Survival Food Recipe Contest @ Tokyo International Fire and Safety Exhibition 2008

In April, Tokyo Fire Department has asked for the survival food recipes (using canned and bottled products, dried foodstuff, emergency food supplies, familiar vegetables, etc...) that makes disaster victims in difficult circumstances happy. Luckily, my recipe passed the initial screening! So on June 7th, I attended the finals which was held at Tokyo International Fire and Safety Exhibition 2008.

There were six finalists. We cooked our recipe on stage in front of the audience and the press. The time limit was 30 minutes.
The winner was a man who cooked paella using Japanese traditional dried foodstuff (such as sakuraebi (Sergia lucens)) and canned tomato. The biggest reason he won was the usage of dried foodstuff, which keeps well and rich in nutrients! Also, his recipe was home-style dish, so that was highly evaluated!

One of the judges was Hiroko Sakamoto (a cooking teacher), who has actually been in the disaster of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
She said, it took for about a week until food supplies arrived in general household. Until then, she needed to survive by eating foodstuff at home. Under such circumstances, most people didn't want to eat emergency food supplies but regular home-cooked meal. Therefore, she recommended people to stock up on their favorite canned food, retort series, or whatever that makes you happy. Also, she said it is important to stock up on water and drink to stay hydrated.
Her actual experiences were informative!

Anyway, rest of us all received outstanding performance awards!

Moreover, at this exhibition, there was a booth that lectures on CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and how to use AED (automated external defibrillator)! I remember that I read about these in a text book when I was a high school student, but it was something I've never done before.
I think we learned a lot on this day!

Last but not least, June 7th was the 5th anniversary since my boyfriend and I had met. After the contest, we went to a nice Vietnamese restaurant in Yebisu. We were pretty tired, but the jazz music they had playing was relaxing. We talked about the day we met and had a good time :)



Okay, this is all for today.
The rainy season came back!
We had a rain and thunder this evening :(

Somehow, I got very bad stiff shoulders today...
Good night!

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Balsamic Marinated Avocado and Tomato

Hello!
The sky is starting to clear up! The rainy season is going to have a break for few days :)
As I wrote before, I am going to attend the finals of the survival food contest tomorrow! I hope it will be nice and sunny. I will write about the contest next week if I get a chance.


Today, I will translate my easy recipe using balsamic vinegar.
My photo doesn't look good, but tastes great!
I took this picture 3 years ago. How time flies!

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Balsamic Marinated Avocado and Tomato

Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 5min or less
Number of servings: 2

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 tomato
1.5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. powdered cheese

Directions:
1. Cut avocado and tomato in cubes. (If you want to serve in the avocado shells, cut avocado in half (lengthwise), gently scoop out as large as possible, and cut.)
2. Place the avocado and tomato in a bowl or dish, add balsamic vinegar, and toss lightly.
3. Spoon the mixture into the avocado shells, sprinkle powdered cheese on top, and serve.

My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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Yesterday, I went to the spa again. I had the third (last) free facial treatment. This time, I had a powerful vitamin therapy, which involves the use of ultrasonic wave. They say it facilitates penetration of vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene 100 times more into the skin (compared to the first treatment). Hope it did... Anyway, I had a good chance to learn about beauty salon treatments!

I want to try to keep up my sense of beauty.
I believe this idea is important to keep one's youth!

Okay, see you next week!
Enjoy your weekend :)

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Oyakodon: Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl

Last night, I nodded off while writing my diary...

Yesterday was rainy and today is cloudy.
We are expecting rain this week :(
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the rainy season has begun on June 2nd in the Kanto region, 20 days earlier than last year! They say it is because of typhoon No.5, which is slowly moving northward, pushing up the rain front!
I hope it clears up this Saturday, as they say now!

