Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO3200 “Japanese Dinner” Cedar Park, 2020
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Tonight we had another Japanese comfort food: nikujaga / 肉じゃが. It’s a beef and potato dish, in a semi-sweet broth. Mariko added a can of quail eggs to the dish and it was excellent!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/50 sec, ISO3200 “Eggplant” Cedar Park, 2020
We also enjoyed eggplant which was grown in our friends’ garden. So delicious. Of course the meal was rounded out with miso soup and steamed rice. I could eat nikujaga every day, it’s so yummy. 😄
I hope you had a great day!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/80 sec, ISO3200 “Miso Soup” Cedar Park, 2020
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “Korean Fried Chicken and Spinach” Cedar Park, 2020
Here are a couple of easy dishes that I made for dinner. The spinach recipe is super simple, with only a few ingredients. The fried chicken is a little more involved, but still at a level that I can handle. 😀
One comment about the chicken is that it is not spicy, even though I used a few large peppers. If you want to add some kick, make sure you use a fiery pepper! And one other thing, Maangchi fried the wings for 12 minutes, but I did it for 8, and next time, I think just 5 minutes for the first fry would be sufficient. YMMV of course!
I’m not religious, but my wife must be the Goddess of Pizza! Three different kinds today: sliced pork, onion, and scallions; Margherita; and cured meat, goat cheese, and greens. All on a yummy crust! We have had a pizza stone for years, but Mariko got a pizza steel a last year and we’ve been using it for pizza (and also to regulate the temperature of the oven for baking). The crust is much better with the steel, I have to say. If you are serious about using your own dough, it is worth having! We bought this one, which is currently unavailable, but there are others just like it. And while you’re at it, buy a pizza spatula too! 🍕 Bon apetit
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2500 “Pork & Onion Pizza” Cedar Park, 2020Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/35 sec, ISO3200 “Margherita” Cedar Park, 2020Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “Greens on the Pizza” Cedar Park, 2020Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Fresh from the Oven” Cedar Park, 2020Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Making Pizza” Cedar Park, 2020
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.2, 1/70 sec, ISO3200 “Gyoza” Cedar Park, 2020
Tonight we made a huge batch of gyoza for dinner. It was all from scratch, including the gyoza skins. We even used nira from the garden (which has been coming back year for several years now). Each of us had a spot in the gyoza factory: I smashed the dough using a tortilla press, Bay used a rolling pin to make them thinner, Koa added the pork and cheese (yes, cheese!) filling and sealed them up. Mariko coordinated the whole operation, and helped roll out the skins and also put filling in.
It went by quickly and we had a little over a baking-sheet’s worth of gyoza ready for cooking on the hotplate, as seen in the photo. It was yummy! The shape of the gyoza varied depending on Koa’s skill level and also his whimsy, with a few looking like xiaolongbao even. They were all delicious, though! 🥟❤️😀
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO250 “Salmon Pasta’ Cedar Park, 2020
Once again, Koa wanted to cook dinner for us, and the suggestion was to dig into our large supply of frozen salmon. So, a creamy pasta with salmon and asparagus was made by Koa and Mariko. It’s a dish that we’ve had several times and always enjoy. We also had yummy homemade bread and white wine (adults only!) while breathing in the fresh air out in the backyard. Not a bad way to spend another stay-at-home evening. 😀
In other news, Bay has finished up his first year of architecture school and can now relax a bit until classes start up again in August. The plan at the moment is for the university to re-open with restrictions on class gatherings… we’ll see how it all pans out, but regardless, Bay will be moving back down to Houston to room with three other architecture students in a couple of months. I hope the environment is safer by then…
Koa is almost done with his sophomore year, with just one more test to take. Of course, band is a still a big part of his life and the band program is continuing on as best as possible with remote activities. In addition, he’s a part of Inception Orchestra, where he is learning about music composition and getting mentored by musicians who work in the movie and television scoring industry. It’s pretty cool! He’s all set up with Bay’s old electric piano (to use as a midi-controller), and music composition software. Staying busy!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO500 “Outside Dinner” Cedar Park, 2020
Today we had dinner outside in our backyard. The weather is not too hot yet, and the mosquitoes haven’t arrived in full-force so it was a good time to enjoy a bit of nature during the quarantine. The Indian food was delicious, and the clean air and natural light made it really special. 😊
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/80 sec, ISO3200 “Breading” Cedar Park, 2020
Koa offered to make some chicken sandwiches for the family for dinner, which was a nice surprise, and we gladly helped out. He and I measured out the spices, made the wet and dry ingredients for the batter, while Mariko cut and prepped the chicken breasts. She also made some delicious poppy-seed buns, cole slaw, and a side of rosemary potatoes. Koa battered the chicken and put them in the deep fryer, and of course was the taster.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO3200 “Chicken Sandwich” Cedar Park, 2020
The sandwiches turned out great, but Koa said the taste was a little lacking. I told him that it’s a good start, and he can tweak the spices to his liking or try another recipe for next time. All-in-all, it was an excellent meal.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Buns” Cedar Park, 2020Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Chicken Sandwich” Cedar Park, 2020
