I Like To Be Here When I Can

There is a "Christmas house" by our local grocery store. Every year this house is decorated top to bottom with thousands of lights and scores of holiday displays. When Mike and I learned that is was the owners' way of honoring their deceased daughter who loved the holiday, visiting the Christmas house became a necessary part of our Christmas celebration.

In between having the stomach flu (which is why I've been absent from my blog) and the first illness I had in mid-November, I had a few days of good health. During that time, I took Mike down to San Jose for his birthday to see the Star Trek Exhibit at the Tech Museum. Mike had a blast oohing and aahing over the many original and replica artifacts from every Star Trek television series. Lots of info awaited inside, and the best part of all- Mike got to sit in the Captain's chair on the replica bridge of the original Enterprise! It was a lot of fun!! Sorry, but photography was not allowed inside the exhibit. I only took the one picture:


We were equally happy (we'll, I was- Mike was still drooling over Star Trek) viewing Christmas In The Park, which was just outside of the museum. For 30 years various groups have submitted trees at this event. It felt like we were Santa's house. It also helped that it was bitterly cold that day.

The battery in my camera ran out, but I managed to capture a few pictures.

I'm starting to feel a little better. These bunny socks my mom bought for me have been helping.

I received a kind and gentle nudge from SKW today to post the okonomiyaki dinner I made some time back. Things have been so hectic lately that time seems to have just slipped by.

I think that this "grilled as you want it" meal is a good starting point for those who are intimidated by Japanese food. You can fill this cabbage fritter with anything you'd like. Traditionally, this is topped with okonomi sauce and mayo, but since I don't do mayo, I didn't put any on top. After all, it is "as I want it", so this is my recipe. It really doesn't drift too far from a common okonomiyaki. Feel free to switch up the ingredients to your taste.

Ingredients

For batter:
1 cup flour (I used hakurikiko flour but all-purpose flour will work)
2 1/2 cups dashi stock or water
1/4 grated Chinese yam

For filling:
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 egg
12 diced shrimp
1/4 cup beni shoga
1/4 cup chopped green onion
4 slices thinly sliced ham
bits of fried tempura batter*
1/2 cup dried bonito flakes

Directions:

• Mix batter ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Combine all the filling ingredients except for the ham and bonito flakes. Add the batter mixture and combine thoroughly. "Whipping" the mixture will add air and make the fritters light and fluffy.
• Preheat a 12" frying pan. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Pour 1/2 of the batter into the pan. Top with two slices of ham and 1/4 cup bonito flakes. Fry at medium high heat for 5 minutes.
• Flip fritter and fry for 5 minutes. Then flip twice more, cooking for 4 minutes each time.
• Drizzle on okonomi sauce and mayonnaise. Top with sliced nori if you like.

Helpful hints:

• Make sure the fritter is not too thick. You want the batter cooked thoroughly. Flipping the fritter 4 times ensures the fritter is cooked through.
• For the less adventurous, Americanize this meal by using cooked thin slices of beef, shredded potato and finely chopped onion. Top with A-1 Sauce. I'm a traditionalist, but I have made this version and it's not bad!
  

*You can by tempura batter or make your own. Drizzle the batter into hot oil to get small crunchy bits. It really is worth this small extra step.

That's all I could say when I opened the package sent by my friend SKW just a moment ago. I heard the mailman arrive about a half hour ago, but I was too lazy to go out and check the box. Now I know better!

I already knew what she sent, well most of it anyway. But that doesn't mean I wasn't excited to get it! In fact, as I read each package of tea, I gave a louder and louder "OOOOO!" sound. This excited Dixie, who decided to join me by barking each time.

Then when I opened the pretty little box, I yelled, "OOOOOOOOO!!!!" Look what my talented friend made for me:

Not pictured is the short, but very sweet note that my friend included in the package. That made me make another sound, as I wiped the tears from my eyes..."SNIFF SNIFF".

Thank you, SKW. You are such a sweet friend.

Since I've been under the weather, I've been eating a lot of noodles. Last week I treated myself to a big homemade bowl of udon. The picture doesn't demonstrate that this is a 9-inch bowl. Yes, it was all for me. I ate every last bit and then sloshed around for a couple of hours afterward. It was all worth it!

Please use the broth from the Kitsune Udon recipe. And do put in what you enjoy! Besides the udon noodles, this meal contained (clockwise): blanched beansprouts, sliced carrots, shredded cabbage, sliced shiitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas, aburaage, and fish cake with nori strips (in center).

I often take pictures of meals that never get posted here, but after a couple of days chatting back and forth with Elsie about the intricacies of ramen, I decided to post my picture and talk about my most favorite Japanese noodles- udon. These thick, wheat flour noodles, are delicious and especially comforting on a chilly day. They are readily available in either fresh or dried form in most Asian markets but you can make the noodles easily if you don't live near an Asian grocery.

As for ramen, toppings too can vary for udon, though there are some regional favorites. I absolutely love kitsune udon, and I made a variation of the recipe a few days ago. I often do cutsey things with the food that Mike doesn't usually notice, but this time, he looked right at the dish and exclaimed, "It's a bunny!" This is a very quick and easy recipe:

Ingredients:

2 portions fresh udon noodles
2 deep-fried tofu (aburaage)
1/2 finely chopped green onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced cabbage
4 slices fish cake (kamaboko)

Broth:

2 1/2 cups dashi stock
2 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:

Pour broth ingredients in sauce pan and mix to dissolve sugar. Add noodles and cook until noodles are heated through.

Remove noodles and place in individual bowl. Arrange toppings on top of noodles and ladle in hot broth.

Serves 2