daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
Today is Setsubun, and we had our traditional ehoumaki which was eaten facing south-southeast this year. Normally, Setsubun falls on February 3rd, but this year it came a day early. The last time it was celebrated on the 2nd was way back in 1897! February 2nd is also my dad’s birthday, so it’s a nice double-celebration this year. 😊👹
I’m not a huge pasta fan, but homemade fettucine is really good. 🍝 Mariko made the noodles and I helped to grill the chicken for the Fettucine Alfredo. おいしかった！
I’m so excited that I have some new chili/hot sauces to try! My friend Rebecca at Rebecca Goes Rendezvous recommended the Laoganma “Fried Chili in Oil” sauce, and a chat group I am part of recommended the Fly By Jing “Sichuan Chili Crisp”. And also, my mom send me a bunch of Scotch Bonnet peppers that she grew in her garden. Now that’s a lot of fire in one photo!
And Mariko baked a few loaves of cat-shaped bread, so I had to include that in today’s photo. 🐱🍞
So many good things to look forward to!
Tonight we enjoyed a homemade Indian meal that Mariko made. The recipes are from Japanese sources, so I’m assuming it has been adjusted for a Japanese palette, but I really don’t know. What I do know is that it was delicious. 😀
In other news, I went for a run today at lunch. It was good to get some sunshine on my skin even for a little while. I prefer to run when the weather is warm or hot, but running in the cold is okay once in a while. As long as there’s sun!
Look at all the gyoza in the pan, lined up so neatly! They remind me of the terracotta warriors in Xi’an. 😄
We tried a new chili sauce, which has tomato in it. It is very popular in Japan apparently. I thought it was good, but I prefer the garlic chili oil mixed with ponzu. I remember I had dipping sauces of shoyu (soy sauce) and vinegar when I was with my friends from Hong Kong, but I haven’t had it in years. Maybe I need to try it again.
Speaking of hot sauces, I just ordered three different kinds from Fly By Jing. They all look delicious, but I am most excited about the Mala Spice Mix, because I love the numbing peppers I had when I visited China. It might take a few weeks to arrive, but I am sure it will be worth it!
またね～
