) in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

2 years ago, I made the Emperor and the Empress using "chirashi sushi rice balls".
I made their court dresses using crepe style fried egg (usuyakitamago).
Their heads are too big, but adorable, right?
The recipe is here.



Then last year, I made them in a different style.
This time, I just made rice balls.
I used candy cheese for their head.
It was pretty easy, but very abstract :)
The recipe is here.





Also, on Hinamatsuri, we eat colorful rice puffs (hina-arare).
You can make this easily from sticky rice (mochigome).
The recipe is here.






Now I am thinking what to make this year.
Hmm...
Will see :)

Please click below and vote for me.

Simmered Chicken in Grated Potato

Oops again!
I was so drowsy last night that I couldn't write my diary.
But here I'm back :)

It was pretty warm yesterday since it rained at night.
Also, today, it is like spring weather!

Yesterday, at lunch break, I went to the post office.
My workplace is located near the post office after the relocation, so it is very convenient now!

Anyway, I realized that I am not hearing from many of the contests I have applied for...
I guess I shouldn't look back but go on to the next!!!

Yesterday, 10th person has reported my "Simmered Chicken in Grated Potato" at Cookpad!
I wrote about this report function before.
This is my mother's recipe :)
Actually, the original recipe was pork, but I used sliced chicken breast instead to make it healthier.
The point is you simmer the chicken in grated potato.
The potato adds thickness to the cooking liquid and this comes out verrry delicious!
I love to pour it over the rice ;)
If you are interested in the recipe, let me know.
I will certainly translate it into English!

Okay, tomorrow I will show you my cute recipe for Japanese Doll Festival (Hinamatsuri).
Please come back and check it out!
If I don't fall asleep. Ha-ha!

Please click below and vote for me.

Aojiso Wrapped Chicken Teriyaki Balls

Hi!
Again, I didn't have a chance to write my diary on Friday.
That night, my boyfriend and I planned to eat out but my boyfriend had to work late so we gave up.
Instead, I could have written my diary, but I downloaded Adobe's Lightroom and played with it.
It was pretty cool that you can change room light to natural sunlight, but I couldn't get used to it right away... and still now as well...
There are too many functions!!!

On Saturday, same as last week, my boyfriend had to attend a training class at his work, so I had a breakfast with him at Dean & Deluca and stayed there for about few hours. At noon, I had an appointment with my orthodontist so I went out, but again I went back to cafe, this time Starbucks, and stayed there till 18:00.
After that, I had a dinner with my boyfriend and went home.
At the time I go to bed, I felt very dull and I couldn't get to sleep!!!
I wondered why and my boyfriend said that it could be "Economy class syndrome".
Right... I was sitting in a cramped space for a long time...
If anyone loves to spend a long time at cafe, I suggest you to find a wider seat!!!
Also, lack of exercise can be a factor!!!
To talk about this, lately, I haven't been getting enough exercise...
I am swollen like a pig :(
I love to exercise if I have time... but as you know, I use most of my time creating recipes.
I think I need to force myself to go to GYM, shortly.
I know I can keep up if I once start, since I do a short YOGA workout every morning since last year!

Okay, back to my fat factor!
On Sunday, I created 6 new recipes!!!
I have won many food product samples these days, so I needed to use them in return.
Also, there were some recipe competitions I wanted to try, so I was kind of pushed...
Anyway, I did my best.
I will write about those recipes if I get a chance!

Today, I wanted to write about the other recipe: Aojiso Wrapped Chicken Teriyaki Balls.
I made this on Thursday.
I mixed ground chicken, Riken's new non-oil Teriyaki dressing, minced long onion, grated ginger and bread crumb. Then I wrapped with Aojiso, and cooked in a microwave.
It was juicy & delicious!
Hope this dressing is available all over the world. I will write the recipe in detail if anyone wants.

Finally, today I won the second prize at Philadelphia's cream cheese competition organized by Cookpad.
To tell the truth, none of my cream cheese recipes up to now won a prize, so I am really happy with it!

Okay, I wrote enough!
Please ignore my spell and grammar mistakes!

Please click below and vote for me.

Bunapi Recipe Competition

Hi there!
It is again warm and sunny today!

Talking about last Friday, I got honorable mention for Bunapi (white shimeji mushroom) competition at HOKTO KINOKO COMPANY (they produce and sell Kinoko mushrooms).
Since I tried my best, I am not that satisfied with it...
My boyfriend says I'm greedy, but I am just frustrated with the result!

Then yesterday I received a lot of Bunapi character cell phone straps.
Those were the prizes for participation.
In other words, my efforts...

