Chinese Food

Hi!
Some of the cherry blossoms are already in bloom!
I took a picture of them on Saturday.
Unfortunately, it is raining and cold today, but once it gets warm, I guess they are going to be in full bloom!!!




Today, I have one good news.
Last week, I won the grand prize in the "Chinese food seasonings contest".
This contest was organized by Ajinomoto, maker of food seasonings, cooking oils and foods, drinks, and pharmaceuticals.
They asked for easy recipes using their Chinese food seasoning products.
My prize-winning piece is "Chinese Style White Miso Stir Fried Seven Vegetables".
I stir fried what I had in my refregerator.
For the seasoning, I used chicken stock with white miso which was leftover from the new year's day.
The chicken stock adds a nice rich flavor to slightly sweet white miso!
You could get addicted :)

The prize for this award was a meal voucher for chef Wakiya's "Turandot", where offers a new style of Chinese cooking inspired by the traditional food of Shanghai, Szechuan, Canton and Beijing.
He has a restaurant in NY, too!
I am excited to go there, but I wonder why I always win things not cash, ha-ha!

Luckily, I doubly won the second prize, too!
The recipe is "Spring Roll-Like Egg wrapped Steamed Rice".
It is very easy! I cooked rice with chicken stock and vegetables.
While cooking, I made crepe style fried egg (usuyakitamago) to wrap the rice.

The prize for this award was Chinese wok!!!
Oh my god, where shall I put...
I think I need a bigger kitchen someday.

I'm not gonna write in detail, but I lost prizes for some other big contests which are held every year...
This was my third trial but again I lost :(
Am I disliked?!

Okay, I have a lot more to write but I gotta stop now.
Goodnight!

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PHOTO IMAGING EXPO 2008

Hello!
It is very cold today and raining.
Actually, it has been raining for a few days.
The cherry blossoms might bloom next week, since it is going to get warmer from tomorrow!
I live close to a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, so I will show you the picture if I took a nice one!

Anyway, on the 19th, as I said last time, I went to the PHOTO IMAGING EXPO 2008 in Tokyo.
It was very crowded with camera otaku, most of them were men.
They were taking pictures of booth bunnies.
<-- Like this :)


The reason I went there is to attend the lecture of Kouichiro Saito, who is an advertising Photographer.
This lecture was about food photography and was held at the booth of Olympus, which is my camera manufacturer.
This was my first time to take lessons in food photography.
We took some pictures of cakes they prepared.
My problem is that I cannot take a picture that looks like taken under the natural light, under the room light, so it was interesting to know the way he set.

At the Olympus booth, there were some experts, so I asked them a lot of questions about color temperature, lighting equipment, etc...
Also, I tried macro lense which I wanted to buy someday.
White balance is not correct, but you can see the difference in feathering.

I think I need to know more about the basics of camera!
I will try my best!

Okay, see you next week :)
Have a nice weekend!

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My Accomplishments

After the thunderstorm on Friday, the weather has changed to spring!
It is getting warm day by day! Hope it lasts.

Yesterday, I was so busy that I couldn't have a chance to write my diary. Actually, this week, I am going to attend PHOTO IMAGING EXPO 2008 on the 19th and we have a national holiday on the 20th, so I might not coming back to keep my diary, but don't forget about me :)

Anyway, yesterday, I was terribly out of luck :(
I found that I lost prizes at 4 contests held at cooking sites.
To tell the truth, I am doing poorly these few months...
Am I storing the luck???

Whatever!
I will list some of my recent events.

On 2/24, I won a special award at Valentine's Day egg recipe competition.
This competition was organized by Nosan Corporation, the producer of "Yodoran" Hikari brand of iodine-enriched eggs. I made White Chocolate Cranberry Brownies using 3 eggs to give a moist texture.
My sister loved it!
Might be good for Easter, too.

On 3/3, I won a fighting-spirit award at nabe photo contest.
This was organized by Commupla, the community site for women.
I made Cod Fish And Pork Nabe Flavored with Sichuan Pepper.





On 3/11, I won a B prize at sweet treats contest held by Kyoritsu Foods ( food manufacturer).
I decorated a chocolate bar with sugar sprinkles.



I have three more... but I'm not that satisfied with the results, so I won't write.

Different story.

Now my recipe, using Kagome's basic canned tomato sauce product, become a recipe sticker, and available on the can!
The recipe is Healthy Tomato Tantan Harusame.
It is sesame and the tomato sauce based stir fried harusame.


Okay, I wrote enough and kind of drowsy now.
See you again with happy news, hopefully.

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White Day

I have a lot to write for Friday!
I mean, now it is Sunday midnight, but I just want to write about it.

