Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/120 sec, ISO400 “Vietnamese Chicken” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
So many food photos, I know, but hey, we eat every day so it’s a huge part of our lives. 😊 Tonight’s dinner was a Vietnamese-style grilled chicken, with marinated carrot and daikon, greens, and rice.
We’ve been using a Char-Broil TRU Infrared grill for a couple years now, and it’s been pretty good. It heats up quickly and we can be cooking in a couple minutes which is super-convenient. So for tonight’s chicken, we got to enjoy that wonderful grilled, smoky flavor without the wait. This grill is highly recommended for a small family.
Tonight Mariko and I went to a Chosun Korean BBQ restaurant for some yummy meat and side dishes. Honestly, the meat was just okay but I love the side dishes and we ate so much! For the two of us, we ordered two meat dishes which was plenty. The service was really fast and friendly, which surprised me because in the past it wasn’t so great, but this time I really enjoyed the full-service cooking, and when we asked for refills of a few side dishes, they came out quickly and the quantity was even more than the first plate. Very good! I ate so many jalapeños and garlic bulbs with the meat, though, that I am worried about talking to my coworkers tomorrow. 😬
After Chosun, we went to the newly-opened Snowy Village Dessert Café for some Korean “Patibing” shave ice. I don’t have a big sweet tooth but it was really yummy! We also ordered a taiyaki, which was a bit more like crepe than a Japanese taiyaki. But it was still delicious. 😀
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/75 sec, ISO3200 “Fresh Bread” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
It’s a holiday week here in the States as we celebrate Independence Day on Wednesday. Because of that, a lot of people are taking vacation, and the office is very quiet. Not only are there fewer people here, but the overall mood is laid back since those of us still here are looking forward to a relaxing Wednesday. It’s a good feeling!
Honestly, I can’t get very excited about this year’s Independence Day, as I truly despise our current government administration. I don’t believe it reflects the values that the forefathers envisioned. On that note, here’s an excellent podcast episode that succinctly summarizes the state of the country, and my feelings about it. It’s Sarah Kendzior as the guest on The Rob Burgess Show. She’s one of the people that I trust and is always a compassionate voice of reason in this time of lies and cruelty.
I didn’t intend this blog post to be political, but I believe our government has shifted from a flawed but functioning democracy towards an authoritarian state, where our system of checks and balances has been compromised. But we can still vote and protest, and while the First Amendment still exists in the Constitution, I will write about it.
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Today’s photo speaks for itself. But I wish you all could smell the wonderful aroma of freshly-baked bread that has filled the house! ❤🍞
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2500 “French Theme” Cedar Park, 2018
Tonight a friend came over for dinner and a movie so I guess you could call it a small dinner party, which has a nice ring to it. 😄 The theme was French, and we enjoyed French wine, paté, nice grilled fish, cheeses, etc. And then after that we watched Amélie, which is one of my favorite movies. It’s amazing that the movie is now 17 years old! It’s still fantastic and timeless in its charm. Highly recommended if you haven’t seen it already.
After the movie, we relaxed with a nice drink outside on our deck where a soft breeze kept us cool and comfortable. It was a good Saturday. 😌
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1600 “Fresh Bread” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today the house was filled with the smell of fresh-baked bread. 😊 As you can see in the photo above, the bread that Mariko made came out looking perfect, but I haven’t had a chance to taste it yet. 🍞 While she was away, I’ve missed the yummy bread that she usually makes.
The next photo is of a paella dinner which Koa requested. “I want seafood… that dish we had in Spain,” is what he said. 🦑🦐 As you might have noticed, the rice is not the typical color. Mariko decided to use a squid-ink broth to cook the rice in. A fun spin on paella for sure, and our lips and teeth turned an interesting tint of grey. 😱
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/125 sec, ISO5000 “Paella Dinner” Cedar Park, 2018
I think both Koa and I were tired of the “bachelor food” we’ve been eating for the past couple weeks. Pizza, burgers, etc. can get tiresome really quick when you are used to home-cooking. Never underestimate how much a home-cooked meal can do for your wellbeing! 😀
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1600 “Salt Collection” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。So, Mariko returned from Europe on Monday, Koa is back from band/orchestra camp, so now there are three at home! It’s nice to have a fuller house, and yay that yummy home-cooking has returned as well. This evening we had a spicy dry curry and it was soooo delicious!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “Dry Curry” Cedar Park, 2018
Mariko brought back a lot of culinary goodies from Europe, and she now has a pretty sizeable collection of salt. Yes, salt! I don’t know if we have any of the plain iodized salt in our house, but we have plenty of exotics all the way down to simple sea salt and kosher salt. Today’s photo shows several kinds, although that’s not all of them. 😀