My prizewinning recipe is "Stir Fried White Shimeji and Chicken fillet Split with Oyster Sauce"
It seems like all the prizewinning recipes are healthy using less or no meat but a lot of vegetables.
I wish I could know this in advance...

Anyway, I will continue to do my best!!!

Tomorrow is Friday!
I can't wait to be over!

See you again :)

Please click below and vote for me.

Buri Daikon

It is warm and sunny today!
The weather forecast says that it is spring weather :)
Hope it lasts for a while... I hate cold.

Good news!
Today, 100th person made my Buri Daikon(Japanese amberjack simmered with daikon) at Cookpad!
At Cookpad, there is a function to post a feedback with a photo image of the dish you've created. If you scroll down the page, you will find 100 people's photo of my recipe. Isn't it amazing!?
I posted this recipe on 10/31/2005, so it is more than 2 years to reach 100!!! When reached to 10 or 100 or 1000 etc., the recipe will be introduced on the front page of the site.
Anyway I am happy to know that 100 people loved this recipe for sure :)

I used to write about this, but my most popular recipe is Sauteed Pork with Salt Sauce.
At the time I wrote, there were only 395 people but now it increased to 458 people!

Okay, time to go.
See you!

Please click below and vote for me.

Aojiso Flavored Natto Dressing Salad

Last night, I watched TV till 1AM since there was an interesting TV program.
I thought I couldn't get up early this morning, but somehow I could :)
Maybe because it was warm and I wasn't freezing in bed.

Anyway, last week, I won Riken's new non-oil dressing samples: Aojiso (shiso leaf), Herb & Lemon, and Teriyaki.
As I mentioned before, people who won these samples should think some recipes (new ideas) in return.
So on Sunday, I made a very healthy salad: Aojiso Flavored Natto Dressing Salad.
I mixed non-oil Aojiso dressing with natto (a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans) and poured on a salad.
It was delicious.
If you like natto, please try it out!!!

Okay, all for today.
See you tomorrow!!!

Please click below and vote for me.

Grand Marnier Earl Gray Tea

Hi!
It is very chilly these days.
I wake up freezing every morning.

On Saturday, my boyfriend had to attend a training class at his work, so I had a breakfast with him at Dean & Deluca and stayed there for about 6 hours organizing my stuff, thinking recipes, and so on.
But after a while, I realized that the ladies next to me were very chatty and I couldn't concentrate on anything...
I think I'd better change the place immediately if this kind of thing happened again.
I mean, this weekend, my boyfriend has the class again, so I'm planning to spend my time at a cafe.
I love to relax with a cup of coffee :)

Anyway, on Sunday, I created 5 new recipes again.
But badly, I misunderstood the assignment and created sushi...
My bad habit... I sometimes skim through the text :(
I think I need to try to read thoroughly.

Never mind!

One of the recipes I created is Grand Marnier Earl Gray Tea.
This is very easy.
You just add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier in a cup of Earl Gray Tea.
The bitter orange taste of Grand Marnier gives the tea a rich flavor!!!
Please try.
And then, if you have, have some chocolate with it!
It goes great with chocolate!
I had a happy tea time :)

Shall I write sad news?
I guess not in detail.
Things never work out as I hope... my work wasn't valued... that's all!

Okay, the bright news!
I once moaned about it but finally I won the grand prize at Lettuceclub!
I simmered cod fish in curry flavored yogurt.
On the day I created this recipe, I quarreled with my boyfriend and I didn't feel good, so I wonder why this won the prize.
Anyway, the recipe is on the Lettuceclub's magazine which was just released on 2/9!
I checked it out yesterday and was on P.107 :)

Wow, I wrote enough today!
Bye for now.

Please click below and vote for me.

Shrimp And Broccoli Tartar Croquettes

Hello!
How was your Valentine's Day?
Mine was great :)
My boyfriend loved my croquettes.

The theme is "spring colors"!
I mixed chopped boiled shrimps, broccoli, and eggs in mashed potatoes.
For the seasoning, I used salt, pepper and mayonnaise.
They were rich and delicious!

Here I posted the recipe.
Sorry in Japanese.
I will write it in English if anyone wants.

This weekend, I have a plan to cook again ;)
I wish I could have more time but I always thank my boyfriend.
He shows respect for my time.

See you next week!

Please click below and vote for me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yesterday, I was going to write my diary but didn't have a chance...
To make an excuse, I felt very drowsy at night and went to bed early.
It is very chilly these days so the weather might be the reason!!! haha.
Anyway, I will try my best to keep my diary.

