Stuffed pepper meat loaf

As Brad's request, I made this healthier meat loaf.
the filling is pretty much just like meat loaf mixture (with a lot of saute onion and other veggies)and stuff and bake them in the oven in the middle way of baking, take them out and put some ketchup as you would for the meat loaf.

Cuban pastry with Guava and cheese!

Friend of ours came to visit us 4days ago. And He brought this Cuban pastry we LOVE.
The café Tropical in silver lake make this pastry and so delicious!!!
When we had this for the first time, It didn’t sound promising... sweet guava and cheese….
But Oh boy, as soon as you bite into it. You are so hooked!
I love this pastry

Uno hana with Okara

Uno hana (Okara- biproduct of tofu, soy bean pulp)
I went to Japanese supermarket called Marukai in Torrance.
I just love Marukai so much, I feel like I am in a “real” Japanese supermarket.
Anyway, I always liked this dish called Uno hanna.. Which made with Okara.
Basically what Okara is left over soy pulp from Tofu. (just like buttermilk from butter making)


To make this, sauté to dry the okara in frying pan with low heat until sandy consistency.



I normally make this with dried Shiitake mushroom, carrots, and whatever root vegetable of what I have.

The flavoring is with dashi(fish based broth(but doesn’t smell and taste fishy at all), soy sauce, sake, sugar, mirin(sweet cooking sake).

Cook veggie separately with this flavoring and add the dried okara at the end. It’s pretty simple and super healthy side dish.

Okara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okara_(food)

dashi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi

mirin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirin

Twisted red bean bun

Yesterday, as my first time,with my sore arm from playing tennis, I made red bean buns.
Traditionally, red bean bun is known as a round bun with sesame seeds on top and red bean paste inside, but I thought it will be fun to make layer with bean paste and twist to make marbling effect.



before baked







The dough I made is a basic white bread dough but I added more butter so that it's richer as it should be for red bean bun.

I think as an experiment, it came out better than I expected.

I want to make this with sweeten chestnut paste. that would be so good... Can't wait to try it.



traditional rouhd ones.

Tako yaki

This is called Tako Yaki. (tako means octopus) We have this octopus ball in Japan as a street food normally, sold at festivals along with Yaki Soba etc.

When I went back to my parents home, they had Tako yaki maker(which you can cook on the table) and we made many times.
I just love Tako yaki SO MUCH and I wanted to bring the tako yaki maker back to LA one day so that I can do this at home in LA, and I did!!!!

It's pretty much savory pancake ball cooked in a half round pan. and you put octopus in the middle while it's cooking in the pan.

after you cook the first side, you flip it with skewers to foam a ball.
It's a lot of fun to make this with friends too.

after the ball became golden brown, take them to your plate and pour special sauce(okonomi yaki sauce) sprinkle bonitos and seaweed called Ao nori.

mmm..... mmm..... goooood1 I was in heaven...


crispy outside with silky inside....



It's a perfect mach with beer and sake.

spagetti with meat sauce (light)

I cook this half veggie and half meat spaghetti sauce a lot.
I minced onion, carrot, celery all in the food processor ti be the same consistency with ground beef so that they actually look like ground beed in the sauce.
this sauce will make your kids eat veggie.

French macaroon revenge!








it is still not good macaroon but at least I could sandwitched with filling this time!
3 more try and I think I can get it right!

I tried different recipe this time with coco powder. the filling is mix penut butter and nutella(super easy but good).

before baked


after baked
wan't enough drying time... cracked top and no edges are puffed...

mabo tofu over rice

tonight's dinner.
Mabo tofu with red bell pepper over rice.

asparagus

I love asparagus....

french macaroons disaster

So, today, I tried to make french macaroons...
my finish image was pink rasberry macaroons with nutella filling...

well.... it didn't happen.... in fact it was a BIG disaster!!!!



before being baked(drying the top part before goes into the oven)


after baked. (some of them were cracked)




It was sort of OK until I baked....
they were cracked and all stuck to silpad!! I couldn't take them off from it... I don't know how anything would stick that bad!!!

well, I will bake macaroons for my revenge!

Uniqlo make over (remake) and cami

It's been so hot in LA...
I decidede to stay at home and do some craft..

I have 2 uniqulo knit shirt that I got for sale. so I decided to saw some triming to them.



and then after that, I decided to make a camisole with the fablic I bought in Japan.