Talking about my cooking, on Monday, I made oyakodon using Kibun's minced fish product called "Tamanegi-Ten".
Oyakodon, literally "parent and child bowl", is a Japanese donburi (rice bowl) dish. Chicken, egg, onion, and other ingredients are all simmered together in a slightly sweet dashi sauce and served on top of a bowl of rice. Why we call this oyakodon is because both chicken (oya=parent) and egg (ko=child) are used. It can be whipped up relatively quickly, so it is a staple for Japanese home-style cooking. Moreover, oyakodon is often served in soba restaurants and other traditional Japanese restaurants.
On Saturday, I won free samples of "Tamanegi-Ten", which is a satsumaage (fried minced fish) using a lot of chopped onion. It tastes little sweet and rich.
Usually, when cooking oyakodon, we take time simmering onion, so I shortened the time by using this satsumaage! I used less sugar for the dashi sauce, because satsumaage itself was sweet enough.
Just as I thought, this oyakodon was great :)

You know what!? I think my supervisor is a toast. He says he cannot start the next project until he has time... I'm sorry to hear this since my coworker has so little work to do. But whenever I see him doing slow, I try to remind myself that "there is no rush"...

I'm kind of busy and drowsy this week.
I hope I can write tomorrow ;)

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Rising Food Prices

Hello. It was rainy and cloudy weekend.
The weather forecast says that the tsuyu (rainy season) will start earlier than usual this year :(
I think we didn't have enough sunny days this spring...

In June, as the result of rising crude oil prices, gasoline and food prices are keep rising!
Gasoline prices are now about 170yen per litter (0.264 US gallon). Butter and cheese prices are up by 8%. Minced fish products prices (Kibun's products) will be up by 15% from July 14!
Hope flour prices won't increase again...

On the contrary, I found an interesting article.
Some food company says their premium products of high value (sold at higher prices) are in good form, because of the reduce of the price differential between regular ones (that increased prices but no more discounts).
Usually, consumers buy premium products when they want something of a luxury once in a while. However, now they are able to get those premiums by paying 100 more yen (1 more dollar) or so, which increased affordability for them.
This is true! I just bought premium bread because I thought in the same way!

Anyway, different story.
I have a lot of sausage products at home! Last week, I've received 8 packages of sausage products from Prima Ham. Then on Saturday, I received 2 gift boxes of sausage products from Nippon Ham. Speaking of Nippon Ham, they asked for the breakfast recipes using their sausage product called Winny (sounds like the P2P software but not that). I received 2 outstanding performance awards (not the highest). I don't know why, but my luck always leans to one side...

Tomorrow is rain.
I am very drowsy today.
Good night...

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Creamy Avocado Doria (Japanese Rice Gratin) - Video Recipe

Yesterday, I had a long meeting at work. It was raining all day long. And is still raining... Because of the weather or whatever, I was so tired that I wasn't able to finish my diary and went to bed.

This morning, I woke up at 6!
My boyfriend had to leave home at 7:30 (to attend on-the-job training), so I made him breakfast.
I left home with him and relaxed at a cafe in front of the station, thinking new recipes for few hours. Since I worked early in the morning, I could organize my ideas by noon! I shopped all the food stuff I needed for tomorrow and came back home.

Is it because of the rain and cold? I have a pain in my knee :( One problem after another... My ankle has just healed!

Anyway. I won't be writing my details! Ha-ha.
Today, I will translate one of my popular dishes!
Up to now, 24 people have made this and said good :)

Please try it out if you have a chance!
It's my boyfriend's favorite!!!

Print on your Postcard

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Creamy Avocado Doria (Japanese Rice Gratin)

Difficulty: Medium
Time: 30min
Number of servings: 20cm (8inch) pie dish

Ingredients:
((Fried Rice))
400g (14oz.) cooked white rice
100g (3.5oz.) thick sliced ham *sausage is okay
50g (1.7oz.) onion
50g (1.7oz.) green pepper
30g (1oz.) carrot
10g (0.3oz.) butter
salt and pepper
((Avocado Cream Sauce)) *200cc ready-made white sauce is okay
100ml consomme soup
100ml soy milk *milk or whipping cream is okay
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 bay leaf *if you have
10g (0.3oz.) butter
salt and pepper
1 avocado
shredded pizza cheese

