Tag: dinner

Third Birthday Dinner: から揚げ and Cake

, , , Food, Slice of Life1 Comment on 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～

I Made Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

, , , , Food, Slice of Life3 Comments on 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～

Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐 – Another Family Favorite

, , , , , , Food, Slice of Life1 Comment on 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～

Indian Chicken Tikka Masala Curry for Dinner

, , , , , , Food, Slice of Life1 Comment on 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～

Fondue Dinner at Home

, , , , Food, Slice of Life1 Comment on Fondue Dinner at Home
"Double Cheese" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Double Cheese” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight we had a wonderful fondue dinner at home. We have a family Valentine’s tradition to eat fondue, but because of Mariko’s schedule yesterday, we had to delay it for a night. But we definitely can’t miss our annual fondue dinner!

As always, we have two pots of cheese, one with wine for Mariko and I, and the other with no alcohol for the kiddos. Every year they try the “adult” fondue, and scrunch up their faces at the taste. “Horrible” was heard this time around. But eventually, I think they will prefer the wine and cheese fondue. Until that day, it’s all for Mariko and me!

The ingredients for dipping were simple this year, with a yummy chicken/spinach sausage, potato, broccoli, carrots, and homemade baguette cubes. It was a yummy dinner!

"Bread and Broccoli" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/105 sec, ISO6400
 “Bread and Broccoli” Cedar Park, 2019

I hope you had a nice Friday!

またね～

Kimchee Nabé (Hotpot) on a Chilly Evening

, , , , Food, Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Kimchee Nabé (Hotpot) on a Chilly Evening
"Kimchee Nabé" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec, ISO6400
 “Kimchee Nabé” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

A really nice dish to eat when the weather turns cold, as it’s doing right now, is Nabé, or Japanese hotpot. Tonight’s nabé was Korean-style, with plenty of spicy kimchee and sliced pork. The greens were nira, and we also had mushrooms, sausage, onion, cheese, and instant ramen noodles.

"Before Cooking" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO500
 “Before Cooking” Cedar Park, 2019

It was so delicious that I ate way too much. But it warmed me up and left me with a nice feeling of contentment. It’s funny how some foods can do that! 😌

I hope you had a nice day!

またね〜