skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Kid time, I swear we used to call tsukemono "kon kon" (こんこん), but I can't find any reference to "kon kon" anywhere. I did find "ko ko" referring to takuan, but that's the closest I ever got.
I think I could just eat kon kon and rice for a meal. No need anything else. And it seems that lately, even if I don't eat rice, I still like to have my kon kon.
I made the cucumber tsukemono below using a powder that I previously blogged about here. I originally thought that it was too potent for me, but I actually like it a lot.
For the won bok, I just salted it and pressed in my tsukemono press. I add a little bit of shoyu before eating . . . very simple.
The lower right kyuri tsukemono I bought from Marukai. It's made in California and is kinda expensive . . . around $5 for a small tray. It's not as spicy as it looks. I like the taste and the crunch.
"McDonalds Strawberry Smoothies for $2." That's what I heard while walking past the TV one day last week. 2 bucks! So cheap. Wendell said if I go, he'd take a Chocolate Chip Frappé which was also on sale.
I told myself that I should go to the drive-through on my way home from the swap meet the upcoming weekend. One drink for me, one drink for Wendell . . . only two items . . . should be a breeze. See here if you don't know about my drive-through phobia.
So, driving on the way home a few days ago, I remembered! Strawberry smoothie! Hoo hoo!
I pulled into the shopping center and slowly approached McDonalds. Only two cars ahead of me; none behind me. Anxiety level: very minimal.
I drove through and totally aced it! No pressure. No stuttering. I even joked a little with the talking box thing about my husband wanting this Chocolate Chip "something". "Hahahaha!" The box thing knew exactly what I was talking about.
I bragged when I got home.
Me: Wendell, I got your Chocolate Chip Frappé.
Wendell: Ooooh, thanks. But . . . is that a large?
Me: Yah, why?
Wendell: Was the large on sale too?
Me: Huh? Oh My Gawd!
No, it wasn't on sale . . . only the small size was. I had totally forgotten that the reason I wanted to get the drinks was to take advantage of the $2 sale!
I hadn't even realized that I paid over $7 for the two drinks. So Babooze!
I like it a lot! You can find it here on Amazon.
This is a Puerto Rican roast pork dish where the pork shoulder is marinated for at least 8 hours in a garlic/olive oil/vinegar/spices mixture. CAN YOU IMAGINE! It was awesome delicious!
The recipe is from The Latin Kitchen site and can be found here.
Ingredients
8 pounds picnic pork shoulder
12 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs white vinegar
8 tsp salt (or 1 tsp per pound of meat)
Directions
Wash the pork shoulder.
With a sharp knife, make 1-inch deep cuts into the pork.
Using a mortar and pestle crush garlic, oregano and black pepper together.
Add olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mix well.
Spoon some of the garlic mixture inside the small cuts around the pork and spread remaining all over the pork.
Place pork in aluminum turkey pan (skin side up) and cover with aluminum foil tightly.
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Turn it in the marinade.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 5 to 6 hours.
Remove aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for another hour or until the skin is crisp.
Lately, I've become concerned about my increasing forgetfulness. I find myself searching online for cures and fixes. Articles on Alzheimer's and dementia are also of particular interest.
While on Kay's Musings blog about a week ago, a post on her "My Blogging Family" portion of the sidebar caught my eye. The blog is called One of Life's Little Surprises and the post was called "He looks so normal!"
The author's name is Carole. Her husband, Jim, is about Wendell's age and is already in Stage 6 (severe) of Alzheimer's seven stages. Carole's main focus at this point is Jim's comfort and piece of mind.
"Minimizing outside stimuli, waiting for a quiet moment, and keeping my words short, to the point and without a lot of detail seem to work the best for Jim. A soft loving voice and a gentle touch or kiss all go a long way in helping Jim to feel more secure in his environment."
Carole's frank narrative drew me into her life. Her words are descriptive, informative and . . . yes . . . sad.
Working my way backwards, I read every single one of her posts.
I admire and appreciate Carole's willingness to share her and Jim's story. I hope that doing so brings her some level of comfort. I wish them both well on this their most difficult of journeys.
Wendell got this recipe from the Recipe 30 website here. I loved that Wendell added mushrooms. It sopped up all the buttery lemon goodness.
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 handful of fresh parsley
- 50 g - 2 oz Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter
- Half lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Remove chicken skin, then butterfly cut your breast. Hold a long sharp knife along the thicker part of the breast, place your hand on top and slice through the breast almost until the end. Cut parallel to your cutting board, and open the breast like a book. Place cling film on a board, add your breast spread open, sandwich it in cling film and flatten using the flat side of a meat mallet or the underside of a saucepan.
- 2 Crack the eggs into a large enough dish to fit chicken breast. Season eggs with salt and pepper, give them a light beat.
- 3 Chop the parsley (keep a few sprigs for garnish) and add half to egg wash.
- 4 Grate all the Parmesan cheese and add to egg-wash, mix well.
- 5 Get your wine and chicken stock portions ready.
- 6 Add the plain flour to a plate.
- 7 Peel the garlic and place in garlic press (or chop finely).
- 8 To a frying pan on moderate heat, add the olive oil and half the butter.
- 9 Coat the chicken in the flour, shake off any excess flour.
- 10 Dip the chicken in the egg wash, make sure it’s totally covered and place in hot oil.
- 11 Cook chicken for approximately 4 minutes each side (depending on thickness). Flip over once brown and cook the other side. Transfer chicken to a hot plate and rest.
- 12 To the same frying pan on full heat, add the white wine (alcohol can catch fire so be careful, turn off heat first if unsure). Add the crushed garlic. Add the squeeze of half a lemon. Add the chicken stock. Add the remainder of chopped parsley. Add the remainder of butter and reduce for 2 minutes on full heat.
- 13 Return the chicken to the sauce and continue heating chicken on medium heat.
- 14 Serve the chicken, and reduce the sauce until it looks a little thicker (not too thick)
I was really surprised at how good this melon is. It's almost as sweet as the melon that me and Sweetie had in Hokkaido. And it's pretty firm. Kinda no match 'cause you'd expect a melon so sweet to be softer.
It was $3.73/lb at Marukai. I paid $4.73 for mine. I wouldn't mind getting another one . . . or two.
Got this from girlfriend N. It's soooo light and airy and buttery. Yummy! Thank you, N!!!
It's from Red Ribbon Bake Shop on North King Street. I've never been there. Gotta make sure I check it out next time I'm in that area!