Directions:
((Fried Rice))
1. Dice ham into 1/2inch (1cm) pieces. Chop onion, carrot, and green pepper.
2. Heat butter in a pan on medium. Fry the diced ham until browned. Add onion, carrot, and green pepper, and saute until soft.
3. Add cooked white rice, mix well, and season with salt and pepper.
((Avocado Cream Sauce))
1. Dice the avocado.
2. Pour the consommé soup into a pan. Mix flour and corn starch with the same amount of water and add to the soup. Add the soy milk. Add a bay leaf if you like. Heat on low, stir constantly until the sauce thickens.
3. Turn off the heat, add butter, remove the bay leaf, then add the diced avocado.
4. Heat again on low for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
((Finish))
1. Butter an 8inch (20cm) pie dish. Put the fried rice mixture in the bottom, and spread the avocado cream sauce evenly over the rice.
2. Sprinkle with shredded pizza cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 480F (250C) for 10-15 minutes or bake in a toaster oven until the top is lightly browned.

レシピ（日本語）
http://cooklabo.blogspot.jp/2008/10/blog-post_10.html
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I'm gonna take a nap!
I can barely keep my eyes open...
See you next week!!!

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Birthday Cake Idea

It is raining today. Last night, I fell asleep while typing my diary.
Rain makes me drowsy!

Actually, I was waiting for my boyfriend. He had an English class late in the evening and after that he went drinking with his co-workers and didn't come back...
This morning I found him slipped out from his suit trousers (I guess he might have been uncomfortable with those on), lying on the floor... He said he has got a hangover. Right... he looked painful. I gave him a medicine for headache and left home. Hope he is doing fine now...

Oops! I just realized that I forgot my cell at home!
It's because of disrupted routines in the morning :(

Talking about my boyfriend, I didn't have a chance to write about his birthday cake for quite a while! This is the cake I made for his 33rd birthday. It is a strawberry shortcake with pink whipped cream. I decorated it with heart-shaped strawberries. Don't you think it's cute? Or, too cute for a guy? Ha-ha.



Different story.
Yesterday, I received a high-grade bousaizukin!!! It is a hat that guards your head from fire and other dangerous things. I choose it from "a wedding thank-you gift catalog", which is actually my boyfriend's. He says that I take things too seriously, but I think if you are prepared, you don't have to worry.
I forgot to bring it with me today, but I'm gonna keep it handy at my workplace!

In addition, my boyfriend won a 2 dozen water (tennensui) bottles, which I also won the other day!
I was thinking of keeping some bottled water on hand in case of emergency, but too many...

I wish I could use my luck evenly.



I'm changing my story again.
Lately, I am completely disillusioned with my job. My supervisor has no ambition. I am trying to think no one is perfect, but sometimes I can't take it.
But the way I think is better than before. I used to not know when to give up things, but now I try to take it easy and go on to the next, enjoy cooking after work!
I am kind of perfectionist, so I hate wasting time. A non-productive day is unthinkable...
(Then why don't I change my job...?! That's a different story.)
But but but! I have a bad habit. If I've got quite a lot to get through, I put things off... such as housework, e-mail replies to my friends, etc... My priority is always cooking (creation), so I barely have time for anything else!!!
I need to do things more sensibly.

Sorry for my rambling.
The shortcake story (my main story) is buried in details.
Please wade through...

Today, I have the second facial stuff!
Hope they remove my makeup thoroughly!

Will come back tomorrow, if I can :)

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My Accomplishments

Hello! It is sunny today! Hope it lasts.

Today, I will list my recent accomplishments.

In March, I wrote that I passed to the finals and create drink recipes using camu camu juice concentrate for a Peruvian restaurant called "Miraflores".
I won the grand prize!!!
The prize winning recipe is CAMU CAMU BEER, which is very easy!
You put 1tbsp of camu camu juice concentrate in a glass, pour 175cc of beer, and garnish it with mint leaves.
The sour taste of camu camu matches the beer perfectly; very refreshing!
It is going to be served at the restaurant in the near future.

Then again, I won the special award at the Yodoran (iodine-enriched egg) recipe competition by Nosan Corporation.
This time they asked for the recipe using their brand-new mayonnaise and Yodoran.
I think this is my fourth time to win this contest. Once I won the top prize, but the rest were the specials though.
I made kabobs using boiled eggs and chicken fillet with 'cod ovum-mayonnaise mixture' and aonori on top.
It is rich in flavor but not greasy because I used the chicken fillet!

