Croquette!!!

Got "red potato" from "Radish Boya"(organic vegetable delivery service). It is hard to get them at normal supermarkets.We got lucky indeed. :D They look like sweetpotatoes, but the taste is surely potatoes. Using them, cooked "croquette".

Do not ask me why Taro is wearing flower hair slide. He is a boy but he is very pleased with hair slide these days. Plus the giraffe figure is also his HOT item.

Besides mush potatoes, added stir-fried ground pork and chopped onion.

Serve them with this special sacue called "Yakuzen Sauce".

This sauce goes with any deep-fried stuff. You can get it at Mitome online shop or ISETAN.

Taro's rate:★★★★★

Definitely he is loving it.

Yaki-Udon（Stir-fried Udon)

I am not so busy, just I've been lazy to blog these days. :-P

Made "Yaki-Udon" for Sunday lunch. When it comes to noodles, Taro always finishes his plate.

Recently he is very favour of " Beni-Shoga "(red colour pickled ginger).

Probably the vivid colour (not artificial one though. this is natural colour using red herb) and saltiness attract him very much.

Taro's rate:★★★

He liked it, but he's already full since he had LOADS of blueberries which have very sour taste before lunch.

Welsh Cakes

Learnt from a party which was held by British Council which is English learning school Jun goes to.

This is very traditional cakes in Wales area in UK. The texture is like between cookies and scorns. Although this is enough super high carolies and sweet, in Wales, they enjoy eating them with some fruits jam/cream together. Wow!

I like "allspices" flavour. It's new flavour for me :D

Welsh Cakes Recipe

Ingredients

225g all purpose flour (plus a little extra)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2tsp allspice

100g butter

100g sugar

1 egg (beaten)

70g currants( or raisin)

Method

1 Put the flour, baking powder and allspice into a bowl and mix.

2 Cut the butter into small pieces. Rub the butter into the flour.

3 Add the sugar and gurrants.

4 Beat the egg. Add them to the other ingredients. Mix well.

5 Put flour on the table. Roll out the dough until it is about 5mm thick.

6 Use a glass to cut out circles of dough.

7 Heat a heavy frying -pan. Cook the welshcakes for about 3minutes on one side.

8 Turn them over and cook the other side for about 3minutes.

Serve 15 pieces of welshcakes

Taro's rate:★★★★★

Grilled Tuna Salad

This is a super quick and easy meal. Cut any vegetables/tofu you like, grill Tuna with garlic, drizzle over soy sauce, olive oil , lemon and pepper.
Last week, I didn't cook so much. Still many vegetables in fridge now. Have to consume all of them....... It gives me some pressure. Hummmmm.

Taro's rate: ★★★★

He ate tuna, tuna and tuna. sometimes had rice. His origin might be fisherman.

Deep-fried Broad-bean, Corn and Shrimp Kakiage

Summer has come!!! Lovely colours there!;D

Serve with Japanese soba and grated Chinese yam(nagaimo). The Kakiage should serve hot and Noodles should serve cold. We enjoy the contrast.

As for the nagaimo, I prefer a half grated and a half chunked so that I can taste both crispy and sticky.

I like to make "Kakiage" which is one sort of "Tempra". This one, there're a little flour and cold water only in the batter. No egg.

Mix all ingredients. When it becomes slightly sticky, then put them into the oil and deep-fried with high heat.

Do not move for a while so as to stick them.

Taro's rate:★★★★

He ate Kakiage but he took off all shrimps. He wanted to eat corn only.

Braised chicken with red wine and tomato sauce

This is adapted from Italian food called "Pollo alla cacciatora". Normally, braised chicken with white wine, but since I didn't have it at home, I used red wine.

Chopped celery, onion, carrot and a glove of garlic. Stir them with low heat until reducing moisture. Add chicken( I used chicken drum and thigh) and stir. Add red wine and a whole tomato can. Braised for 1 hour and seaosn salt and pepper. That's all!

Serve with boiled short pasta and broccoli.

Taro's rate:★★★★

He ate pasta a lot but he didn't want to have chicken. :(

Oatmeal Pancake

Sometimes I feel like having something different. This recipe is based on my basic pancake.

For basic one, I use 200g flour, whereas this recipe, I use 150g oats + 50g all purpose flour, instead. The oats must soak into the wet ingredients( yoghurt, one egg, milk and honey.)through the overnight.

Except that, this is same procedure as basic one.

As for the optional, you may add raisin or any other dried fruits. This time, I added raisin. :D

I think this pancake should cook until darker golden blown colour. That's my feeling though.

Taro's rate:★★★★★

I am convinced that it is worth preparing oats the previous night and getting up early next day to make it.

BBQ at my parents place

We always throw sweet potatoes wrapped by aluminium foil into the fire. :D

It takes enough time to roast them. Probably when we finish BBQ, the potatoes are done.

HOT DOG!

my sister baked rolled buns.

As for the Taro, he enjoyed "Kiri" cream cheese. He is crazy about it.

I am wondering why he is not willing to eat sausage!

Mix seeds Lover

It happened at my parents place. Taro devoured this mix seeds!! - pumpkin, sunflower, almond, pinenut, blueberry, and goji berry.

Amazing! I thought Taro didn't like this sort of stuff. Because they are hard to chew. But I was wrong. Slightly sweets and a little bit salty. That's the point.

He is as if Chinese living in mainland! :P

The view from my parent's home. "Enoden" passes by every 6 minutes.

Each time, Taro shouts "Densha! Densha! Densha!(Train, train, train!) and wants to stay at the yard as much as possible.

When will he move to another interest?

Early Summer Pasta

Cabbage, tomatoes, onion, Maitake mushrooms and Pancetta in there.

Finally Taro graduated from nursing!!!!! and he has a huge appetite now. Yeah!

Taro's rate:★★★★★

Potato Gratin (meat sauce type)

Boiled sliced potatoes + meat sauce + white sauce + loads of Parmesan cheese= kaori gratin!

Since there are meat sauce left over in the freezer, baked potato gratin using them.

Making white sauce is very easy. You don't need to buy heintz white sauce can!

White sauce recipe

Ingredients

2 table spoon all-purpose flour

2 table spoon butter

350cc milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

1 in a small, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat.

2 Blend 2 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter.

3 Add salt

4 Cook over low heat, stirring 2 minutes. Do not brown.

5 Gradually stir milk constantly until getting creamy, smooth and thickened.

* It can be stored in a freezer for 1 month.

Anytime you can make meals using white sauce if only they are in the freezer!

By the way, recently Taro likes wearing sunglasses while he is in the house.

Beef stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff!!!

Orange(Amanatsu Citrus) Salad

Sometimes I want to make something more elaborate and rich meal. I mean "rich" is both the taste and the budget to get ingredients. Beef stroganoff is one kind of Russian food. Uses lots of butter and tender beef. It is worth using Wagyu(Japanese beef) for it.

At first, Taro started eating French fries first. After that he spontaneously tried having beef stroganoff. And he found out it was super yummy. He devoured it!

Taro's rate: ★★★★★

For relish, I made orange salad. Just normal salad. Olive oil, S&P, sliced onion and Italian Parsley. No need to add any vinegar since citrus has sour taste. :D If you like chilli taste, just add small cut chilli.