Japan food blog: the, err, intersting

While most of the food we had in Japan was absolutely fantastic (hello, best sashimi breakfast ever!) some of it definitely is an acquired taste.

There was really only one restaurant we ate at that I would class as meh. We had headed to Shibuya to do the whole tourist thing and ended up eating there. This is what I refer to as our Bizarre Foods portion of the trip: we ate pretty much every part of a chicken, and some other different snacks I'll honestly probably never try again.

Appetizer- some sort of oragan meat and veggies (this was also served as a first course at several other restaurants as well; this was ok, but not the best variation I tried):



We had no idea what we were ordering, and in retrospect, I'm still not sure what some of it was. Next, we were served noodles with benito flakes on top. The noodles were ramen like and mixed with veggies almost like a chow mien. The unsettling thing about this dish were the flakes; as they heated from the steam coming off the noodles, they writhed around like live worms. Other than that, it was ok.



We sampled some kind of fried chicken part (super rubbery, so it had to be some kind of organ) and roasted eel spines. I fancy myself to be quite an adventurous eater, but I'd have to say no thanks if I were presented with them again.

Pretty, but what is it?



Eel spines anyone?



Finally, the main course! I believe we have here chicken yakitori. Let's try to remember what chewy bits we were eating: I think it's yolk, fat, gizzard, heart, white meat/dark meat, liver (yes please!), wings and skin.



So as far as "bad" goes, it really wasn't all that terrible. Honestly, I'd much rather eat there again than say, KFC. I guess it's just the worst in comparison with the rest of what we ate while abroad.

Japan food blog: the great

We traveled to Japan in the fall of last year, and just had the time of our lives. Obviously a major draw of visiting Japan is the food, and we were definitely not disapointed in that aspect.
So here I bring to you the very best of our Tokyo food experience (the bad and the other [kuidaore anyone?]) are coming to follow. I'm going to eventually hide the majority of this behind a cut since it's massively pic heavy; right now my html is not cooperating and I'm mad so you'll have to settle for an ugly post til then!.






Far and away, our favorite restaurant was one down the street from our hotel in Minami-Senju, Tokyo. There they served mizutaki, which is basically chicken and veggies simmered in dashi broth right at your table. The hostess/owner and chef were just lovely. They helped us make sure we were cooking it right, and each and every time we went, the chef brought Aiden out some sort of prize, from books to special pastries.



The food itself was amazing. We've tried repeatedly to reproduce this at home and just can't get it right. Guess I'll have to go back soon instead, oh wells.



This is ponzu sauce with egg in it for dipping. When the boiling hot chicken and veggies get dipped in, the egg cooks:







Coming up: the not so great things we tried, and gluttony in Osaka! For my entire Japan experience, see my main blog at http://superloryn.blogspot.com/.

A bit late, but Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm finally back into the mood for blogging. I have a back stock of pictures I've been sitting on waiting for me to quit being lazy about it. I figure I'll go in chronological order, so first, Thanksgiving!

I did my usual awesome turkey recipe minus the brine this year. Well, is you want to split hairs about it, it's Alton Brown's recipe, but I certainly take all the credit at the dinner table! I've been doing this recipe for the past five years and just love it every time. It's so much more flavorful that plain old butter basted turkey.



The supporting actors appearing at the table:

Orange and spice simmered carrots



Pan roasted Brussels sprouts with Parmesan and bacon



There was also garlic mashed potatoes. And yes, there is canned cranberry sauce on that plate. What can I say, it's my favorite!



And finally, the moment of the day that made all that cooking worth while...catching my kid sneaking into the fridge at night for some turkey.

I like farmers markets

I really do (even despite this ha ha). We have an awesome one in San Juan, but today we went to the one in San Clemente. It was great; we can get produce so much cheaper there than at the grocery store. I took a couple of pictures; next week I'll go and take more I think.

Two restaurants: Antoine's and White Horses

We went to two restaurants in San Clemente this week, so I thought I'd write up my experiences with them, plus share the couple of pics I managed to be sneaky and take.

Antoine's is one of my favorite places to eat. It's on the main road in San Clemente, and is always full of locals. They have amazing breakfasts and lunches, and the best French onion soup I've ever had. The staff is always super nice, and it's fun to sit outside to eat and people watch on sunny days.

Yummy soup!


Antoine's is located at 218 S El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672.

Scott and I just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary, and went out to one of the more upscale places in SC for dinner. We went to White Horses, which is right across from the pier. It's a cute little place with really nice ambiance and a gorgeous ocean view, and a lovely staff as well. The menu changes every few months as does the local art on the walls. It was good, but I was a little underwhelmed especially considering the price. The food was good, don't get me wrong; it just seemed a little been there done that for the price. Trios of food, circular molds...a little played. Like I said, it wasn't bad by any means, but I don't think we'll head back any time soon.

My dinner from there, a trio of meats (lamb, venison and beef) and mashed potatoes:


Sorry the pic is dark, but it was dimly lit and I didn't want to use my flash. White Horses is at 610 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672.

Crock Pot Lasagna

In the continuing effort to make dinner time easier on myself while working, I've been trying to incorporate my crock pot more often. That way everything is set up before I start working and dinner is ready when I take my lunch break at 7 pm.
I found this recipe on Recipezaar (thanks to Alyssa for introducing me to that site!) and it turned out really well! It's definitely an easier was to make lasagna than the traditional way, and tasted great as well.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

* 1 lb lean ground beef (I used turkey)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed
* 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 12 ounces cottage cheese (we like 2%)
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
* 12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
3. Cook long enough to get it warm.
4. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
6. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Pop Up Pancakes

I was searching the interwebs for easy dinner ideas last week (now that school and soccer have started, cooking has become extra hard considering I'm still working swing shift), and I happened upon Makes and Takes.

I loved the idea of pancakes shaped to hold goodies, so we tried them last night and they were a big hit! We filled them with strawberries, blackberries, and whipped cream. Aiden just loved them.



Here is the recipe pulled off her site; I halved it since it was just for Aiden and me.

* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup flour
* 6 eggs
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* dash salt
* Preheat oven at 400*

I just filled a slightly greased muffin tin to about 2/3 of the way full per spot and popped them in the oven for 15 minutes. Also, I followed Marie's advice of mixing the batter in the blender, and everything came out perfectly. Next time, I am going to try to find a way to bake a thin slice of ham and swiss cheese and top with some boisenberry jam for a type of Monte Cristo.



Again, many props to Marie from Makes and Takes for this great recipe!