Category: Food

Mother’s Day

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"Lobster Roll" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Lobster Roll” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today we started Mother’s Day by preparing a nice breakfast for Mariko. Koa decided that we should make Chicken and Waffles for her, and Bay suggested mimosas, so we went ahead with something close: the kids made a chicken and waffles casserole dish and mango mimosas (substituting mango juice for the orange juice). It turned out great and we all enjoyed our late breakfast.

"Chicken and Waffle Casserole" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Chicken and Waffle Casserole” Cedar Park, 2018

The middle of the day was spent just relaxing and watching tv (I also had to work on getting my computer fixed) and then for dinner, Mariko requested lobster rolls. While I prepared the lobster salad, she baked really yummy buns.

I think this was my first time to make lobster and it was actually not difficult. We steamed the four lobster tails for about 15 minutes and they were tender and tasty. I combined the lobster meat with mayo, lemon juice, celery, green onion, salt, and pepper for a simple flavor that complemented the lobster nicely.

"Fresh Buns" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
 “Fresh Buns” Cedar Park, 2018

We consider ourselves foodies and we like to try new dishes, and today was no exception. I’m happy that they both were yummy and that Mariko had a nice Mother’s Day. 😀

またね～

Quick Curry and Boiled Egg Method

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"Messy Curry" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO3200
 “Messy Curry” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは

This evening Mariko got called into work unexpectedly so she couldn’t finish preparing the curry she planned for dinner and left it up to me to put together. Actually, my job was really easy. I just had to run to the store to buy some curry blocks, then add them to the beef stew that was waiting in the Instant Pot. For this one, I used a half portion of hot Golden Curry, and a half portion of hot Java Curry.

It was yummy, but the special thing about the dinner was that I made some eggs that my coworker’s chickens had produced. They were so delicious!

Speaking of that, we have been using a new technique to boil eggs. It’s the best method to boil eggs we have found because it’s relatively fast and the eggs peel easily. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Put the eggs in a pot with about 1-2 cm of water in the bottom.
  2. Turn the heat on high until the water boils. It won’t take long since there’s not much water.
  3. Cover and reduce the heat to low.
  4. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat, and set the timer for 8 more minutes.
  5. Cool the eggs under cold water, peel, and enjoy!

I hope you had a nice Friday!

またね～

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Simple Explanations

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"Dogijuku" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
 “Dogijuku” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

The other day my fountain pen wasn’t writing well. I thought the nib must be messed up because the ink wasn’t being applied to the paper as smoothly as before. The lines were broken and uneven. Could something be plugging up the slit that the ink flows down? Maybe the tines got skewed a bit. Is there a bit of dried ink somewhere in the nib? I treat my pens gently, so I was kind of angry that the pen company could manufacture something that only writes nicely for about a month, and then breaks from normal use!! Garbage! 😤

Then I realized… the pen was out of ink. 🤭

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Today’s photo is of a “Dogijuku” hot dog that I had for lunch at work. It’s the Japanese-style hot dog that I was reluctant to get because I love authentic Japanese food, and often the fusion type foods are not so great. But I have to say, this hot dog was yummy! It had nori, ginger, and wasabi mayo on top of the bacon-wrapped hot dog. So yummy!

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Flour or Corn?

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"Still Life by Otaku" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/30 sec, ISO800
 “Still Life by Otaku” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

So today the taco trailer visited our office building and of course I couldn’t resist. I have a view of the parking lot from my desk so I can see which food truck is gracing us with its presence, and also see how long the line is. And one of my co-workers is my taco-buddy so I enjoy Taco Tuesday at the office. 🌮

When I was growing up, and there was the choice between corn or flour tortillas, I always chose flour. I really couldn’t understand why anyone would prefer corn tortillas. I’m pretty sure it was because I liked to eat tortillas plain, and I once chose corn tortillas which were really dry. So, I kept with flour as my choice all these years.

But now, living in the land of central Texas, we eat soft tacos a lot. And I prefer the double-corn tortilla style for these smaller tacos. I think it just tastes amazing! I could eat carnitas, onion, cilantro on corn tortillas every day.

Today, however, I decided to try flour tortillas with a pork-belly filling and it was really delicious. The pork belly is really greasy and the flour tortillas soaked up all those flavorful juices nicely. It was somewhat eye-opening! I guess I have to rethink my tortilla game, or maybe just get used to calling an audible every time I order. 😆

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Today’s photo is what I call an Otaku Still-life, with Fuchico in the starring role. These little toys are nerdy things from Japan but they are really fun to take photos of. And then I had to also put some pencils and washi tape in the background to fill the frame. I admit it’s an “11:59 pm photo”, but I like it nonetheless.

I used my Ultrapod to hold the camera, then I positioned the elements while referencing the LCD screen. I then used the 2-second timer feature to reduce camera shake. In Lightroom, I added some grain to the final image, which I think adds a lot of character. I prefer a little roughness over a super clean look.

I hope you had a nice day!

おやすみ！