Then yesterday, I won a special prize at Suntory's contest using their tennensui (Southern Alps natural mineral water). The contest was held at Cookpad (recipe site).
They asked for rice bowl recipes that use their water to cook rice and toppings. The rice bowl I made is not that special. I just cooked what I had in my refrigerator: ground meat, enoki, and natto with miso and vinegar seasonings.

Last but not least, I advanced to the finals of the survival food contest which I mentioned before! The finals will be held at Tokyo Big Sight on June 7th! I hope I can enjoy.

You know what?! I am unlucky with money!
Very funny, but I am losing all the money related prizes.
Of course, money isn't everything though.

Speaking of money, yesterday morning, I calculated my expenses because the receipt papers bulged my wallet and wanted to throw them away.
It's been a month since I last calculated, so the figures didn't add up.
5,060yen was missing!!!
I couldn't remember what I bought in a snap, so it couldn't get out of my mind for a whole day...
Anyway, I finally remembered in the evening! I added 5,000yen that I borrowed from my boyfriend. When I returned, I just subtracted the same amount, which made my expenditure plus minus zero!
But not sure about 60yen, hmm...

Sorry for the details...
Better not borrow or lend money!

I'm drowsy now.
Good night.

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Tonkatsu - Pork Cutlet

It was a rainy weekend.
It cleared up today, but it gonna rain again from Thursday :(

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to a famous Tonkatsu restaurant called "Katsukura" near the station. Tonkatsu is a popular (home-style) dish in Japan. It is a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet about two centimeters (0.7 inch) thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, served with tonkatsu sauce (a type of thick Japanese Worcestershire sauce) and shredded cabbage on the side.
Katsukura's main branch is in Kyoto. They are picky about their foodstuff. They use hearth-baked crispy bread crumbs that seal in the flavor of pork. Their cabbage is fresh from the farm. For their dressing, they only use yuzu (citrus ichangensis) from Kitoumura in Tokushima prefecture. The oil they use to fry is trans fatty acid free, which is healthy. They certainly ensure the safe pork for the cutlet. Tonkatsu sauce they use is made with red wine, apple and natsumeyashi (Chinese date), that give a mild and rich taste.
For tonkatsu, either a pork fillet or pork loin cut may be used. My boyfriend loves pork loin, so he ate a 170g (6oz) portion of it. They also have takiawase (simmered seasonal vegetables)! This is my favorite, so I had it instead of eating cutlet :) To tell the truth, I am not that crazy about tonkatsu, but they have what we each like, so we go there once in a while!

On Sunday, I created 5 new recipes as usual.
I don't mention it in my diary every time, but I get this done every week.

Now it is almost 0AM!
Again, running out of time!
I gotta stop now.
Will write tomorrow :)
Good night!!!

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No Yeast Easy Pizza Dough

It is sunny again!
I can't believe it's gonna rain this weekend!

Today, I want to write about my garden spot.
Almost 3 years ago, I tried to grow celosia flower plants, but they were all eaten by locusts. Then I grew shiso (perilla) using edible insect killer spray, but it didn't work and eaten by them again.
I gave up growing leafy ones and tried to grow grape tomatoes and habaneros (my boyfriend's choice) from seedlings. It took about 3 months to grow up but was finally successful!

Those tomatoes were the most delicious of all!
I used them for our pizza!

Talking about pizza, I have a super easy thin pizza dough recipe :)
No yeast used, so you can save time to let it rise!!!



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No Yeast Easy Pizza Dough

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 30min
Number of servings: makes 25cm (10inch) pizza dough

Ingredients:
150g (5.2oz.) bread flour (hard flour or strong flour)
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
2 tsp. olive oil
1/3 cup (65cc) warm water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees C (482 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, place strong flour, a pinch of salt and sugar, and olive oil.
3. Add warm water slowly and gently mix with fingertips.
4. Press into a ball with your hands, wrap in plastic wrap, leave it still for 10 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a 25cm (10inch) circle.
6. Punch some holes in the dough with a fork to let the air escape while the pizza is in the oven.
7. Bake at 250 degrees C (482 degrees F) until dough is lightly browned.
8. Put on your toppings of choice and bake it for 15 minutes or until done.

