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eG Foodblog: Torakris in the Heartland - Fast Food to Fine Dining

torakris

By torakris
in Food Traditions & Culture

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torakris

torakris

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Posted

There was just a bit of takuan left so I cut it up and mixed it with some sesame seeds and a bit of soy sauce.

gallery_6134_3289_327695.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

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We are supposed to be going on a picnic for dinner tonight at nearby Squire's Castle but we are in the middle of a major thunderstorm complete with flood warnings...

I helped my nephew Jake make some meringues (sp?) last night. He wanted to make them red, white and blue. The red are peppermint flavored, the white were vanilla and the blue were lemon.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11540164...3289_517152.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Katie Nell

Katie Nell

Posted
Posted
There was just a bit of takuan left so I cut it up and mixed it with some sesame seeds and a bit of soy sauce.

gallery_6134_3289_327695.jpg

I see someone else has the Smart Spin as well!! I just gave mine away a couple of days ago because I could never get those damn lids on or off without spilling everything! :angry:

"Many people believe the names of In 'n Out and Steak 'n Shake perfectly describe the contrast in bedroom techniques between the coast and the heartland." ~Roger Ebert

torakris

torakris

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It has been raining almost all day today, and I mean really raining!

We had a picnic/hike planned at Squire's castle at the North Chagrin Reservation from 4:00. When my aunt got here, the rain had stopped and the half of the sky looked like it was clearing up so we decided to go ahead with our plans. Mistake number 1. The rain was just starting...

We had 7 kids and 5 adults and stopped at Subway to buy subs for dinner. Mistake #2. It took close to 30 minutes to figure out what every one wanted...

We pulled into the parking lot at the reservation and it was drizzling we debated just eating in the car as it was a short walk up to the "castle", we decided to just go for it. Mistake #3. part of the path was flooded and we had to wade through ankle deep water....

My sister was sure that the last time she was here, there were picnic tables in the "castle". Mistake #4. Never listen to Mary, she seems to get confused a lot, there were no tables....

5 minutes after we entered the rain started to pour, we set down a towel and put the various foods on it, everyone found either a window to sit in or sat on the floor. Almost everywhere was soaked, while this is called a castle it is actually a stone building that was not actually finished. Half of it has no roof and there is not actually anything in the windows. The rain started to slow down and we told the kids they could go out and explore. Mistake #5. They decided to explore the flooded part of path and conducted an experiment to see who make make the water splash the highest....

Soon it started to pour again. and it poured. and it poured. The flooded pathway soon quadrupled in width and started to get stronger. We thought this will pass soon, we should wait it out. Mistake #6. It never ended....

My brother in law decided to get the car and drive it up the footpath to the door of the castle and then drive all of us back to the parking lot to the other car. We were soaked through in just the seconds it took to get from one car to the other, the water in the parking lot was so deep I couldn't even see my shoes. We decided to try and drive home. Mistake #7. The road had disappeared....

We were at a 4 way intersection just out of the parking lot with a car headed in each direction and no one could move until the logs stopped moving. As we finally eased the car out of the park, the sun started to come out.....

We drove the 20 minutes in sunshine and no rain.

It is raining again though.....

pictures to come, CSI is on. :biggrin:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

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It's a commercial..

At Subway I ordered the Spicy Italian with everything and double hot peppers. :biggrin: Mustard is the only condiment for me.

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I drank water, there were drink boxes for the kids as well as chips, pretzels, trail mix, grapes and the cookies we made yesterday.

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the kids

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Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

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As a mid-CSI snack I finished up a little bit of rice along with the takuan-sesame seeds-soy sauce mixture and a glass of ice water.

Water is pretty much the only thing I drink except for a morning coffee, unless I mention otherwise you can assume I am drinking water.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

tejon

tejon

Posted
Posted

I love the picture of all the kids, huddled but happily munching away. Rain is just another adventure, right?

Kathy

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. - Harriet Van Horne

Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted

Another food-unrelated question: How do your two daughters manage to do their summer vacation homework when they have so many fun things to do?

Do they ever miss what they can experience in Japan at this time of year only, like radio taiso (gymnastics), summer festivals, fireworks, and wearing yukata?

