Christmas Tofu

This morning, I saw a high-school girl handing a love letter to a boy at the train station!
She ran away with the other girl romping around.
How young are they!!!
I was sooooo excited, remembering my high school days :)
And what was funny is that I found many people (especially women) were staring at them like me!

Anyway, on Friday, my Christmas Tofu was introduced at Megami's Recipes site again!
I used nutmeg, soy sauce, grated ginger, black vinegar and black pepper to season the spinach. Then I topped it on tofu, and decorated with colored peppers.
Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

Sorry I am always talking about the recipes couple of days ago...
I have a lot to present!

Different story.
Today, I created a new blog to enter the contest held at Recipe Blog (they mainly trackback the recipe related articles.)
Actually, I don't have a Japanese blog since I have so many places to post my work, such as Cookpad, Lettuceclub etc...
But this time, participants were limited to the blog author, so I created one.
However, blogspot doesn't have trackback feature, so I needed to make an account at Haloscan to send a trackback ping.
It seems like not working properly though...
I have to solve the problem...
It's a long way...

Anyway, I hope I can manage all and I shouldn't increase my work any more.

Bye for now!

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Spicy Meat Pumpkin for Christmas

I didn't oversleep this morning :)
But I did it again on Saturday... my boyfriend had an appointment with his dentist and I had promised him to wake him up but I overslept...

Anyway, on Saturday (instead of Sunday) I created 5 new recipes!
Last time I said 6 is my quota, but I reduced it to 5 to concentrate on my photo framework!
Compared to last week, it wasn't that bad.
I think I should take time.

One of the recipes I created is Spicy Meat Pumpkin for Christmas.
I layered nutmeg flavored ground beef & pork and cinnamon flavored Japanese pumpkin. I used holly shaped cookie cutter to cut the pumpkin skin to resemble holly leaf. To resemble holly fruit, I used pink pepper (Brazilian pepper).
My boyfriend loved the combination of those spices!
I hope this gives you an idea for your Christmas menu :)

Monday after the holidays is always busy, so I gotta go!
Will come back tomorrow!

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

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Buckwheat Apple Cake

I overslept for an hour this morning.
Is it because of this cold weather?
Or am I exhausted this week?
I always wake up 2 hours before I leave, so I didn't have any problem, but it was a bad start...

Back to my cooking.
Apples are in season!
So on Sunday I created Buckwheat Apple Cake!
Buckwheat flour is the flour used to make buckwheat noodles (Soba noodles). Better blood sugar control and a lowered risk of diabetes are expected :)
The cake was moistened with apples and was delicious!

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

Different story.
Yesterday, I received the photos taken at the contest!
I didn't expect to receive them, so those made my day :)

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan.
Oh! It's Thanksgiving in the US today!
Sorry I don't have any turkey recipe...
Hope I can introduce something the next year.

Have a great holidays!!!

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Purple Sweet Potato Soup

Again, it's freezing today!
Especially in the morning, it was freezing to death!!!
(Compared to the winter in NY, it is far better though...)
But yesterday, I realized that I shouldn't wear a lot.
I wore 2 overcoats and it was too hot when I took a train.
Also, the cold let up at the time I go home.
So this morning, I tolerated the cold when I left home.

Anyway, on Sunday I created 6 new recipes.
6 is my quota, but I didn't like my photo framework overall :(
I was in bad form...

One of the recipes I created is Purple Sweet Potato Soup.
This soup is soy based and very healthy!
My boyfriend again had his wisdom teeth pulled, so I created this soup for him.
To tell the truth, I wanted him to get a flu shot before having his tooth out, since it wasn't that urgent. But he didn't listen to me...
His face got swollen excessively.
It seems like he cannot get vaccinated for a while.
See! That's why I told him.
Now the flu is going around.
I don't care if he catches the flu!!!

Ooops! I'm getting off the subject.

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.
Does anyone know any site to post your own recipes?
I am looking for such page.

See you tomorrow!

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Eat Breakfast!

It's freezing today!
Compared to last week, the temperature fell rapidly!

Anyway, let me make excuses.
There are some reasons that I couldn't write my diary on Friday and yesterday.

On Friday, I can't talk about this too loud, but I participated in the cooking contest that I wrote before.
This contest was held by Asagohan (Breakfast) Executive Committee.
They recommend everyone to have a breakfast by spending morning hours wisely.
Till September, they put out a call for the breakfast menu that could be eaten at home.
There were over 1000 applications and 10 passed to the finals!
And mine was the one that passed!!! (2 photos here are the menus that passed)
Unfortunately, I couldn't win the prize but I could meet Aya Ueto (an actress) who joined this event as a special guest!
The event site became a media circus!!!

Regarding yesterday, I was very busy.
I know it is because I took a day off on Friday...
So, I didn't have time to write.