My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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I enjoyed a lot but was better buy than grow. My garden was so small that I finished these tomatoes in a few days. I hope to have a big garden someday.

Yesterday, I went to the spa again. I had free LPG Cellulite Treatment for the second time, this time with thermotherapy. They use something called "W block heat therapy" to warm internal organs and control the automatic nerve system. Your fat softens and starts to lose weight. When used in combination, LPG works effective and dramatically reduces cellulite. Of course, you won't see a result in one shot. They suggest you to continue for more than 20 times... which is inconceivable! So, this was my last free trial (out of 3) since the W block heat therapy counts one.
I would rather continue taking a hot bath and massage cellulite (lymph) everyday.

Sorry about my spa stuff!

Again, I am posting this on Saturday morning.
I guess I can't stay awake on Friday night.

Okay, see you next week.
Have a sunny weekend :)

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European-Style Curry and Rice

Today, it is nice and sunny again!
But I remain deep in the shock... I lost one of the big contests. The result is not yet released, but I realized it from the package I received yesterday, which was the lowest award! Always things don't go my way. I knew it and was true :(

Snap out of it!
I went out to eat lunch with my co-worker.
We had curry and rice at a famous curry restaurant called "Aubergine" near our workplace. They serve European-style curry and rice. They use special onion paste and simmer the curry for about 2 days. They have 4 levels of spice. Their butter rice cooked with spices goes great with the curry and brings out the rich flavor of curry!
I had a vegetable curry using seasonal vegetables. By eating it, I realized that the seasoning was similar to the Mediterranean Curry roux which I used for my curry and rice the other day! I think S&B did a great job!!!

Different story.
Last night, I went to the spa again. This time, I had a free facial treatment. It is for free for three times since I purchased the IPL treatment package in April.
The spa uses Environ products, which are forefront of scientific skin care. I had a vitamin therapy, which involves the use of electric current to facilitate greater penetration of vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene into the skin.
The therapy wasn't that bad, but I didn't like the way they removed my makeup. I thought it wasn't thorough... which was kind of uncomfortable. Anyway, I have 2 more times to try out, so will see!

Again, different story.
Yesterday, I found an interesting software while searching how to backup my Blogger posts.
Blogger Backup: a simple utility to backup to local disk your Blogger posts.
Using the GData C# Library, the utility will walk backward in time, from your latest post to your last, saving each post to a local Atom/XML file.
I used it and was great! It saves all the posts (only text, no images) in few seconds!

There is another tool that saves images as well. Firefox add-ons called DownThemAll. I haven't tried it yet since I use IE. Also, all Blogger images are saved in Picasa web album automatically, so I thought it is not that necessary to save images.

Also, there is an instruction at Blogger Help.
How do I create a backup of my entire blog?
But this requires the modification of your template, so it isn't that convenient if you want to back up your blog on a regular basis.

It is good to have a shelter against every storm :)

Oops, I was going to translate my recipe, but running out of time!
Hope I can tomorrow!!!

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Natural Disaster

Today, the sun showed up, but the forecast says it's gonna rain again this weekend :(

This morning, we ate the last of the ikanago no kugini that my grandma gave us. Next year, I really want to cook it with her to learn how!!!

Yesterday, I wrote that global food crisis is closer than we think.
In addition, we people live in Kanto region need to be prepared for a great earthquake, which might take place soon.
Severe earthquakes have hit Japan since the beginning of the twentieth century.
In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake (magnitude of 7.9) took place, which caused extensive damage over a wide area including Tokyo. Then in 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake (magnitude of 7.2) took place, which devastated much of the Hanshin area, including Kobe and Awaji Island. And in 2004, the Chuetsu earthquake (magnitude 6.8) took place, which ravaged the central region of Niigata prefecture. In 2007, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (magnitude 6.9) and the Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake (magnitude 6.6) took place.
We have frequent earthquakes these days, so we are overdue for a large one! I need to provide against it but it depends on where you are. I might better check the safest place to take cover during the earthquake.

