curry soup

On the vein of finding something you wrote down and haven't put anywhere, here is one of mine. Not sure of what the name of this soup should be, but I started with some basic ingredients that a flickr friend told me and made my own thing. Shafiq (our friend who cooks at our favorite curry restaurant--he's from Bangledesh and has lived in Japan for 20 years) tried the soup and said it tasted like something he would get back home (in Bangledesh)....needless to say...i was happy with the results.

2 sweet potatoes, chopped
1/2 daikon (a japanese veggie...looks like a big root type vegetable)
1/2 pumpkin (Kobacha squash, a smaller pumpkin shaped squash)
2 large carrots (japanese carrots are huge, so you may want to use 4 american carrots)
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 rib celery
1/2" or more ginger
curry powder
salt and pepper
cinnamon stick
cinnamon
fresh ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf

Put slices of pumpkin on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and ground nutmeg. Roast in a 450 degree oven.

Meanwhile, put olive oil in a hot pot and add onion, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Add ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and ground nutmeg. Then add chopped daikon, carrots, and sweet potato (stirring well after each addition). Add curry powder (about a palmful) and stir. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Then add roasted squash to the pot. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until the veggies are all tender.

Blend all of it together. Then add 1 can of coconut milk, stir and taste for seasoning. Add more cinnamon, nutmeg and curry as needed.

cream of avocado soup

Cream of Avocado Soup

1 T unsalted butter
1 very small onion, chopped (about 1/3 c)
2 t peeled finely chopped fresh ginger root
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, scooped out
¼ c fresh basil leaves
¼ c fresh cilantro leaves
¼ to 1/3 c heavy cream
¼ to 1/3 c fresh lime juice
up to 3 ½ c ice water
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Place small pan over med low heat; when hot, add butter. When butter is melted, add onion, ginger, garlic, cook til golden. Cool for at least 5 minutes. Place the avocados, basil, cilantro, cream, and lime juice in a blender and blend until pureed. Gradually, while the machine is running, add the cooled onion mixture, and at least a cup of water and blend until completely smooth. Keep adding water until soup reaches the desired consistency. Add seasonings to taste. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve cold, garnishing with cilantro, sour cream, red bell pepper, lime zest curls, etc.

This makes a fantastic appetizer/amuse bouche in chilled ramekins or espresso cups. If you left it thick, it would work as a dip (but I prefer guacamole that's got some texture, so I don't think I'd do that). I thought 3 cups of ice water was too much, but the proportions of liquid to avocado are definitely a matter of taste. Great side to go with a chicken or cheese quesadilla.

Beef Veg Stew

was going through old legal pads at work today and found a stew recipe that I had written up at some point. not sure if I have it anywhere else, so I'm sticking it here.

ingredients:
several cloves garlic
at least a pound of stew beef, cut into 1" chunks
vegetable oil, flour, salt, pepper
small can tomato paste
at least 6 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
8-12 oz dark beer (preferably not stout or porter, dark or brown ale better)
thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary
4-8 potatoes, cut into large chunks
6 carrots, cut into small chunks
4 stalks celery, cut into small chunks
1 large onion, cut into medium chunks
1-3 leeks, cut into 1/4" slices
turnips or parsnips, cut into medium chunks
green peas (frozen work well)
mushrooms, sliced

1. Dredge beef in flour with salt & pepper mixed in. Heat 1-2 T oil in bottom of your heaviest pan on medium high heat. When hot, add beef. This works best if the pot is big enough so that it isn't full--the beef won't brown well if the chunks are touching each other--do this in batches in necessary. Brown on all sides.
2. Mince or press garlic and add to beef. Cook for a couple minutes and then add the broth, bay leaves, beer, herbs to taste, and around 2 T tomato paste.
3. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer for about half an hour, stirring occasionally (I use this time to cut my vegetables for the next step).
4. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, leeks, turnips/parsnips. Simmer for at least an hour. Taste broth and adjust seasonings as necessary.
   
5. Add green peas and mushrooms about 20 minutes before serving.

Should freeze well. Keeps for several days in fridge.

Heya!

