Being Healthy

The cold front has moved through and today we finally have no rain! However, the lingering summer heat is so intense that the temperature went up to high 86F (30C)! Too hot for September!!!

Speaking of September, many groceries and commodities prices have increased because of the soaring gasoline and grain prices: Beer, cheese, noodles, beef bowl, refrigerator, car, etc. have increased...

Anyway, very very shocking bad news. On Saturday, my mother-in-law (I'm not married yet thought) was hospitalized after suffering a stroke at a ballroom dance school.
I still can't believe it! She was very healthy, worked hard at her age, and kept up with the housework... Now she can't speak and move! All on a sudden, Why she?! Life is unfair!!! I really hope she recovers. I want to talk to her again like before.

Being healthy (balance in taking care of health?) is not easy.

Today, I lost some contests :(
Very bad start, but I hope I can improve my luck!

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My Accomplishments

For the past few days, it is raining all over the country because the cold front is stuck over Japan. Yesterday morning, the probability of rain was 90%. However, I saw bright sunshine whole afternoon. Strangely, this sunsine encouraged me a lot :) I sometimes believe in probability and give up before trying something, but this shows the hope! Am I over the top?!

Today I will list the rest of my accomplishments this month.

On 8/12, I won My AJI award at Ajinomoto's rice bowl recipe contest using their umamichomiryo. Umamichomiryo is the seasoning that makes the food tasty. It is made of amino acid, which is the tasty flavor of tangle (an edible seaweed). My winning recipe is "Sausage and Vegetable Bowl". I used umamichomiryo to bring out the flavors of sausage and vegetables I used.

On 8/18, my "Japanese Spice Stir-Fried Beef, Mushrooms, and Asparagus" won the prize. The contest was held by Mercian (brewer) and they asked for the recipe that you can enjoy at home with their wines called uchigochi.





On 8/25, I won the outstanding performance award at metabo-help.com. Not the grand prize again... :( They asked for recipes to fight metabolic syndrome and help beat the summer heat. My award winning recipe is "Herb Chicken And Grapefruit Chirashizushi". I used grapefruit because it contains a fat-burning ingredient and it's sour taste goes well with sushi vinegar!

Then on 8/29, my "Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse" was introduced at the very bottom of this page. I didn't win the prize though.

Yesterday evening, I left the gym ealier and that was right! It rained like cats and dogs for few hours when I got home!!! The forecast says the rain continues until tonight or tomorrow. I need to be careful.

I gotta go now.
Have a good weekend ;)

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Yakizakana (Grilled Fish)

Very humid outside! It is only high 78F (26C) but I feel very hot!

On Monday I used the fish roaster that comes with the stove. As seen in the left picture, it is very common to have the roaster in Japanese kitchen stove.

To tell the truth, I have just used it once, maybe few years ago... The reason I don't use it is because you need to wash it after each use... otherwise it smells fishy!

Last week, I won a free sample of grill cobble called "Ecotokukun". Usually we cover the grill plate with water, but you cover it with "Ecotokukun" instead. It prevents dirt and bad smell by absorbing cooking liquid. Also, it has a good insulation, so you can save one quarter of gas usage! Moreover, it cuts one quarter of CO2, which helps improve our environment.


I salt-grilled sanma (Pacific saury) and served with grated radish, lemon, and soy sauce. I always eat grilled fish outside at a restaurant, but now there is no need to hesitate cooking fish at home ;) No bad odor, no cleaning, saves a lot of time!!!

Today I went to the gym again.
I feel like I can go there everyday :)

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