I will come back tomorrow, if I have time :)

Brief note:
I canceled the next appointment for the cooking school.
I once thought about enrolling, but changed my mind.
It is too much for now.

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Happy Beaujolais Day!

It's nice and warm again!
But same as yesterday, it is hot in the office...

Today I'd like to introduce my wine food that goes great with Beaujolais Nouveau!

Last year there was a recipe contest held by Arcane (they import/export luxury food and wine).
They put out a call for wine food that goes great with Michel Lynch (red or white).
Since I prefer red wine, I created some recipes for the red!

Luckily, I won the highest award!
The award-winning recipe is "Pork and Beans with Demiglace Sauce, Accompanied with Rye Bread".
http://www.arcane-jp.com/contest/saisyu.html
Sorry, my recipe is in Japanese :(
But I hope this idea helps you prepare for the Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

Of course, I will write in English if anyone wants.

I gotta go now.
Have fun :)

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Should I Enroll in the Cooking School?

It's nice and warm again!
But little bit hot in the office...

As I said before, yesterday I went to the cooking school after work.

The class was fine and fun.
I cooked "Simmered Hamburger".
I think this one lesson was enough to learn what I needed (knife skill etc.) for the upcoming cooking contest.

However, I wonder whether I should continue to commute (enroll) or not.
To tell the truth, overall level was low :(
But I liked an enjoyable atmosphere!

The school is located right in front of the nearest station, so it is very convenient to commute.
The class is about 2 hours (including tasting and cleaning), so I can go home by 8pm (if I commute after work), which is good.

However, I can't make a decision!!!

Do I need to pay for such an inspiration?
I know I don't get nothing if I don't try...

Anyway, I cooked the "Simmered Hamburger" again at home for my boyfriend.
He loved it :)

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My Nabe Recipes

<--CLICK HERE to view this recipe.

It's nice and warm today! I don't need a winter coat, yet. But according to the weather forecast, temperature will drop day by day...

The cold weather makes me want to eat Nabe. Nabe (or Nabemono) is a term referring to all varieties of Japanese steamboat dishes, also known as "one pot dishes".

In summer, there was a big contest held by Mizkan Group (they have some dashi products for the pot dishes) and I created some Nabe recipes to enter the contest. Unfortunately, I lost the prize but was a good chance to create them for the winter.
It was pretty hot to create them in Summer though...

One of the Nabe recipes that my boyfriend loved is "Ton (Pork) Balls Nabe". I made it like Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup), one of my boyfriend's favorite food :)

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I translated it in English HERE.

Today, I am going to attend the cooking class that I mentioned last week. I will write about it tomorrow if I get a chance!

See you again :)

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Diet Recipe Contest

Today Eriko(who retired and opened a cafe) visited our office, so we went out to eat lunch again.
Yesterday I visited her cafe, so this is why she came :)
Her cafe is very intimate and her way of making coffee is great!
I want all coffee lovers to try out her coffee.
http://www.katecoffee.jp/
Of course her food menu (especially her curry) is great, too!
I am sorry that this is located in Japan :(

Different story.
As I mentioned on Friday, I attended the awards ceremony on Sunday.
My boyfriend came with me :)
The contest was held by Bureau of Sewerage Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
They put out a call for diet recipes using less oil, that are good for our health and "the sewage system". They want to prevent people from dumping cooking oil waste into the drain of a sink.
(The candidates were limited to Tokyo residents.)

1 grand prize and 2 second prizes were awarded.
Mine was the second prize :)

The grand prize recipe was created by a high school student. She made potato croquettes using deep-fried been curd. Instead of frying, she pan-broiled them to reduce the oil usage. (pictured second from the left)

The second prize was mine and a housewife's.

My recipe was "Microwave Stir-fried Pork and Vegetables". I didn't use oil but I used pork loin and some bacon to make it tasty. (pictured third from the left)

The housewife's recipe was "Daigaku Imo (Japanese Candied Sweet Potatoes) Cooked in a Rice Cooker". We usually fry to make this, but she steamed! (pictured right)

All recipes were sampled by those people who attended this awards ceremony.

I had a TV interview :) -->

It was a busy morning, but in the afternoon, I didn't have that much to do.
I hung out with my boyfriend, went to Eriko's cafe and shopped around the town.
Compared to my usual artwork (cooking) day, it was a verrrrry relaxing day.

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My Stew Recipes

Time flies!!!
It's already Friday!

This coming Sunday, I am going to attend an awards ceremony for one of the contests I entered.
I will write about this on Monday if I can.
So for that reason, my usual artwork (cooking) on Sunday is gonna be off.

Anyway, today I posted 5 new stew recipes (which I said I lost the prize) on Japanese cooking site.
They were all good.
One I thought was creative is "Aurora Stew with Ham and Turnip".
I used canned tomato to create this color :)
The stew is creamy but it's aftertaste is light.
Turnips are juicy and well-seasoned with the tastes of consomme, vegetables and ham!

