Anna N

Today Kerry and I decided on a restaurant visit to the Filipino restaurant that we found back in September. Complimentary soup. Not at all sure what it was but it was very tasty. Not at all sure how one consumes such a tiny bowl of soup in a Filipino restaurant. Both of us pretended we were Japanese.😊 My reason for wanting a return visit. The lechon. But we did try something new. Filipino noodles. These were definitely moreish. Grilled octopus with a vinegar-based dipping sauce. Perhaps next time we will try the fried octopus as this was definitely a challenge for anyone whose molars showed any signs of wear! I now have a refrigerator full of Filipino leftovers to look forward to! As an aside and without intending to bruise anyone’s fragile sense of modesty or whatever, we found this in the Korean grocery store: Who knew you could buy it and in lots of 50?

Of course not. I was just teasing you.

Did you forget to mention the barley sandwich I see on the table there?

If your pictures get any better than they already are I may never post another picture. 😂😂😂 Very nice gifts and I’m sure they are well deserved. Just kidding about the photographs but I do think yours are gorgeous.

Rebel.

Among the many gifts that Santa dropped at my house was a nice hunk of picanha! I just thus minute stashed it in the fridge after it had been sous vided for two hours at 54.5°C and then chilled in icewater. Something to look forward to. I used my trusty Joule having returned the ANOVA Nano to its owner.

I was excited (and very nervous) about putting my brand new induction-ready donabe through her paces. I had run across a recipe which intrigued me (here). Who would not be intrigued by a Japanese recipe with a title that includes the words “mille feuille” and doesn’t require a degree in French pastry arts? Only problem being that it is Christmas Day and about the only places open in my neck of the woods are Chinese restaurants and emergency wards. Not a hope in hell of finding Napa cabbage and/or pork belly. But hey, I’m not that easily defeated. I had cabbage and I had bacon. Allow me to introduce you to a Japanese dish made in the French manner of skilled pastry chefs and containing Black forest bacon. Ready to be subjected to heat. And ready to eat with a ponzu dipping sauce.

I think that the inclusion of expiration dates on canned goods is a fairly recent development.

Remember now it’s the thought that counts!

But who got you the first aid kit?

Miso soup bombs. These are red miso with wakame, instant dashi and sliced scallions. I know that miso soup is a breeze to make but it’s even breezier with these. Drop one into a soup bowl and add a cup of hot water and you’re done. They keep well in the freezer.

But I think we already have threads on macarons. Here’s one.

I think you are very lucky that we don’t all have access to your snail mail address or you might’ve found yourself begging for mercy as offset spatulas rained upon you.

Making use of some of the bounty left by Santa at my house yesterday. (here) Chawanmushi and a pepperoni musubi. Need to work on my chawanmushi technique. Added to my project list for 2019 – Perfect chawanmushi!

Santa dropped by today. I am so, so very excited. From the left an induction-ready donabe with two matching serving bowls. In front of those a tin containing an Amazon gift card. Then two very beautiful lidded chawanmushi cups. In front of those a spam musubi mould. Then two handmade, lidded rice/noodle/ soup bowls. Not shown because it was received digitally is yet another Amazon gift card. My cup, chawanmushi and otherwise, runneth over. And especially for. @JoNorvelleWalker , a close-up of the donabe and its constituent parts.

Kimchi cures everything!

I love the facial expression on the last Santa. I wouldn’t count for one minute on him leaving anything other than a lump of coal at my door. He seems to be saying, “You gotta be kidding me. There’s nothing in that sack except my lunch”.

😂😂😂 Marketing can get carried into ridiculous orbits sometimes. They are cookies for heaven’s sake. Oatmeal cookies.

Kim, Was this from frozen? They do look good!

Shishito peppers with beef over rice. Spicy bean sprout salad and long cooked sweet peppers with onions.

Wired review.

From my cleaning angel. Shouldn’t it be the other way around – – I give her a gift? She spoils me dreadfully. I found these neatly packaged in the bag with my clean laundry which she brought back on Thursday.

I can honestly say that I almost never bake with out knowing there is a recipient waiting in the wings. But these have been on my mind ever since they were posted. All I had in the house in terms of oats were simple old-fashioned rolled oats. I toasted these for about 10 minutes before using them. Straight from the oven I found these cookies to be somewhat disappointing but as the day goes on they seem to improve. I had to use unsweetened coconut and this will be one of the few times when I think that a little more sweetness would not have gone amiss.

Taste matters most. Trust me I do not fill a piping bag with anything. I use the bottle that the mayo comes in! Your okonomiyaki looks delicious.

That is pretty stunning but I don’t think it is a lot different than some of our larger Asian groceries. It is definitely very different from our Western supermarkets. If I had easier access to our Asian markets I would be trying a lot more vegetables! Right now I am thrilled to find baby bok choy in a regular supermarket. Thanks very much for sharing.