Sunday, November 17, 2013

Chicken & Egg Nimono


This is one of my favorite that my mom makes. This is salty and sweet, and so soft! chicken meat comes off from the bones and has good flavor. Goes perfect with some rice. I was going to serve this for dinner but Josh couldn't wait so we are going to eat it for lunch :P

Chicken & Egg Nimono

6 chicken tights with bones
6 boiled eggs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water

1. Boil eggs, peel off the shell
2. mix soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and water and bring it to boil.
3. Add chicken and eggs, cover with drop lid, boil with low heat / until the sauce is reduced to half.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Zucchini Bread


When I was in Hokkaido, one of my friend (she is my mom's age) baked some Zucchini bread for me. It was my very first time to try it, and I totally fell in love with it! Ever since, I wanted to make one but never had a chance. But today, I finally did!! Zucchini bread.


Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini - I chopped finely this time

1. Grease and flour pan. Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into the pan. 
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Sunday Morning Bagel - Bake with Oven Toaster


I know this one looks a little fat, but yes! It is homemade bagel! And it's so easy!! This is perfect with butter and honey for Sunday breakfast. Very filling.


Sunday Morning Bagel (4)

2 cups bread flour
1 tsp dry yeast
4 tsp brown sugar
140 ml warm water (50℃/122°F)
1/2 salt


1. In a large bowl, put bread flour and make a dint. In the dint, put sugar, yeast and warm water. Mix a little bit and add salt. Then kneed the dough for 5 minutes until smooth.
2. Divide the dough unto 4, wrap with saran wrap and leave it for 5 minutes.
3. Boil water. While boiling water, shape the dough into rings.
4. Boil the dough on both sides, 1 minutes each.
5. Preheat the oven toaster 1000w (250℃) for 3 minutes. Then put the bagel in the oven toaster and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Put aluminum foil over the bagel (to avoid burning the surface) and bake 5 more minutes.


Juicy Japanese Garlic Chicken


I believe that there is no man on earth who doesn't like this flavor! Soft and juicy, and smells sooo good!!


Juicy Chicken

1 chicken breast
1/4 onion
1 clove garlic
*2 TBS soy sauce
*1 TBS mirin
*1 TBS cooking sake
*1TBS honey
* pepper to taste
potato starch
salad oil


1. Cut chicken bite sizes.
2. Shred onion and garlic (almost paste)
3. Put 1 & 2, and all the ingredients with "*" in a ziploc bag and marinate for 1 hour
4. Take out chicken, and wipe the chicken with paper towel. (Do not throw away the marinate sauce)
5. put potato starch around chicken. Bake with medium low heat, both sides until golden.
6. Pour over the marinate sauce, cook until it is liquid is evaporated.




Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Throw In Pasta


So easy, so yummy, and so fast! All you need to do is cut the veggies and throw everything in a pan and leave it until it is cooked! I wanted spaghetti but because we didn't have any, I used macaroni.



Throw In Pasta


Pasta
1/2 tomato
Spinach - as much as you want
1/2 onion, thinly sliced 
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Dried basil to taste
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
Mountain salt and pepper
2 cups water
Cheese to sprinkle on top

1. Cut veggies. 
2. Throw everything in a pot
3. Boil everything with medium heat - about 9 minutes until most of the water is evaporated.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top and ready to serve!





Monday, November 11, 2013

Easy Cheese Cake


It is one of the "gifts" for Josh. We both love cheese cakes so I wanted to make one for him. It is very easy, because your juicer will help you mix everything! Too bad I did not have any fruit sauce. It would have been better :)


Easy CHeese Cake


Crust
2 cups (475 ml) cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
5 Tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

2 boxes cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar 
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream 

1. Preheat the oven at 350°F

2. Crush the cracker and mix with melted butter. Put them on the bottom of baking pan, neatly.
3. Mix all the filling ingredients in the mixer. Mix well until everything is smooth.
4. Pour over the crust.
5. Reduce the oven temperature down to 325°F, bake for 90 minutes.
6. Open the oven just a little bit, leave it like that for at least 20 minutes. This will avoid the surface to crack.
7. Cool it down in the fridge over night.

Mabo Nasu (egg plant)


Josh hates egg plant. I don't understand! Because I LOVE it! But because he wouldn't eat it, I haven't bought it for a looooong time. But because Josh was gone on a trip for a couple of days, I bought one for myself! This is almost same as mabo tofu, just a little bit different ingredients. And it is so yummy! I am in love!


Mabo Nasu

2-3 egg plants
1 green pepper
200g minced pork
1 clove garlic
15g ginger
1 TBS sesame oil
*1 cup chicken stock
*2 TBS soy sauce
*1 TBS cooking sake
*1 tsp Tou ban jan
1 TBS potato starch
2 TBS water

1.  Chop garlic and ginger. Cut egg plant and green pepper. Mix all the ingredients with "*"
2.  Heat the pan, add sesame oil and cook minced pork. One pork is cooked, add "*" sauce and then add egg plants and green peppers. Put the lid and cook with low heat for 7-10 minutes
3. Mix potato starch and water, then pour into the pan. Mix well and done!



Saturday, November 9, 2013

Tofu & Okura


Okura is one of my favorite vegetable. It is sticky so some people may not like it, but it is very good for you. This recipe is very simple and easy, and makes you feel healthy from the inside, and is especially good on a hot summer days.



Tufu & Okura

1/3 pack tofu
4 okura
sesame
4  TBS mentsuyu 

1. Boil water to cook okra. *Do not cut okrura before boiling.
2. Cut tofu into small dices and keep it in fridge.
3. Cut okra and mix with tofu.
4. Pour over mentsuyu, sprinkle sesame and cool it down in the fridge.