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

See you next week!!!

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Takikomi Gohan

It was chilly this morning.
I can't believe the warm weather we had yesterday!

Today, I went out to eat lunch with my co-workers.
I ate Wild Vegetable Soba :)
Usually, I eat at my desk using Internet, so it's fun sometimes.

Back to my cooking.
Yesterday, I cooked Takikomi(boiled) Gohan(rice) using 5 black-colored ingredients.
Takikomi Gohan is flavored rice with vegetables and(or) meat cooked in a rice cooker.
We usually cook this in consideration of color balance.
However, yesterday I unified the color :)

- Black Pork (which is a local specialty in Kagoshima prefecture)
- Sliced Tangle (kind of seaweed)
- Forbidden Rice (please see Wikipedia)
- Black Sesame
- Dried Shitake Mushroom

For the seasoning, I used Sake, Black Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Sea Salt.
I didn't use that much to season since the Dashi Broth of Sliced Tangle is enough to flavor the rice!

My boyfriend loves Takikomi Gohan, so he ate more than usual :)
Also many kids love this!

Takikomi Gohan is very healthy with a lot of different kinds of vegetables and(or) meat.
This time I used Black Sesame Oil to enrich the taste, but you can cook without it to lower the fat.
Also, you can try this in many different styles, using garlic to taste like Italian or whatever!!!
But just be careful when you adjust seasoning.
You don't want strong-tasting.

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

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Bonjour Chef's Torch

Good news!
I won a Bonjour Chef's Torch :)
As a condition of winning, I need to create a new recipe using this Torch.
However, I am looking forward to using it, since I wanted to buy it someday!

Bad news :(
Again I realized that I lost the prize at Stew contest...
(Unsuccessful candidates are usually not notified so I realized it by myself...)
I should forget everything that has happened so far.

Anyway, today the weather in Tokyo is sunny and warm.
It doesn't look like winter.
Hope this weekend is going to be warm like today.

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Finesse Cooking

Next week, I am going to take an introductory class at cooking school near station.

To tell the truth, I have never learned how to cook.
However, next week, my finesse is going to be screened in a cooking contest, so I have to be prepared.
Few times in the past, I participated in this kind of contest but I always ended up handling badly. So this time, I want to try my best!
Especially the knife skill, I want to improve!
One day I want to clean fish!!!

The photo here is "Steamed Chicken and Vegetable Salad".
It requires a good knife skill :)

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

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Everything is Kept Intact...

As usual, Monday is very busy.
Actually, I was busy from the end of October!
I haven't replied to the comments at cooking site and my e-mails since then.
I know I should do it if I have time to write my diary, but my diary is something special.

Also, my cooking is something special, too.
Yesterday, I created 6 new recipes.
Maybe this is why I keep everything intact.

Today, again I lost prizes at 2 contests held at cooking site.
When it rains, it pours...

Anyway, yesterday my spinach recipe was introduced at Megami's Recipes site again!
I wrote about this site before.
This made me happy :)

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English if anyone wants.

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What a Bad Day!

Usually, I go to work 45 minutes before the start time.
This morning, there was an injury accident on the Tokyo subway (Marunouchi line).
It happened 2 minutes before my usual train.
At that time, railway station staff said there is no prospect for the recovery.
So I decided to take a different line using the free railway ticket that he gave out.
However, since I didn't know another way to go to work, I ended up taking a taxi.

I arrived at office as usual.
Of course no one was there.

I thought no one could come before the workday begins, but somehow everyone came on time.
My supervisor said that the train was packed but was in service!
(he usually come just in time)

Even worse, I forgot to get a receipt.
(I can't bill my company for my transportation expenses...)

It's not my day today...

"The early bird catches the worm" is not true.
I thought I'd rather be late than coming early.

Back to my cooking.
I don't feel like introducing something today.
Yesterday, I lost the prize at Salt Kelp competition.
It might have been a sign of my bad luck to come :(

Anyway, today is Friday!
See you on Monday!
Have a good weekend! (to me as well)

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Edible Flowers

My boyfriend(TJ) changed his jobs.
Today is his first day at work!
I hope he is doing fine :)

Different story, I won the Angel Junior prize at Megami's Recipe site. Yay!
The prizewinning recipe is "Tomato Tuna Piccata Sandwich" which I introduced here the other day!
I will try my best for the next theme again!

Today, I posted my "Flower Bread Roll Sandwich" at lettuceclub.net (the website of famous cooking magazine).
I used jelly and whipped cream for filling and decorated with Edible flowers.
Edible flowers are not only cute but also have good nutrition.
Some have a lot of Vitamin C!

Recipe in Japanese is here.
I will write in English in detail if anyone wants.

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