Category: Slice of Life

Roasted and Salted Nuts

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/25 sec, ISO1600
 “Roasted and Salted” Cedar Park, 2020

We’ve been enjoying eating raw almonds and pecans lately, but sometimes I get the craving for roasted and salted nuts, so I’ll roast a small batch in our toaster oven. Basically, I put the nuts in a bowl, sprinkle with a little olive oil (not too much) and a few generous pinches of salt, then mix it so the nuts are coated before putting them on a baking sheet. Roast at 350° F for 7 minutes, then cool for at least 10 minutes. After that, they’re ready to enjoy! 😀

One recipe I followed had the nuts roasting for 12 minutes, but that was way too long for our oven. So, just play with the timing until you get them dialed in to exactly how you like them. And always make sure to let them cool, because the oils in the nuts get very hot, and if they are not cooled down enough, they’ll be too soft for that satisfying crunch.

Deck Lighting

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO320
 “Friday Mood” Cedar Park, 2020

A few weeks ago, we strung up some lights for our deck patio. It creates a relaxing ambiance as the sun goes down. And as an added bonus, the birds love them! In fact, I’ve noticed that the smaller birds, such as the Carolina Wrens and Black-Crested Titmouse come by quite often in pairs, while the larger Bluejays don’t. I prefer this situation because the smaller birds have nicer songs and they tend to make less of a mess. 😀

Japanese Curry

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
 “Japanese Curry” Cedar Park, 2020

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight was curry nite at the Fujimoto house! When Mariko mentions in the morning that we’re having curry, I look forward to it all day – that’s how much I love the dish. And I’m sure she gets tired of me saying, “It’s curry nite!” several times during the day. 😀 But hey, curry is something to celebrate!

This time, the curry had sliced pork in it, which was delicious. A month or so ago I thinly sliced a large piece of pork using our meat slicer. It takes a while to slice a large piece of meat and requires a small amount of elbow grease, but it’s much cheaper than buying pre-sliced pork from H-Mart. We portion out the sliced pork into 200-gram stacks, then freeze for later use. It’s a nice system!

I hope you had a nice, relaxing day.

またね～

New Waiting Room

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/240 sec, ISO200
 “Waiting Room” Austin, 2020

I took Bay to the orthodontist today for a scheduled appointment for the first time since the COVID-19 situation began. The new procedure includes waiting in newly-designated parking spots (every other space was blocked off), and then texting the office that you are there. Online forms are sent to be filled out (actually sent out previously) and then one of the staff members comes out to the car for a temperature reading before taking the patient into the building for the appointment. It’s very efficient.

Actually, I don’t mind this too much, but I definitely prefer sitting in the normal waiting room since I could peruse the extensive selection of magazines while enjoying a hot coffee. Hopefully we can return to a more normal life situation soon. Wear your masks, please!