Speaking of earthquake, Tokyo Fire Department has asked for the survival food recipes using preserved (canned) food products and familiar vegetables in April. I submitted some of my recipes. Hope I could pass preliminaries since I had a call from them that I am a nominee.

Sorry for the gloomy topic again.
Bad weather until yesterday made me think pessimistic.

Tomorrow, I will write something happy!!!
I have a lot to write!

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Global Food Crisis

Hello!
This morning, the wind and rain were very strong!
I took a bus to go to the train station.
It cleared up in the afternoon though.

Yesterday, I received a notice about the reward card I use at a supermarket. They say that they gonna change the reward system. Currently, 1000 points = 1500 yen, but from September, 1 point = 1 yen. I think I won't be interested in accumulating points at that supermarket any more...
Too bad!

Bad things are happening on the food market as well!
The government raised the price of wheat in April, which pushed up prices for many food products, including bread, noodles and confectionery from this month. They have already raised the price last year, so this was the second time! (Higher prices to hit hard in April)
Hope this could be a solution: Japan looks to rice flour as wheat prices rise.
Also, prices of butter and cheese are going up! (Butter supplies running short at supermarkets)

Global food crisis is closer than we think.
This article was very interesting: 8 Ways to Fix the Global Food Crisis.

We consumers can't easily change things, but we can try not to waste food!
I always try to get clearance food products to save money, but maybe need to do so to save our food.
Someday, we all might need to grow vegetables for our own consumption, just like it used to be!

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Okinawan Cuisine

Hello!
It is again rainy in Japan :(
Now I have a collection of "the same" transparent umbrellas at home!
In Japan, we can buy an umbrella at a convenience store whenever you want. It is about 5 bucks, so I, actually my boyfriend, gets one whenever we need...

Anyway, every Saturday, my boyfriend and I go out and eat dinner.
This weekend, we went out to eat Okinawan cuisine near home :)

Okinawan Cuisine is the cuisine of the Japanese island of Okinawa. Because of the difference in culture, climate, vegetables and other ingredients between Okinawa and mainland Japan, the Okinawan cuisine is very different from the Japanese cuisine.

We had a goya salad. I guess for the first time this year! Goya is a dark-green and bumpy bitter melon or bitter gourd. Usually cheaply-available in summer in the Tokyo area.
Also, we had an organic vegetable chanpuru. It was great!!! Chanpuru means something mixed. It is an Okinawan stir fry dish, generally containing vegetables, tofu, and some kind of meat or fish. This chanpuru contained SPAM meat, which is my boyfriend's favorite.
In addition, we had a chicken appetizer, gyoza (steamed dumplings) and stone pot taco rice. Taco rice is a very common meal in Okinawa, and is often served as school lunch. It consists of taco-flavoured ground beef served on a bed of rice and lettuce. The taco rice we had was cooked in a stone pot, which was cool!

I think we go to this restaurant at least 3 times a year because they have nice Okinawan taste and style!
Oops, I have never been to Okinawa.
I wish I could go there someday to make sure we are enjoying the real stuff!

Okay, I gotta stop now.
Somehow this weather makes me dizzy!
I think I have a headache :(

Oh my god! It's raining cats and dogs!!!

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Recipe Cards

I think it is hot today!
It was like winter a few days ago though.
I still can't get rid of the cold :(
Hope I could get over this soon!!!

Recently, I realized that the nearby supermarkets stopped offering recipe cards with pictures. Now they are all text and no pictures. In Japan, most supermarkets offer such cards to promote new products and seasonal stuff. I thought they were useful. Hope it is not a strategy for cost-saving! Some of the recipes are printed on the product packages or the accompanying tags with pictures, but recipe cards were something different. They add a great deal of enjoyment for our shopping!!!
Hope they put back pictures someday...

Today, I won 2 bags (about 10kg/22lb) of specially-cultivated rice!
They use less chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
We eat rice everyday, so I'm glad to win those.
I submitted my recipes to apply.
Winners were selected in a drawing, so I was lucky.

I posted this diary for Friday, but actually, it is Saturday morning.
Last night, I felt very drowsy while writing, so went to bed at will.

Okay, see you again!
Have a good weekend :)

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