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mizducky

mizducky

Posted
Posted
We were at a 4 way intersection just out of the parking lot with a car headed in each direction and no one could move until the logs stopped moving. As we finally eased the car out of the park, the sun started to come out.....

YIKES! Glad nobody's vehicle got stove in ... let alone washed away.

(Having inadvertently driven through a few flood-warning areas over the years ... )

Ellen Terris Brenner

Examiner.com: San Diego Budget Meals Examiner

eG Foodblogs: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Dana

Dana

Posted
Posted

We have gotten so much rain here on the Gulf coast that I have decided to build an ark. :shock:

Your kids have grown so much since you first posted pics of them.

Duh, that what kids do. Kids are the greatest.

I noticed the Snyders pretzel bites. Have you tried the jalapeno flavor? We love them. I usually get 3-4 bags at a time.

You are a great blogger - thanks so much for all the time you've given us while you are on vacation. :rolleyes:

Stop Family Violence

torakris

torakris

Posted
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I love the picture of all the kids, huddled but happily munching away. Rain is just another adventure, right?

The kids probably had more fun in that rain yesterday than they have any at any amusement park. One part of the part was so flooded that Hide was actually lying in the puddle trying to swim. Unfortunately all the pictures are on my camera which I can't connect to this computer...

They also found a huge frog and were playing with that for a while, the kids were absolutely soaked and I don't think the rain had anything to do with it.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Another food-unrelated question:  How do your two daughters manage to do their summer vacation homework when they have so many fun things to do?

Do they ever miss what they can experience in Japan at this time of year only, like radio taiso (gymnastics), summer festivals, fireworks, and wearing yukata?

Normally I bring the homework with us and we spend 30 minutes to 1 hour a couple times a week working on it. This year we will be back in Japan on August 9 so they will still have plenty of time do it. Especially that first week when we are up at 3:00 with jetlag. Rajio taiso in our area is purely optional (and only for 3 days), almost nobody goes, so I guess they aren't missing much. We are normally back in time for our big neighborhood dontaku, so they get in their yukata wearing there. Neither my husband nor I are fireworks fans so we never go to see them...

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

Swisskaese

Swisskaese

Posted
Posted
Another food-unrelated question:  How do your two daughters manage to do their summer vacation homework when they have so many fun things to do?

Do they ever miss what they can experience in Japan at this time of year only, like radio taiso (gymnastics), summer festivals, fireworks, and wearing yukata?

Normally I bring the homework with us and we spend 30 minutes to 1 hour a couple times a week working on it. This year we will be back in Japan on August 9 so they will still have plenty of time do it. Especially that first week when we are up at 3:00 with jetlag. Rajio taiso in our area is purely optional (and only for 3 days), almost nobody goes, so I guess they aren't missing much. We are normally back in time for our big neighborhood dontaku, so they get in their yukata wearing there. Neither my husband nor I are fireworks fans so we never go to see them...

Can you please explain all of the Japanese words you mentioned in the paragraph above. I am not familiar with any of them.

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
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YIKES! Glad nobody's vehicle got stove in ... let alone washed away.

(Having inadvertently driven through a few flood-warning areas over the years ... )

The Memorial Day weekend that I was 19 I did get my dad's car stuck in a flooded road and my family will never let me forget it. I was driving home about midnight from dropping my friend off and was just 5 minutes from my home in a residential neighborhood. I pulled onto this one street and noticed water in the road, not thinking it could be too high I kept going before I knew it water was splashing onto the hood of the car. I panicked and stepped on the gas and the car died. As I

opened the door water came flooding in, I wasn't sure what to do so I locked the car and walked home. My dad had the car towed to the dealership he worked at and had it drained. Unfortunately my sister's school text books were on the floor of the front seat and were soaked through. My mom tried to dry them out in the oven but forgot they were in there and cranked the oven up to 400F to preheat it. The books burned. Try explaining that one to the school. :laugh:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Another food-unrelated question:  How do your two daughters manage to do their summer vacation homework when they have so many fun things to do?

Do they ever miss what they can experience in Japan at this time of year only, like radio taiso (gymnastics), summer festivals, fireworks, and wearing yukata?