The pic here is Valentine's chocolate cake which I made two years ago.
I used HERSHEY'S chocolate whipped cream for the filling.
I drew heart patterns on the cake.
Isn't it a lovely idea?!
The recipe is here.
I think I showed you most of my pretty Valentine's Day recipes ;)

Different story.
Recently (might be from the latter half of 2007) many food companies are promoting their products by offering free food product samples. They ask web users to create recipes or write about the products on their blog in return.
Whenever I find an offer, I apply for it. Luckily, I win most of the offers... In other words, I have a lot of tasks!!! I enjoy cooking but hope I can manage to use them all.

I have a many things to write!!!
There are a lot of new food products in Japan and they are all unique and interesting.
Hope I can write about them one by one every day.
About upcoming event-related food in Japan, too :)

Tonight, I am going to cook croquettes for my boyfriend.
I hate to fry things on weekdays but since he doesn't like sweet stuff, he should love them!
Also, I have another gift for him! Hope he likes that as well :)

Okay, I gotta go now.
Have a happy Valentine's Day!

Please click below and vote for me.

Chocolate Chunk Muffins with LOVE Message

The three-day weekend was fast.
It is again the workday :(
But this week we have only 4 days to work, which is good.

This weekend, I didn't go anywhere.
It snowed on Saturday and was very cold, so I was right to have no plan.

On Sunday, I created chocolate muffins but they weren't good, so I tried them again on Monday. The LOVE Message on top was easy, but the muffins... those were hell in many ways.
Since I wanted to create something original, I got pretty tired going through a trial and error process.
Anyway, I finally created!
Here is the recipe in Japanese.
I will write it in English if anyone wants.

Oops, I'm running out of time.
Bye for now.

Please click below and vote for me.

Bite-Size Sashimi Tofu

It is almost midnight.

I'm pretty tired tonight that I surfed TV variety shows on youtube without any purpose.
Actually, I used the Internet to reply to the comments and e-mails but couldn't thus :(

Monday is a national holiday, so we have 3 days off this weekend!
Since I don't have a special plan, I believe I'm gonna stay home and cook.

The pic here is "Bite-Size Sashimi Tofu".
I cut the tofu into bite size and put sashimi on top.
You eat them with soy sauce and wasabi like you eat sushi!

Okay! I'm really tired now.
I rewrote this diary since it disappeared once :(
I want to ge up early tomorrow morning, so good night!
Have a good weekend!

Please click below and vote for me.

Pink Crisped Rice for Valentine's Day

Hello again at night!
Today, it wasn't that busy but I was lazy that I couldn't write until now.

Anyway, I forgot to write one thing yesterday!
Every Wednesday, based on a certain theme, top three recipes are introduced in the newsletter published by cookpad.com (No.1 recipe search/posting site in Japan).
This week, they introduced "pink recipes" and mine was chosen as No.1! The recipe is here :)
I made this 2 years ago. Time flies.

It's Friday tomorrow!
Then we have three days off this weekend, so I can't wait!!!

Please click below and vote for me.

Muffin

I am drowsy now...

Today, I went to the partner company's exhibition in Shinagawa.
I attend it every year and was the third time this year.
Every year, before I return to my office, I walk around Shinagawa station.
ecute is a pretty cool place, so I love to go there.
They have many popular stores, such as Cold Stone!

Today, I tried the muffins at She Knows Muffin.
They have many different flavors.
I tried Earl Grey, Soybean Flour and Honey Bran.
They have very small muffins which is about 1.5 inches wide, so you can try many different flavors at once!
Their crunchy muffin tops were great!!!
Those were simmilar to the muffins I used to eat in the US!
I want to bake some muffins this weekend!

Also at ecute, there were Valentine's day Tanzaku (are the small pieces of paper to write wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, hanging them on bamboo).
I wrote a message to my boyfriend :)

Okay, all for today!
Good night.


Please click below and vote for me.

Cupcake Decoration

Hi!
The spell check function is not working since last week... Only me?
Hope it comes back someday.

Anyway, writing about last Sunday, I created 5 new recipes as usual.
One of them is the cupcake!
Recently decorated cupcakes are getting popular in Japan.
Japanese love American stuff!
Those are something like Eleni's and Ruthy's cupcakes in NY at Chelsea Market.
Eleni's cupcakes are colorful & cute!
Ruthy's Sesame Street cupcakes are awesome!!!
Those kinds of cupcakes are now seen at many stores in Japan.

So, for that reason, I decorated my cupcakes :)
I chose pop colors since those are the latest concerned with fashion this coming season!
I used philadelphia cream cheese for both cupcakes and frosting (white chocolate ganache colored green).
The slight sour taste of the cream cheese is delicious!!!
For the butterflies, I used raspberry chocolate.
I have the recipe here, but in Japanese... sorry.

Okay, time to go.
See you tomorrow, hopefully!!!

Please click below and vote for me.