Just thought I'd share that somebody finally put up an excellent mp3 of the instrumental song used in the Sin City trailer. Been looking for a copy of that for ages, and at last it's up here:

http://www.bdarules.com/2005/05/servant-release-instrumental-of-cells.html

Some Japanese Literature

A Pale View of the Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
Dance Dance Dancy by Haruki Murakami
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto

Good Books I've Read Recently

Blankets by Craig Thompson (I just finished this one...well...actually...i just read this one yesterday morning...really good graphic novel)
The Horse Goddess by Morgan Lleyweln
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathon Safran Foer
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Durant
Tokyo by Mo Hayder
Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman
The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman
The Treasure of Montsegur by Sophy Burnham
The Wolf King by Alice Borchardt
The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs
One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry
An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter

catching up

So, it's been quite a while since I've posted. Since August to be exact..when I took my first trip to the states. So, to catch you all up on what's been happening here in Japan, here goes:

• I've become addicted to City of Heroes (thanks Jim) after flying space available to to Seattle and staying at Jim's house for a couple of days.

• We had a beautiful fall. It's so nice to live in a place with seasons. We visited Koganei Koen and the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in late November. Here are the photos of our trip:

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum147.html

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum148.html

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum149.html

• We also visited a traditional tea ceremony in early November with culture group. Afterwards we had dinner with culture group at Keith and Betsy's house.

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum144.html

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum145.html

• Kimonos are complicated. I bought one for 20bucks at an antique sell. I think it's from the sixties or seventies based on the bright green and orange color scheme. I went to a kimono class with my friends Mie and Yukiko. They helped me put on the kimono. There is a lot more to it than you would think...certain undergarments to be warn..things to nip and tuck you....and so on . afterwards, we visited the Ome Art Festival. Here are the photos:

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum153.html

• Christmas was cut short by events that you all know about. We spent Christmas morning with my brother and sister-in-law in Folkston, and then drove to Atlanta to have dinner with Jen and Dunc. We had yummy food, lots o random stocking stuffers, and fun with our friends.

• I finally made it back to japan on February 7th after over a month of going through things to ship and/or store and to sell or throw away. And cleaning. And more going through stuff. And helping Robin (sister-in-law) paint cupboards in the kitchen. And lots and lots of phone calls. And talking to lawyers. So it's good to be home.

• I think my new favorite movie is Shaun of the Dead. Saw it in Seattle at the end of September with Jim. And have seen it thrice more since then. Seems to be one of those movies we have to watch with certain people. And the extras on the DVD are just as amusing as the movie.

• We just finished the whole Wonderfalls series. Kinda silly and enjoyable. We're sorry it got cancelled.

• Now we are watching Season 4 of Angel and random Family Guy episodes.

• I've been trying to get back into work things. Been a bit hard after a month of non workitude...but getting back into the swing of things.

• Friday night we went to eat with Massa (translator for the band) and his wife Maki (a flight attendent for Japan Air). We had real Yaki Niku and it was sooo yummy. Yaki Niku is a kind of restaurant where you have a grill in your table and they bring you raw seasoned meat to grill. For the first time, we tried a special meat that you dip in a sesame sauce and eat raw. It was quite delicious. Then we had other cuts of beef that Maki (the grillmaster) grilled for us. Good company too. I gave Denny some slang flashcards for V-day, and he took them to work. So Massa has been learning slang..and it is too funny to hear a Japanese guy saying "are you down with that?" or "are you dissing me?" Denny says Massa has been posting slang to his blog (all in japanese of course)...he posted "hoopty" the other day.

• Saturday it snowed! And it stuck! We drove up into the mountains to Hossawa Falls to tromp around in the snow. We hiked around quite a bit (for several hours) while it was snowing. I did manage to get a few pictures (denny had an umbrella). It was such a beautiful picturesque place to be in the snow. Here are the photos:

http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum152.html

• Visited culture group last night for the first time since we returned. It was so nice to be back with our japanese friends. We had an interesting discussion about bathrooms. We talked about the Cadillac of toilets...the washerette...that has the spray of water to wash you off when you are done....along with the bun warmers. And it's funny to me that right next door to these Cadillacs is the Geo Metro of toilettes....the hole in the ground type toilet with nothing to hang onto. I still haven't figured out to maneuver going to the bathroom in one of those...by the time i get down in a position so i won't pee on my pants...my bladder is so twisted i can't even go. Craziness.

Hehe, found this funny little demonstration online:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~AD8Y-HYS/movie.htm


I think that brings us all up to date.

Mata ne! (later)

Okay, I've decided to restart this blog I started last year sometime. Because my mom reads the other...I can't write about some of the things I would like to at times (she's conservative and republican and sends me several anti-kerry emails a week....and it's hard to argue politics with your sick mom).

So, on that note. Here is a funny link for everyone:

www.whitehousewest.com

It's a Will Ferrell impression of Bush. He's so good at that. Makes me remember the Saturday Night Live during the 2000 election when they were doing the "soap opera" that was florida...with katherine harris and jeb bush.....and georgie in the background playing with a ball of yarn. Too funny.