On Friday morning, I sprained my ankle right after I left home.
At that time, I thought I couldn't move, but after a while, strangely, I didn't feel any pain!
I thought this was weird, so I called my mom and asked whether I can walk or not.
She said I'd better take a bus, so I took a bus.
One of my co-workers is absent for few days because of a stomach flu so I couldn't be absent!

When I arrived at work, I received macarons from my co-worker for White Day.
On White Day males who received a "honmei-choco" [chocolate of love] or "Giri-choco" [chocolate of courtesy] on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts, usually more expensive!
I gave him "Giri-choco" [chocolate of courtesy] not that expensive, but he was so kind that he gave me back macarons!!!
To tell the truth, at my work, I never got back anything on White Day, so I am seeing a new light this year!

Anyway, my foot was not that good, so I put a compress which I found in the office, which was 4 years after its validity date has expired... It seemed okay though...

At lunch time, I booked the plane ticket which I wasn't able to make a decision to book.
I found out that I could cancel anytime without cancellation fee for certain period, so this is why.
And now I'm relieved a little :)

Regarding the hotel, I haven't booked it yet since they require full prepay at booking (non-refundable)!
I need more time to decide.
Hope everything get settled soon...

In the evening, my boyfriend left for Osaka to attend the wedding of his younger brother.
Actually, I wasn't invited since I haven't got married yet...

After the work, it was raining so hard with thunder and lightning.
When I got home, I found a bouquet on the table, with a message saying that there is a sweet treat in the refrigerator!






I opened the refrigerator and found macarons again!!!
Oh my god, how could he know that I got them at work?
He is awesome!

Okay. I have more things to write, but I will stop for now.
I just wanted to write about this macaron story first :)
Will come back on Monday, hopefully.

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Western Style Green Pepper, Carrot, and Egg Kinpira

Yesterday, I was going to write my diary.
But again, I struggled with the booking stuff...
I mean, the plane ticket I was going to book online has disappeared.
I called the agency and they explained that they have changed the product rate recently.
They might again change the rate next week, so I was asked to go back at that time.
I hope not suffer from a nightmare.
Sometimes, I see a dream of my worries.
I think I should never play the market! Ha-ha!

Anyway, yesterday, 100th person made my Western Style Green Pepper, Carrot, and Egg Kinpira at Cookpad!
I explained about this function before.

Kinpira is a Japanese cooking style that can be summarised as a technique of "saute and simmer".
We usually cook root vegetables such as carrot, burdock and lotus root, seaweeds and other foods including tofu and namafu (wheat gluten) with the seasoning such as sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce.

However, I used green pepper and egg, which is unusual for kinpira, and used ketchup instead of sugar.
Also, I used sesame oil to add an appetizing flavor!
I released this recipe on 06/4/6.
I am glad to know that many people love this idea :)
The recipe is in Japanese, so I will translate it in English if anyone wants.

I will come back tomorrow if I'm doing fine!
See you!!!

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My Plan for Summer Vacation

Every summer, I visit New York with my boyfriend.
It is already our 5th visit this year.
In other words, it has been already 5 years since we came back to Japan. (We used to live in New York.)
Actually, the first year, we went there in winter because the tour package was real cheap.
However, the weather was freezing cold (we forgot about the weather), so we decided to go there in summer from then on.

Badly, fuel surcharge is increasing every year.
5 years ago, it was about $50, but now is about $400!!!
Including airport tax and the other fee, we will be charged about $500 this year...
So, this year, I searched more precisely for the least expensive tour package.
But up to this point, I don't find any good one :(
I thought of booking plane ticket and hotel by myself, but surprisingly, the total price seems to be the same as the tour package.
However, today I found that if we select a little bit luxurious hotel, the total price becomes a good deal.
I guess I am talking to myself too much today.
No one understands this, right?
Okay, to conclude, I am still thinking!!!

Anyway, today, I forgot my key at home again...
It was the second time to borrow the key at real estate this year!
To justify myself, I forgot it because it was a garbage day!
Last time as well, I was thinking of throwing out garbage before I leave home, which my boyfriend doesn't do!!!

Finally, writing about my cooking!
Today, I will show you my Neapolitan Couscous Salad.
I came up with this idea from the meal served on the plane last year :)
The idea is everywhere!

Okidoki!
Bye for today!!!


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Peruvian Food

Hi!
Again, I didn't have a chance to write my diary on Friday.
I was just lazy doing nothing on that night...

These few days, I am bugged about my future direction.
I think this year shouldn't be the same as last year.
And now, it is getting clear!
Hope not give up thinking...

