Food / Slice of Life

Lani’s Best Friend over for Burger Dinner

"Almost Human" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO1000
 “Almost Human” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。This evening a friend came over for dinner and I think the one who was most excited to have a guest over was Lani. She always gets extra treats, so it’s understandable. 😊 It was funny that when Lani recognized who was at the door, she went nuts and did a few laps around the house in excitement. She’s so funny.

Tonight’s menu included burgers and sliders, homemade fries, and a couple of yummy and fancy salads. And Mariko baked some fresh buns for the burgers so it was extra-good!

"Slider" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO640
 “Slider” Cedar Park, 2019
"Homemade Fries" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO800
 “Homemade Fries” Cedar Park, 2019
"Broccoli Salad" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO400
 “Broccoli Salad” Cedar Park, 2019
"Fresh-baked Buns" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO800
 “Fresh-baked Buns” Cedar Park, 2019
"Tomatoes" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO3200
 “Tomatoes” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

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Food / Slice of Life

Third Birthday Dinner: から揚げ and Cake

”から揚げ" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 ”から揚げ” Cedar Park, 2019

Tonight we celebrated Koa’s birthday with a third birthday dinner! The first one was last weekend at the Brazilian Steakhouse, the second one was a dinner Koa spent with his friend, and tonight was one of his favorite home-cooked meals, から揚げ Japanese fried chicken. We actually have this quite often because everyone loves it, but I was really looking forward to it. 😄

And we also enjoyed a delicious homemade birthday cake! Mariko’s cakes are way better than most you buy here in the States… her cakes are less-sugary, and made with fresh, natural ingredients. I don’t have a sweet tooth, but her desserts are superb!

"Birthday Cake" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Birthday Cake” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

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Food / Slice of Life

I Made Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

"Beef Stew" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000
 “Beef Stew” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight I made a basic beef stew using our Instant Pot. It turned out pretty good! It doesn’t have a very complex flavor, but its simplicity is the key to its beauty. We had some homemade crusty French baguette for dipping in the rich broth, which was just perfect. (Thanks Mariko!)

I found the Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe at the Life Made Sweeter website, and made a couple small adjustments, by omitting the celery (yuck) and adding some canned peas right at the end. Prep was very easy, but I think it’s better to brown the meat using a pan on the stove since you can finish browning the meat in much less time than it takes using the Instant Pot’s sautee function. However, if you want to save yourself from washing another pan, then you can use the Instant Pot for all the cooking.

I think I’ll search for a stew recipe with more spices, but this one is good to keep in the recipe book(marks). Simple and satisfying. ☺

I hope you had a great day!

またね～

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Food / Slice of Life

Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐 – Another Family Favorite

"Mapo Tofu" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO4000
 “Mapo Tofu” Cedar Park, 2019

I love donburi, which is basically a Japanese rice bowl (food served on top of rice in a bowl), and one of my favorite takes on this is mapo tofu. I’m not sure if it’s a “real donburi”, since mapo tofu is Chinese, but I like to have mapo tofu donburi style. It’s great comfort food!

Besides the main ingredient of tofu, Mapo commonly includes ground pork or other ground meat in the spicy sauce. We like to top it with fresh green onion. And of course, I like it spicy so we add red pepper to the mix. 🌶

It’s delicious if you make it from a prepared packet of mapo tofu sauce, but Mariko makes it from scratch (no preservatives). Here’s the recipe (in Japanese) if you want to give it a try!

Cpicon 本格派★四川風麻婆豆腐 by popo

I hope you had a good day!

またね～

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Food / Slice of Life

Indian Chicken Tikka Masala Curry for Dinner

"Chicken Curry" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Chicken Curry” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

As the temperature outside hovers around the freezing mark, it’s nice to stay warm inside and enjoy a plate of yummy Indian chicken tikka masala curry. A family-favorite, for sure! I cooked three cups of basmati rice in the rice cooker, and we added about a teaspoon of turmeric which gave it an amazing color.

"Chicken Curry" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Chicken Curry” Cedar Park, 2019

By the way, we have been using our Staub pot to cook a lot of dishes lately, including this curry. It’s really great. It’s cast-iron and distributes the heat nicely. I think we prefer it over our Le Creuset pots.

By the way, the recipe (Japanese) for the chicken is here: Chicken Tikka Masala

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

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