We've been watching Alias on DVD. Such a good show...we finished off season 1 last night.

Been awhile since I have written. Since April, we've fallen off of the BFL wagon, been on vacation a couple of times, got another stripe on our red belts in Taekwondo, have found out absolutely nothing new about Japan (besides the fact we can't do anything until September) and we're learning Japanese.

Vacation was great. We went to New Orleans first for the HOW Design Conference. Got sick. But still had fun. The first two days were non-conference days, so we wandered around the French Quarter and took the St. Charles streetcar to the Contemporary Arts area. The Contemporary Arts Center had a great exhibit on comic book art. We then walked to the Garden District (which was a bit of a haul) and walked around in the drizzling rain admiring the houses and yards.

The conference itself was very inspiring. Saw Genevieve Gorder from Trading Spaces speak about what inspires her. She gets a lot of her inspiration from travel and nature. Also had a couple less exciting business-y workshops as well.

Then we went to Idaho for a week to see Denny's parents. The first couple of days were spent laying in the backyard reading. The weather their was fabulous......mild temperatures with a cool breeze constantly blowing. His mom's garden is beautiful and lush. All the flowers were in bloom. The grass is thick and feels good on your bare feet. Nothing like laying on a quilt reading, hearing the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees above. And Gus. Denny's sister Camille's big black lab Gus. Very sweet and friendly and slobbery. Plus, his goal is to be a lap dog.

After hanging out for a couple of days, we packed up and headed north to the Sawtooth mountains for a quick camping trip at Redfish Lake. Sooooooo perfect. Stacey, Jim and Elizabeth (Denny's sister, brother-in-law and niece) met us there. We camped and roasted marshmallows and played games and listened to Denny play guitar ( and Camille and Alex). A nice time was had by all. Denny did however have a slight accident on Alex's bike. He thought he could brake one way and instead ended up throwing himself over the top of the bike and getting scraped up a bit. Poor baby.

Our second "mini" vacation was to St. Louis. More about that later. Back to work for now.

Not too much new here. I've been really busy doing photo shoots and trying to keep up with design work the past couple of weeks. And doing the Body For Life stuff, trying to eat right and work out regularly (and getting up early to do so).

We've heard all good things about Japan. Looking forward to it. Still have a lot to read up on and figure out.

Went to the briefing today. The fellow we met with told me I didn't need to be there. Gave us a bunch of paperwork to be filled out......We both have to get medical clearance and I have to get a passport. Once we turn in a bunch of this stuff we'll get our official orders. The guy wasn't very helpful--we tried to ask the important questions, about our car, about housing, and he kept saying "I don't know, you'll have to ask the TMO for that"--and I had to ask what TMO is (I love how all military folk think I know what all these little abbreviations are). what I really want to know is what kind of internet connection I can get.

Denny came home with a website that had all this wonderful info for us to go through. Printed it all out...now we just have to read it.

We go to get our briefing on the move tomorrow. Looks like it's definate now. Margarethia told me that she'll fly me back for photo shoots and I'll still design the magazine from over there. Henry had already told me that he'll put me on the payroll fulltime and direct deposit the money....just have to work out communication details.

On the Body For Life front, my arms still hurt from Tuesday's first weight training session. Hopefully they will heal in time for Taekwondo testing on Saturday. This is our first red belt testing and we'll have to break boards. We practiced last week and broke on the first try--a very surreal but cool experience.

We are definately 99.9999994599783999% sure that we will be moving to Japan in February next year.

Okay, we started Body For Life yesterday. Getting up at 6:30am. Doing Cardio. And then today I did the arm weights. Not used to the early rise yet. The weird part is that I should be sleepy now...and I'm not. The food takes some getting used to as well. Eating 6 times a day. You wouldn't think I'd get hungry...but I am. I'm sure my body will adjust (hopefully in all the right ways).

Today was our 3 year anniversary. Decided to have a "free night" and went out to eat.

Sure hope I can move my arms tommorrow.

So, I really dislike tech support when they have no knowledge of the tech or the support you need. I won't name the graphics giant tech support that I called today by name (never know who is reading), but when I called and told them my problem, they pretty much weren't listening. I said "I'm having a problem opening a document--the app just quits in the middle of converting". The support-guy said, "have you tried placing the document?" Nope, I hadn't. So we tried it and guess what--not even an option. So he put me on hold for awhile, came back and said "why don't we try opening it" It was all I could do not to say "DUDE...that's why I called in."

Anyway, enough ranting. Denny and I spent the latter part of the afternoon looking at movie trailers online and avoiding that stuff I was supposed to be doing (work anyone?)

Thats all for now.