Anyway, on Saturday, my boyfriend and I went out for a dinner to eat Peruvian food in Shibuya.
El nombre del restaurante es MIRAFLORES :)
They serve real Peruvian food which Embassy of Peru recommend!
It has been more than 5 years since I last ate Peruvian Food, so I enjoyed a lot!
The reason why we went there is because, as I wrote before, I passed the initial screening to go to the finals and create drink recipes using camu camu for that restaurant.
I didn't have to go there and eat, but I was just curious to know what they serve.

Since we didn't know what to eat, we had a pre-fixed menu.
The food was good and was close to the Peruvian food I ate before.
They said they selected the most popular dishes for the course, but I think too much fish...
I hope they change one fish dish to chicken or something else.
But anyway, the portions were very big and we were satisfied :)

Interestingly, most of the customers there knew well about Peruvian food and they were ordering a la carte. I guess next time, we should better do so.

Okay, all for today!
Hope I could come back tomorrow.

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Ikanago no Kugini

I thought the spring has come but was a mistake...
This morning the weather forecast said that the spring is coming late this year...
Right! It was cold this morning and so as yesterday.
But somehow I could tolerate the cold since I believed that the spring is close.
Might better not seen that weather forecast to save utility charges.

Anyway, yesterday, my mom gave me Tsukudani (food boiled in soy sauce) made with Ikanago (sand eel/sand lance).
We call it "Ikanago no Kugini" in Japanese.
My grand mother, who lives in Kakogawa city (Hyogo prefecture), cooks a few kilograms of "Ikanago no Kugini" every year.

Ikanago no Kugini is a famous Tsukudani in Hyogo prefecture.
It is usually cooked and eaten around the end of February or early March, when the fish is about an inch long.
After its season, Ikanago goes deep in the sea where is cooler.
Then it goes under the sand and aestivate.

I love to eat Ikanago no Kugini every year.
I think I need to learn how to make this from my grandma someday.

Few years ago, I made lunch using Ikanago no Kugini for Ohanami (cherry blossom viewing).
Those flowers are Sakura (Cherry Blossom) made from thin slices of ham.
The green vegetable is field mustard.
The recipe in detail is here.
I never forget that my boyfriend forgot to take it with him.


Okay, I'm kind of drowsy, so see you again tomorrow.

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Spring Xxxx Salad

This morning, I got up late and couldn't do all the things I wanted to do on time. So, everything was getting on my nerves thereafter!!!

But on the train, just a random thought, but I realized that it has been already 10 years since I graduated from high school.
Then somehow, I calmed down by switching my mind to the other stuff.

Time flies.
The first 5 years, I spent my time in NY as a student & a member of society.
The next 5 years, I met my boyfriend and came back to Japan and working at the current company.

Now I am worried about the next 5 to 10 years.
If I don't start anything new, I'm gonna be having the same years as the latter 5 years...

Last year I started this blog.
Oh my god! It has been almost half a year since I started!!!
How fast the time passes...
I will try to keep up, anyway!!!

Today, I will show you my cute spring recipe which I made last year.
The title Xxxx = Worm.
I didn't write it since I didn't want to offend you.
I sometimes love to create this kind of 3D dish ;)
It's a salad using Brussels sprouts, bacon, and corn.
I built them up using toothpicks.
You simply eat with a dressing of your choice. The recipe is here.
I will translate it into English if anyone wants.
Those images would explain, so I guess you don't need it though.

Okay, see you tomorrow!

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Field Mustard Corn Chowder

It seems like the spell check function came back :)

Yesterday, I won the Vegetable Soup Prize at Original Soup Recipe competition!
This competition was organized by Kewpie (a leader in the history of Japanese mayonnaise and dressing production business)at Cookpad (No.1 recipe search/posting site in Japan).

The soup is soy milk based, so it has a very mild taste.
With less flavoring, you can enjoy the rich and sweet taste of vegetables.
In spring, we see a lot of edible Field Mustard at a supermarket.
It is something like broccoli and we eat before the bloom.
Thus I used it with corn, which also goes good with broccoli!

It is getting warm.
It seems like spring has come!

Time to write about my spring recipes :)

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Italian Hina Arare

Today, I took a half day off to see dermatologist since my skin was dry and itchy.
Also, I went to the bank since I cannot go during the weekday.
I had such a productive day!

However, before I go home, I bought a bag of Hina Arare (because it was at half price) and ate them all and felt sick...
I think it should be eaten moderately.

So, today is Hinamatsuri!
I made Italian Hina Arare for appetizer.
I used tomato for pink, mozzarella cheese for white, and avocado for green. (I explained about those three colors last week.)
I marinated them with wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper to give an Italian touch :)
My boyfriend was surprised with this idea!

Okay. This is all for today.
See you tomorrow!

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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!!!

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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 :)

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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!

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