Renovation Updates: 4th Week

Before it gets old, I will update the 4th week progress!

The base for the double flooring was done. As you can see below, all the pipes are placed underneath.



Kitchen side wall (for the water pipes) and double ceiling (for the air pipe) are almost done. Those works are done for my ideal counter kitchen :P



The below  is our bathroom. Hard to tell, but I took this to make sure we have enough space to change clothes.



We are visiting the place on the 6th week (next Saturday 2/26) to decide on curtains and window shades!

*Renovation Updates*
- 2nd and 3rd Week
- 1st Week
- The Start Date

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ECOCARAT

Despite our budget, we decided to apply the accent wall, simply because it is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. LoL

What we chose is a healthy breathing wall called ECOCARAT by INAX. Cream beige bricks are our choice for the living room. We expect to create the perfect living room atmosphere where we can experience a warm natural feel and relax!

ECOCARAT is a completely natural ceramic material that utilizes tiny holes to absorb excess humidity in the room and release it when the air becomes dry, maintaining optimum comfort levels. ECOCARAT also absorbs and reduces unpleasant smells and harmful airborne toxins.



4 Benefits Applying ECOCARAT:

- Humidity Controller
ECOCARAT is capable of absorbing/releasing moisture 4 to 5 times better than diatomaceous wall surfaces, and 15 times better than hygroscopic wall paper. ECOCARAT inhales and exhales humidity, consistently maintaining comfort levels in rooms. Its efficient humidity conditioning during damp or humid weather conditions ensures crisp and comfortable room air during sticky summers.

- Mold and Mite Inhibitor
ECOCARAT maintains a comfortable humidity level, regulates condensation and dampness during the winter, reducing the spread of mold and mites.

- Deodorizer
ECOCARAT gets rid of the smell of those offensive pet and toilet smells.

- Toxin Absorber
ECOCARAT is capable of absorbing formaldehyde, toluene, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have adverse effects on the human body. Perfect way to avoid sick house syndrome.

I hope our wall comes out nice :)

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Do You Have Any Rival?!

I hate to admit it but many of my cooking friends are in great success. They inspire me a lot but at the same time I get frustrated with myself.

I always think I need to try hard (look for new challenges) to expand my possibilities... because what I see is what I can do, which means, without a new experience, I don't even have a chance to start.

However, within a limited time, I can't try everything, so I have to move through wisely!

Do you have any rival? What is your thought?!

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HITACHI Frost Recycling Vacuum Compartment Refrigerator

On the weekend, my darling and I went to an electronics retail store, hoping to upgrade our current fridge-freezer at the time of the removal!

What interested me the most is HITACHI's Frost Recycling Vacuum Compartment Refrigerator model.



The "Vacuum Compartment" can reduce air pressure in the chilled room to 0.8 atm. It decreases the oxygen density in the chilled room, preventing the DHAs, vitamins and amino acids in food items from oxidizing. The front door of the chilled room is sealed by a rubber packing and pressed to the room by a lock handle in front of the door. It's like having a big "Ziploc container" in the fridge! How convenient!!! The chilled room is designed on the assumption that it is used 10 times a day for 10 years, so it can be opened and closed about 40,000 times.



"Super-Moisture Vegetable Compartment" assures vegetables retain moisture.



"Triple Compartment Freezer" is a smartly designed freezer consists of the main high-capacity compartment and two full-width sliding drawers, allowing easily organize and retrieve frozen products. I have many small items piled up in my freezer pocket, so this sounds very convenient!



As for energy-saving technology, the "Frost Recycling Cooling System" uses the air cooled by frost forming on the cooling device during the operation to cool the refrigerator and vegetable compartment while compressor stops.



This model has a volume ranged from 401L to 620L! I first thought of getting the largest one, but the smallest around 475L might be better, not to waste food! Will see ;)

BTW, I now own Sharp's 2 door fridge-freezer which volume is 140L (SJ-14H). Pretty small...

What kind of fridge-freezer do you have?!

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10 Million Visitors!!!!!!!

On 2/11, my Cookpad recipe page reached 10 million visitors!!! Cookpad is the biggest recipe site in Japan. I only update my page once a week but endurance makes you stronger.