Normally I bring the homework with us and we spend 30 minutes to 1 hour a couple times a week working on it. This year we will be back in Japan on August 9 so they will still have plenty of time do it. Especially that first week when we are up at 3:00 with jetlag. Rajio taiso in our area is purely optional (and only for 3 days), almost nobody goes, so I guess they aren't missing much. We are normally back in time for our big neighborhood dontaku, so they get in their yukata wearing there. Neither my husband nor I are fireworks fans so we never go to see them...

Can you please explain all of the Japanese words you mentioned in the paragraph above. I am not familiar with any of them.

Oops, sometimes I forget not eveyone speaks Japanese... :wacko:

rajio taiso (literally radio exercise) this is a summer event often held at schools or parks for all the kids, it can be everyday in the summer or just a couple days in the summer. It really differs from area to area. In our area it starts at 6:00 am is just a bout 15 minutes or so of simple exercises.

Dontaku and matsuri are just festivals.

yukata is like a kimono but thinner for summer use.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I noticed the Snyders pretzel bites. Have you tried the jalapeno flavor? We love them. I usually get 3-4 bags at a time.

Jalapeno? I have to keep my eye out for those!

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

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Guess what is for breakfast??

Lenders blueberry bagels and iced coffee

My sister Laura made pancakes for the kids...

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

helenjp

helenjp

Posted
Posted

Summer holiday homework - did you really HAVE to mention that! :laugh:

As for burned textbooks, in our local school, it's the SCHOOLl that has to explain to US how it happened that some students burned our son's textbooks with a lighter... :hmmm: .

Are you on a bagel kick while you are back in the US? Good bagels seem to be hard to find in Japan - even the not very good ones are rare and expensive!

Helenjp

* Pickles foodblog

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torakris

torakris

Posted
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Posted

Are you on a bagel kick while you are back in the US? Good bagels seem to be hard to find in Japan - even the not very good ones are rare and expensive!

I didn't really think about it, I guess I am just eating them because it is what my mom bought for us. Last week I bought a hue pack of English muffins and none of my kid's liked them, they said they prefer the Japanese English muffins... :huh:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

gus_tatory

gus_tatory

Posted
Posted
I helped my nephew Jake make some meringues (sp?) last night. He wanted to make them red, white and blue. The red are peppermint flavored, the white were vanilla and the blue were lemon.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11540164...3289_517152.jpg

this is the second time you mentioned your nephew Jake is helping out with some cooking--is this a long-time hobby of his, or influence from his Aunt Kris, or both? :smile:

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the ocean."

--Isak Dinesen

torakris

torakris

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
I helped my nephew Jake make some meringues (sp?) last night. He wanted to make them red, white and blue. The red are peppermint flavored, the white were vanilla and the blue were lemon.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11540164...3289_517152.jpg

this is the second time you mentioned your nephew Jake is helping out with some cooking--is this a long-time hobby of his, or influence from his Aunt Kris, or both? :smile:

Jake really likes food, he prefers shopping and cooking toa ctually eating though. :hmmm: He even joined me last year for the Heartland gathering in Ann Arbor!

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

tammylc

tammylc

Posted
Posted
Jake really likes food, he prefers shopping and cooking too actually eating though. :hmmm:  He even joined me last year for the Heartland gathering in Ann Arbor!

Not only did he join us for the gathering, he even cooked for us! Green and yellow beans with bacon - yum.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

torakris

torakris

Posted
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Posted

We spent the better part of the day at Cleveland's Natural History Museum inluding a visit to the planetarium and the special Jane Goodall exhibit. It was a lot of fun. Cleveland's history musuem is quite nice and we go at least twice every visit.

For lunch we just take fixings for sandwiches and assemble them there, along with other easy to eat foods. Today we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (grape and apricot jams) with grapes, bananas, carrots, pretzels and granola bars. Water for the adults and drink boxes for the kids.

The prep

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my plate

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the kids had a good time

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Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

torakris

torakris

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The cookbooks are rolling in...

last week I made a pretty large order from Amazon and Amazon's marketplace. Yesterday I received:

Charcuterie (Ruhlman)

Mexican Everyday (Bayless)

365: No Repeats (Rachael Ray) :biggrin: I don't own any of her books and was curious...

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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