Potluck party!

I had a potluck BBQ party today. It was my friend's son's 100 day cerebration. It was such a beautiful day. We had a great time at Presidio Park in San Diego.
I brought my sweet Kabocha and my special BBQ pork. Every body loved it. I think I chose good kabocha at Japanese market :)

Here is my sweet Kabocha recipe.

about 2 lb kabocha
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup pecan nuts
1/2 cup raisin
1 tbs brown sugar

Cut the kabocha into about 1 inch cubes. Boil it for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and mix with butter, pecan nuts, raisins and brown sugar.

I will post my special BBQ pork later :)

Sushi Vinegar Bean Salad

I want to introduce you to another way to use sushi vinegar. It can be a very good vinaigrette.It's not only for making sushi rice :)

I made a colorful bean salad. This is a good carbohydrate and protein balanced dish.








2 cups white beans
1/2 cup green peas
2 diced tomatoes
1/4 sliced onion
2 stalks chopped celery
2 tbs roasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sushi vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients.

Amish Friendship Banana Nut Bread

Yes I am still baking....

This was my first time baking banana bread. It turned out great and tasted awesome!!


* 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil, butter, or Crisco
* 1 rounded cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup light brown or white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder (optional)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons Myer's rum or Banana liqueur (optional)
* 1 cup Amish Friendship Starter
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients. Turn out into a well greased and floured bread loaf pan, flattening the center slightly. When a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean (about 50 minutes later) remove from oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and run a butter knife along side of pan to free cake. Remove from pan and spread butter on the top of cake, if desired.

Amish Friendship Chocolate Bread

I am continuing to bake....

According to the Amish Friendship Bread rule...usually I have to measure out 4 separate batches of the starter batter and keep one for myself and give the other 3 to friends.

But I didn't. I'm using them all :)

I found an Amish Friendship Chocolate Bread recipe but I used less sugar then add cinnamon and pecan nuts.


Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
* 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup milk
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup roasted pecan nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chocolate pudding. Make a well in the center of this mixture. Add Amish friendship bread starter, vegetable oil, milk, eggs, vanilla extract; pecan nuts and cinnamon mix well. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Amish Friendship Bread Pancakes!!

My friend gave me Amish Friendship Bread Starter about 10 days ago. I took care of the Amish Friendship Bread Starter... squash-squash-squash-squash....and mush mush mush the bag...10 days!

Finally today was baking day!

The pancakes were soooooo good! They were fluffy and had a nice flavor. This is much better than store bought pancake mix. I cooked many pancakes. I put them into Ziploc bags and froze them.


Makes 8~10 pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbs vegetable oil

Rice Cooker Cooking I

I was bit tired today so I was thinking how I can cook an easy dinner. Then I remembered that rice cooker cooking is popular in Japan. I Googled it then I found a bunch of rice cooker recipes.

My assistant Zojirushi rice cooker is great!
Pork was really tender. This is super easy!

Wo~~~w! Oishii~~ :)


about 1 lb sliced pork shoulder
5 coarsely chopped cabbage leaves
1 8 once can of diced tomatoes (roasted garlic)
1/2 cup Italian parsley

1 cup water
1/3 white wine
pinch of salt and pepper

Put the cabbage leaves into bottom of the rice cooker, then add the sliced pork, salt and pepper. Add diced tomatoes into the rice cooker. Then add water, white wine and parsley. Push the quick cook mode button.

Feel Like Red

Squeeze some lemons.
Add some pomegranate syrup, water and ice.

Refresh refresh refresh....

Mankai (full bloom)

Here is Sakura from Japan.

Sakura Spring

Sakura brings a sweet spring air.
Sakura reminds me of a beginning and an end same time.

The dry air and cobalt blue sky made different
" Sakura " in San Diego.

We are definitely feeling the spring now.

Japanese sweets :)

We had "Hanami" at the Japanese garden in Balboa park.
"Hanami" is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers. We needed that.

I brought home made "Dango"
Actually It was soooooooooooooooo yummy :)
It was more Oishii than I expected!


Here is my odango recipe.
You can make about 50~60 dango from 1 box of Mochiko.

Place the Mochiko (rice flour) into a bowl. Add some water and mix until it feels like your ear lobe. Make small balls and smash the center. Put the balls into boiling water. When they are cooked the dangos will dance in the hot water and float. Using a strainer, remove dango from the hot water and shock it in cold water.


In the picture the dangos on the left are covered in "Green tea & Kinako"
To make "Green tea & Kinako" powder. mix 1/4 cup of Kinako, 1 tsp of green tea powder, 3 tbs of brown sugar and a pinch of salt. You can adjust the sweetness.

In the picture the dangos on the right are covered in "shiroan." I used dry lima beans to make "shiroan" this time.
About 1 cup of dry large Lima beans. Put 6 cups of cold water and the lima beans in to a pot. Bring to a boil for two minutes then remove from heat and drain the hot water. Take off the skin. Put them back into the pot. Add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Mash and stir to combine.

Brown rice with Red beans

This is a classic. Brown rice with beans.

1.5 cup of brown rice
1/3 of dry red beans

Soak the brown rice for about 1 hour.
Rinse the red beans. Put 5 cups of cold water and the red beans in to a pot. Bring to a boil for two minutes then remove from heat and drain the hot water. Let stand until cool.
Add cool red beans and brown rice in to rice cooker.
You can add some soy sauce. It adds more flavor.

I have this Zojirushi rice cooker.
This guy is really good! He is my great assistant.

Salmon with Miso & Mayo sauce

My Miso & Mayo Sauce
2 tbs miso
3 tbs mayonnaise
(I recommend Japanese mayonnaise)
1 tbs sake
1 tsp sugar
1 scallion (minced)

2 fillets of Tuna
1 small onion (sliced)

Believe me! Miso and Mayo are a great combination!
You should try this!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the Miso & Mayo sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl. Put sliced onions on the parchment paper. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and then put it on the onions. Put the Miso & Mayo sauce on the salmon. Fold the parchment paper. Put them into the oven for 20 minutes.