Salt's Cure - My new favorite place

UNI!

My new favorite store is McCall's Meat & Fish Company.

As they are in my 'hood, it's all the more wonderful!

Think Global (cooking), Shop Local!

My latest find was Santa Barbara uni!
Some people find uni to be off tasting....
I used to be that way too, until I discovered the sweet creaminess of Santa Barbara uni!
I bought a bit of tuna at the store as well!
Needless to say, my dindin was Tuna Zuke and Uni Bowl!

I have to say, there is nothing more self indulgent than WONDERFUL uni and a great piece of tuna!

Mmmmmmm.....

Birthday Cupcakes! Yum!

I celebrated the umpteenth anniversary to my 21st birthday last week....

Thinking of the umpteenth always makes me want to enter into forgetfulness with the aid of many shots of anything over 80 proof, AKA spirits - I wonder if they are called that to lift up one's spirits??






While I did not imbibe during work hours, I certainly had sweet delights that made up for that!

My lovely co-worker Michelle (Queen of Homemade Treats) baked up copious amounts of chocolate cupcakes for my B-day. Nothing makes a gal feel more special than homemade cupcakes! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!! (My birthday wish is that you start a side business selling all your delicious treats!!!!!!)


Am I that much of an obvious choco-holic? My yummy treats were chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting! mmmmmmmmmmm!!!!! Thanks again Michelle! I really appreciate all the time and effort it takes to make these, esp. on a weeknight!!

Hog Heaven

pork belly stewed in sweet soy sauce

OK, so it seems like everytime there is a recession, we have some sort of comfort food. The last time, I remember everyone doing meatloaf and great mashed potatoes. This time around, I see pork belly becoming the new "it" thing. So around town, I can get overcharged for a dish involving unsmoked bacon..... hmmmmmm...... I'd think I'd rather make my own.

Quite frankly, most of the restaurant versions are a bit too greasy for my taste.I found it much more palatable if you can render some of the fat out by pan frying the pork belly first, then simmering the meat in a sweetened soy sauce stock. Then I chill the cooked pork belly overnight in the fridge so that I can further get rid of all of the lard that solidifies on top! (Some people my consider that blasphemy! All that lovely fat!)

Do I stil feel guilty about eating this? Well, yes. After all, this is pretty much bacon. I try and limit my intake to something equivalent to 3 slices of bacon. Oh well, I'll just have to up my intake of veggies in the next few days too!

Spring!

Oh boy, have I neglected this blog.My excuse? I can only manage one blog at a time, and I've only updated my Japanese blog.

Have I been cooking? Not as much as I'd like to.
I haven't been all that inspired.When I'm not inspired, my photos sort of drag too.
But, enough with excuses!

Here are some pics that should capture some essence of Spring!
(and that doesn't mean just allergies. Acccccchoooooo!!!!)

Chirashizushi - For Girl's Day

March 3rd is Hina Matsuri.While I absolutely hated chirashi growing up, it's now kinda a fun and easy sushi to make at home.

Strawberries macerated in elderflower cordial?

I found this dessert at Forage in Silverlake.

Apparently, they can't decide if it's a cheesecake or mousse.

The strawberries however, were sublime. I'm now soaking my strawberries in elderflower cordial!

Sakura mochi

Typically, this sweet mochi is made for Hina Matsuri. These are from Minamoto Kitcho-an.

Curry...

I was just given a spicy sauteed cabbage recipe to go with curry. It was yum! But I also just wanted to show off a new plate embossed with cherry blossoms!

Earl Grey Chiffon Cake

My new excuse to eat lots of cream, whipped just until forming peaks, flavored with great quality vanilla and just enough sweetness. Seriously, I contemplated if true happiness is whipped cream!

Climbing in the sky

I took a quick trip to Japan last year in February. It was a spur of the moment decision, as I was feeling incredibly burnt out being here.

All through the holidays, my mother's sister (85 years young, claiming to be "dying" for the last 10 years, but nothing's wrong with her... just old) had been giving me a major guilt trip about not coming "home."

Ironically, it was my father's younger brother, (the cool uncle full of life) that would succumb to lung cancer almost exactly to the year of my visit.

Without getting sappy, I do feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to spend time with my uncle. Even though I only gave about a week's notice that I'd visit, my uncle booked a quick overnight trip to Nagano, one of the family's favorite hot springs high up in the mountains. Of course he drove. FAST. No chains. (I think we talked about meeting up in Europe so he could drive in Germany, without restrictive speed limits.)

Even in the short winter days, we managed to get up to the hot springs in record time, with a couple of daylight hours to spare... Of course we went hiking in the snow - contemplating snow shoeing it across a trail. (My aunt thought that would be a bit much) The pristine blue of that cold winter sky will be forever etched in my memory.

An avid climber, my uncle loved the mountains. I wish I had the picture of him in Nepal, with Everest in the background.

This year, when I did go back to Japan to see him, he was barely conscious and in a great deal of pain. My aunt (his wife) didn't think I'd get home in time. I wish the circumstances for my trip was different, but he hung on just long enough for me to see him and say good-bye.

Incredibly, my uncle, the one teaching Japanese language (comparable to teaching English/English literature here) was one of the few family members who never nagged me to keep up with the language or get in touch with my culture.However, he did provide opportunities for me to learn on my own. My flickr photos from Nagano will show that there was a great deal of food & culture packed into 24 hours.

We all miss my uncle, and as my cousin said, he's just going to have to wait for us to catch up with him by doing some climbing in the sky to pass the time. Am positive, he's still driving fast and climbing all the mountains he didn't get a chance to conquer. :-)

Cooking in the month of May...

In no particular order on when I cooked what.....

Pasta salad

Raspberry Tart
Blueberry Tart

Takenoko Gohan (rice w/bamboo shoots)

Zuke Don (tuna sashimi & salmon roe bowl)

Iwa nori gohan (rice cooked with iwa nori/seaweed)

fusilli pasta with eggplant/tomato sauce

krab salad (I'm kinda allergic to crab)

Italian style mushroom & chick pea soup

soba no mi (buckwheat groats) risotto with enoki mushroom

polenta with porcini mushrooms and Italian sausage