Typhoon Number 12

We just did something we haven't done in a very long time. We just taped flattened boxes to our  bay window to protect us from flying glass in case the window breaks (we are more worried about the window being struck with something than just the wind). We aren't in the direct path of this typhoon but it is so big and moving so slow that at the moment it is affecting almost half of the country.  The whole island of Kyushu is in the yellow section and the winds are fierce right now. It is supposed to be worse tomorrow as we will be close to the center of it.  Most of the time my area is pretty safe but I sure don't like the sound of the wind and feeling my building vibrate!!

A recipe for spicy Japanese pickles.

My lovely assistant has been giving me many vegetables from her garden and many of these are cucumbers. My husband doesn't like them raw in salads so I decided to make this pickle recipe as it perfect as a side dish with rice and meat.   Oh and I should mention that you fry these!

This recipe uses Japanese pickles which are different from the cucumbers I ate in Canada. I have no idea how these would taste if you tried to make them with other cucumbers but if you have or can get some Japanese ones and you like pickles give this recipe a try!

The official name for these is:

culi no karamitzuke (culi means cucumber and kara means spicy)

What you will need:

Japanese cucumbers - 2 big or 3 long

fresh ginger minced fine- 2 Tbsp

Japanese rice vinegar - 6 Tbsp

white sugar- 2 Tbsp

Salt-a little

chili pepper - 1/2 (I used dry chili pepper flakes- I didn't measure)

soy sauce - a little

oil-1Tbsp  ***(for an alternative-I suggest using sesame oil-tastes amazing!)

1) Cut cucumbers in 1/2 lengthwise then cut into quarters. Put them in a bowl and add some salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes then squeeze out water.

2) Add 1 Tbsp oil to a frying pan. Add cucumber, ginger and hot pepper. Fry until cucumbers are completely hot. You aren't looking to brown them. 

3) In a bowl add vinegar, sugar and a bit of soy sauce. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Add hot cucumbers (scrape out and add the ginger and pepper). 

Let cool and then put in the fridge. I think leaving them over night is best. The next day, taste one and you can always add more sugar, soy sauce or chili pepper. They should be crunchy, sweet, sour and spicy!

Here are some on a plate that  I made years ago when I was studying pottery here in Japan.

I also made some deep fried shrimp. I used almond flour so they are gluten free!  I didn't take any pictures but it is super easy. Clean them and the dip them in a beaten egg. Add a few at a time to a bag that has almond flour in it (you can add spices to the almond flour but as I was going to eat them with cocktail sauce I decided not to). Shake the bag to coat them evenly. When they are all coated, put them in the fridge for a few hours to allow the coating to really stick to the shrimp. Then deep fry them. I made cocktail sauce (ketchup  and horseradish) to go with them. Yum!

 

EDITED TO ADD:  I totally forgot to mention that I sometimes use sesame oil to fry the cucumbers in....it tastes amazing!!

This stuff is addictive!!!

I know my last post was about yummy frozen treats but this post is about something I have actually tried and love!!!  And seriously....this stuff is addictive!

It is called "sacre".  My husband says it is sherbet but I think it is more like a packed down snow cone. The lemon flavor is soooo refreshing and as you can see from the pictures, there is a frozen slice of real lemon on top so it is a mix of sweet and sour. I love biting in to the frozen piece of lemon and then eating some of the sweeter stuff.   YUM!

Frozen fruity treats to beat the heat!

I don't know about  you but the terrible heat and humidity really do a number on my appetite and the thought of eating anything heavy makes my stomach turn. These sweet treats don't have that affect!!

Don't these frozen fruity  treats look yummy and cute?!

Apparently, hollowing out fruit and filling it with ice cream and other frozen treats is big this year!

These look delicious!

Japanese love roll cake! This one is filled with ice cream!

Macarons are also very popular in Japan. These are also filled with ice cream!

I know this is the second picture of strawberries...but who doesn't love strawberries? And stuffed with ice cream-they gotta be good!

My sister in Vancouver is wearing a red nose!

Yep...you read that right. There is a woman walking around Vancouver Canada wearing a red nose and...she is my sister! 

Now...you might be wondering why she would do this? In her own words:

Why, you might ask, would I wear a red nose out in public???  Well, I want to connect with people.  I want to make people smile.  I want to have people break out of their head/their own little world and shift their energy for even just a moment.  Even if they don’t smile but they just look at me, or have a confused look on their face, or whatever else they might experience, they have shifted their attention/energy.  You see, the red nose is “the smallest mask in the world” and gives the wearer AND viewer permission to take risks, to express themselves in a way that they normally wouldn’t do and also helps them go beyond their own expectations in a positive way.  With the red nose there is an open-heartedness and innocence that occurs with all involved.  A spark.  A light.  A curiosity.  

And wearing a red nose isn't new for her as she has worked in health care facilities as a clown doctor in Ontario.  She  co-created and trained high school leadership students in a Spirit Clowning curriculum, for both classroom and leadership conference purposes.  Perhaps it also helps that her degree is in Drama. But she was nervous to wear it on the street. Finally she did it and the response has been interesting!  Some of the comments have been:

"Nice nose."

"You have a bloody noses"

"You forgot to wear sunscreen."

"It's not Christmas yet."  

"Claritin should clear that right up for you!"

She noticed how more guys than gals made comments. How some people would look anywhere but at her. One person gave her a rose.  Others just cracked up laughing.

She has started a blog called  The Red Nose Daily. She blogs about what it feels like, how people react etc. It sure is interesting!

Oh and just so you know...she is pretty cute without the red nose too!

Yum!!! I want to order some daifuku!

These look so good I just had to post pictures. These are called "daifuku" or 大福.  Daifuku are a traditional sweet made with mochi rice flour but these are a bit different. Instead of being filled with sweet bean paste these are filled with cream!!  There are a variety of flavors including matcha (green tea), sesame, strawberry, "nama" cream (fresh cream) and more!  If we do order these I will let you know how they taste and of course....they are gluten free!

Not bad for 100 Yen!

Sometimes I really really love Japan...and this is one of those times! 

A little while ago, we gave up our ADSL internet  connection in our apartment. I had gotten it  many years ago because the plan included a long distance phone plan that, at the time, was the best out there. But I realized that if I used skype, it would be  much cheaper. So, for our internet connection, I joined our cell phone company's personal wifi system. The only (kind of) problem with that was that when I was at work (I took the usb wifi system with me so I could use my  computer I keep at work on my breaks to work on our business) my husband had to go downstairs and use the internet connection in our office. This was not a huge problem but still....he sometimes wanted to work upstairs. So we thought we should stop our connection downstairs and get him a personal wifi system as well.  We were going to have him join our cell phone company too but for whatever reason we just never made it there. I'm so glad now!

Wednesday night we saw part of a commercial advertising a personal wifi system that when you joined (a 2 year contract which is standard here in Japan), you got, for 100 Yen ($1.25 USD) - a netbook computer and a camera. But we didn't really know who was selling it and there were only 500 sets available.   Then we saw it again on Thursday and this time we figured out who was selling it and we applied. It took a couple of days to be approved but everything is on its way to us!  We are so happy because it means we have a backup camera (or rather the camera we have now might become our backup and considering we take pictures almost everyday for our business...a backup is a good thing to have) and we will use the little netbook downstairs in the office so we don't have to take down our laptops!

I did a search and apparently, the netbook is worth about $600 and the camera is $100! Not bad for 100 Yen/ $1.25 USD  and for getting something (personal wifi) we would have gotten anyway!