Thank you!!! I will keep up at my own pace :D

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BEARD PAPA'S Fondant au Chocolat

My darling bought me BEARD PAPA'S Fondant au Chocolat for Valentine's Day! It uses the best chocolate for fondant au chocolat to bring out the rich finish! If you eat it as is, you can enjoy the richness of the chocolate. mmmmmmmm :)



Of course, you can warm it up but I prefer to eat it cold or at normal temperature because I don't want to eat fast chasing the running chocolate. haha.



BTW, BEARD PAPA'S is famous for their cream puffs.

We were both busy yesterday, so I thank him for his kindness and consideration :)

Actually, it snowed a lot last night. Walking along the icy sherbert road takes longer than usual to reach the train station X(



But spring is almost here!!!

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Mario i Sentieri

Mario i Sentieri is an Italian restaurant in Nishiazabu. Few weeks ago, I met the owner Italian chef Mario Frittoli at 青の洞窟 (Ao no Doukutsu - blue cave) idea recipe contest held there.

Yesterday, he called me for lunch. He was such a busy person that we could talk only for a few minutes, but was a quality time. I want to keep my passion and step forward like him, without being stereotyped.

While I was waiting for him, I enjoyed the lunch there. Actually, I had a late breakfast but without hesitation, I could finish them all. It was an exquisite prix fixe lunch. His Italian food is not simply authentic but delights the eye and the palate! Amazing!!!



Grazie!

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Happy Valentine's Day

This year, I got a small picture-book card for my darling for Valentine's Day. It is not about love but about my feelings that I always want to stand by him to support him. Actually, I got it a month ago because it was just the card I wanted! hehe :)

What did you get your honey for Valentine's Day?

Anyways, Friday was a holiday (National Foundation Day) and today I am taking a day off again. Unfortunately it is raining cold today, expecting snow in the afternoon X(

Will be back with our renovation updates the next time!

Bye for now!

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Love Heart Chocolate Corn Dogs for Valentines Day

Looking for a cute non-sweet chocolate recipe for Valentines Day?!

This is non-sweet cocoa taste corn dogs. I created this for my darling who LOVE's sausage but not the sweets :)

I used Hot Cake Mix for the batter to save time. Hot Cake Mix is a product from Japan to cook pancakes. I am sure it is available at Asian grocery stores overseas. FYI: Morinaga and Showa is famous for the Mix.

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Love Heart Chocolate Corn Dogs

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15min
Number of servings: 10 corn dogs

Ingredients:
A
* 50g (1.7oz) hot cake mix
* 1/2 egg
* 1 tsp. cocoa powder
* 30cc water or milk
10 sausage (10cm/4in long)
vegetable oil for frying
ketchup

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix A well.





2. Cut a sausage diagonally and join the cut sides reversely with a toothpick to look like heart.



3. Dip the heart-shaped sausages in the batter and deep fry at 170C (340F) until golden.




4. Carefully remove the toothpicks and serve with ketchup.





My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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Click HERE to view other Valentine's Day recipe ideas.

XOXO

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Renovation Updates: 2nd & 3rd Week

The 1st week was simply the torn down. Although there were some issues on our renovation plans, everything is going fine now.

Last week, we couldn't visit our place but the contractor kindly sent us some updates for 2nd & 3rd week.

Bathroom and pipings were placed.



Kitchen side walls were made to hide the water pipes.



Windows were fixed.



Then the 4th week (this week) flooring will be done. It is time to choose the wallpaper!

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GOPAN

GOPAN is the world's first rice bread cooker by Sanyo, that can easily bake "rice bread" from rice grains. It was released on 11/11/2010.



Sanyo made it possible after four years of trial and error! As you might know, rice is the staple of Japan. By enabling rice to be eaten as a bread, Sanyo aimed to encourage people to consume more rice!



What they finally came up with was the "rice paste method". In this new method, the rice is soaked in water, and cut with a rotary blade to form a very fine paste.



It's simple to use. In the bread pan, place 220g of washed rice, 210g of water, 4g of salt, 16g of sugar, and 10g of shortening. In the automatic ingredient dispenser on the upper side of the body, place 50g of wheat gluten and 3g of dry yeast.



Then, press the start button. After 4 hours of the automatic process of milling, kneading, rising, and baking, a tasty rice bread is baked!



Instead of using special flour such as rice flour, I think GOPAN conveniently uses rice which is kept in most Japanese households! However, the current price is 79,000 yen!!! I will go for it when it become cheaper. haha

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