Persimmon Cobbler

Last night, I got some persimmons from my husband's student. Persimmons are representative of the  fall harvest in Japan. Of course they are good to eat as they are, but I decided to cook them somehow. I don't prefer them very much, but persimmons are my husband's favorite. While he was at work, I thought long and hard about just how to impress him with the persimmons. Finally, I came up with the idea of making Persimmon Cobbler. I've never tried or heard of this cobbler before. But trying something new sometimes surprises us. Let's see. (Well...in case it WAS a bad surprise, I used apples as well) Oh, and also, I though it was little too high calorie, so I didn't make the crisp topping. While the cobbler was in the oven, the smell of it made us happy. It was a sure sign that the cobbler would turn out good. Smelling it was just like torture, until after it was cooked.Finally, when we ate it, we appreciated this fall's harvest .  But we thought...we still needed the crisp plus vanilla ice cream on top of it, even though it is super extra high in calories... Ahhh we are both such sweet teeth.

Extravagant Soup

My husband brought Ise-Ebi (Japanese Lobster : 伊勢エビ）home with him. Seems like he got it from a fisherman around his work. Sometimes it happens here in Tokushima. We live next to the Pacific Ocean, so the fishing thrives. There are so many nice people here. We often get many things from them. We appreciate their kindness, and feel very lucky to be here. Ise-Ebi are known as an auspicious food in Japan. We eat them in new years day or on some special occasions. So it is a little weird to cook Ise-Ebi on such an ordinary day like today. Also, I didn't know how I should serve it. Well, I finally settled down to making Lobster miso soup.  It is a super extravagant soup to me, but it was really good.

Black Soybeans

It is little difficult to cook Black Soybeans.
You need make the beans absorb water for 5 to 7 hours.
After that, the beans simmer for about 8 hours with sugar.

But it's worth it to invest your time in cooking.

Yummy.

Green Tea Noodle

Kawara-Soba!
It is fried green tea noodle added beef green onion, seaweed and egg on top. Yum Yum!

Mexican Food

I went to a Mexican restaurant. My first experience of Mexican Food was when I was 23 years old. I had been outside of California, so I didn't have any chance to have real Mexican food. Since I moved here, there are lots of Taco stands. They offer easy access, reasonable prices and good tasty food. Mexican food goes well with Corona Beer with lime. The beer makes the food taste better and the food also makes the beer taste better. ...Ole!

Bob's Big Boy Restaurant

I am not a big fan of hamburgers. However, I go to Bob's Big Boy sometimes. Why? Because I like their old fashioned atmosphere and their Cherry Coke. Their Cherry Coke is a little taste of heaven. On top of that, the crashed ice in the cherry coke makes it taste even better. I usually don't eat anything there, just go to drink the cherry coke. They can not make money from me.... sorry...

Frozen Yogurt

"If you like Pink Berry, you would like this too" A man who was standing next to me told me at Trader Joe's. "Okay I trust you," I bought the Non-Fat Plain Frozen Yogurt. I bought Mix Berries together. So... from today, without going to Pink Berry, I must be able to enjoy Frozen Yogurt anytime I want.
There is one Pink Berry store in down town Monrovia which is close to my house. I've been there a couple times. I always like their frozen yogurt, so I was excited to eat the Yogurt that I bought at Trader Joe's.

Hmmmm..., yes. It is good. However, I still think Pink Berry is better. I don't know how different, but I can tell something is different...

Teriyaki

Japanese people don't eat Teriyaki Chicken as much as Americans think. Tempura is not eaten as much either. Since yesterday, I have craved for Teriyaki Chicken. I finally made some for myself today. It is easy. What you need is cooking wine, Soy sauce, Sugar and Ginger. If you don't have ginger, that's okay. Mix all of the ingredients with the chicken and marinate them overnight. And the next day, pan fry them. That's all. I added some broccoli to the dish because it becomes a little more colorful.

Cookies

I made cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts. I feel happy when the kitchen is filled with the sweet scent of my culinary creativity. When I was in Japan, I didn't have a oven in my house. I used to imagine how I would make oven food. Meatloaf, Quiche, Gratin, Casserole, etc.... I wanted to make cakes, pies and cookies.

Now I can make whatever I want and enjoy cooking everyday.

But

I gained weight.

Rustic Cherry Pie

I like good food.
Good Pastry always means extra Calories.
But it is good, right? I don't care if my weight increases in that moment (only that moment...).

"Rustic Cherry Pie"

Yum! Yum! Yum...!

Cafe Latte

Sometimes, I drink Cafe Lattes.

"Latte" means "milk" in Italian. Cafe Latte=Coffee+Milk. But in my knowledge , Cafe Lattes are made from Espresso and milk foam. Is it only in America? In Italy, too?

By the way, I've heard people over there don't use spoons whenever they eat pasta. Only children use them. Did you know that?

Midori

Midori drinks Midori
Midori is Green.
Midori is Sweet.
Midori is Beautiful.
Midori is Suntory Liqueur.
and
me.