Mom and Daughter Weekend

My father is an avid amateur astronomer and this past weekend, he was away attending "Space Camp."This is not the space camp in Florida, but rather an astronomy retreat in upstate NY. It's rather exclusive and you must make reservations well in advance. Essentially, it's like camp, but all the attendees stay up all night stargazing. Everyone brings their telescopes and it's basically astronomy heaven. This is my dad's second year going and he love love loves it!

To keep my mom company, I decided to come home, so we enjoyed a "girls weekend." Although I spent most of the weekend studying calculus, the evenings were very pleasant. Lots of delicious foods, cocktails, laughter, and Foyle's War.

Despite the fact that my mother tells me that I need to diet (which is true), she made enough food to keep at family of 6 happy! Granted, although the food was abundant, it was all quite healthy. Not only did my mother empty out a lot of the fridge, her Japanese-inspired meals, are incredibly nutritionally balanced! The best food I'd eaten all week!
First mommy-made meal --- yakisoba for lunch
Mostly veggies, with a bit of delicious pork
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
evening 1 --- a selection of delightful treats
(L-R): Shio-koji grilled chicken, okara korokke, fried vegetables in a dashi sauce, simmered fish cakes and mizuna [top left of 2nd picture]
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
evening 2: essentially all of the same things, but with a few more goodies.
[L-R] Shio-koji roasted chicken wings, sauteed corn/beans/red pepper, sauteed mung beans (moyashi), fried vegetables on somen noodles, okara korroke, and fish cakes with mizuna

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You may be wondering what "okara" is. It's a by-product of tofu. It's incredibly healthy, but a bit bland.  It's used in all sorts cooking in Asia. If you are interested, here is a wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okara_(food)

To end our girl's weekend, mom treated me to Japanese pancakes! These are thicker than diner-style pancakes, resembling hot cakes. So delicious! 
We drizzled some of mom's homemade chocolate sauce on the pancakes. So delectable! 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gordon Ramsay's Cheesy Potato Dauphinoise

Image
I am fairly impressionable --- at least when it comes to cooking. When I see a recipe or a dish that intrigues me, I become obsessed and determine to give it a go. I have been obsessively watching Come Dine With Me  for at least one month and a dish that keeps popping up is: Potato Dauphionoise. I've eaten this side dish a couple times in my life, but not recently. It looked so delicious and easy to make, and I was determined to try my hand at this posh looking side. As per usual, I consulted the internet to look for recipes. As most of you know, I am obsessed with Gordon Ramsay. He is always my go to. If he doesn't have a recipe for something I want to make, I'm always feel a little lost, but luckily, that wasn't the case this time. I was delighted to have stumbled upon Gordon Ramsay's "Gratin Dauphonoise." He has yet to let me down and you know what, this dish was a winner! Something that I am adding to my repertoire.  This dish was incredibly e
Read more

Truffle Cream Cheese & Chive Spread

Image
So, I realize that this post is rather late…but I figure, better late than never, right? Over New Years, I was searching for recipes online, when I stumbled upon a new Gordon Ramsay recipe. As we all know, I LOVE Gordon Ramsay, in fact, I should probably just change my username to that.  Chef Ramsay has a recipe for a deliciously decadent, but oh so easy truffle cream cheese spread, and I couldn't resist. The ingredients are simple, you may even have most of them, and it takes no more than ten minutes to make. Oh, and it's delicious.  Whether you are entertaining guests or spending time alone, this spread is perfect for all occasions. It's great with bread and crackers, it's also delicious with grapes. The fluffiness of the cream cheese/sour cream, coupled with the decadence and amazing aroma of the truffle oil makes this a really luxurious spread that everyone will love! For Gordon Ramsay's video, please click this link .  Ingredients: - small con
Read more

Tawaraya - One of Kyoto's Most Famous and Oldest Ryokans

Image
On this visit to Kyoto, rather than stay at a hotel, my parents and I were fortunate enough two spend two nights at the very famous and exclusive Tawaraya ryokan . Tawaraya is considered one of the most famous and posh ryokans in Japan. Past guests have included Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, and even Marlon Brando! (Many famous Japanese people have stayed here as well, but these three just popped into my head). We made our reservation one year in advance, but even then, we had difficulty getting a room!  To quote Wikipedia: "A ryokan ( 旅館 ) is a type of traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo Period (1603 ~ 1868), when such inns served travelers along Japan's highways. They typically feature tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner…Most ryokans offer dinner and breakfast, which are often included in the price of the room. Most visitors take their meals at the ryokan, which usuall
Read more