Land of Gummies

Red Bean Baked Mochi Cake

2009-10-18T18:16:00.001-07:00

Mmm...my Auntie #4, one of the great cooks I know besides my mom, visited Corona for dinner last night, and she brought us some yummy goodies that she baked at home! One of them, I'm not sure what the name is in English nor Chinese...but I can recognize it - it's this baked bun, filled with shredded veggies and pork...and the other was a baked mochi cake!

She told me how to make the cake from memory, so I did my best to try it out today, since I had all the ingredients at home. It came out deeeelicious! Because it's made mostly of mochi, it's got this tasty, chewy texture on the inside; the outer crust, because it's baked, is sweet and cakey. And, you can never go wrong with red bean filling, of course. =) I think she made the red bean mixture on her own, but I cheated since I had a can of sweetened red (azuki) beans in the pantry. ^_^

I also used up all my cupcake liners in making my treat box to bring to work (and share!) tomorrow with whomever I run into, hee hee hee...=)

You'll Need:

-1 pound of Sweet Mochi Flour (I use Mochiko)
-1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
-1 Cup White Sugar, or 2 Cups of Brown Sugar (I used the white sugar, as it was handy, but the brown sugar is what she used, and it makes the cake more brown colored...which I kinda preferred. Brown sugar for me next time!)
-2.5 Cups of Milk
-3/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil
-4 Eggs

-1 Can (18 oz) of Sweetened Azuki Red Beans
-1 egg, beaten, to brush on top of cake
-Sesame seeds to sprinkle (I use toasted ones; next time, I'll get some of the black ones and have a mix of white and black sesame seeds on top!)

*She said that one can always reduce the sugar, so if you're avoiding too much sugar, you may want to go that route.

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

1) Mix everything together, except for the last three ingredients. If you want a fluffier merengue-ier cake, you may want to beat the egg whites separately until stiff, and fold them in.
2) Pour half of the mixture into a 9" x 13" pan, lined with parchment paper or foil.
3) Bake for 20 minutes.
4) Take the cake out and spread all the red beans evenly on top, and then pour the rest of the mixture on top of everything.
5) Bake 15 minutes. Brush the egg wash on top, and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
6) Bake another 5 minutes or so, and remove. Let it cool on a rack.

Though tasty, chewy, and warm from the oven, it's just as good, if not better, after you let it cool to room temperature. =) Easy to make, and easy to eat...^_~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other news, Shelton is still sick! =( Maybe it's H1N1, but either way, it's definitely the flu. =( So he's been bedridden most of time since Wednesday. Except he's getting better since this afternoon. He's been drinking the soup well (I made a comfy-homey soup of tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and ox tail, hee hee...) and is energized enough to play Scott's Prince of Persia game he lent us last week, when visiting them Sechangs in MoVal, heh heh. Good times - Scrabble with Sechang-house-rules, pork rinds and ranch, and even a lovely dinner. =)

Before then, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival did pass, and we did party it up at my parent's place with a some friends from church, hee hee...There was a wonderful spread of food for the potluck dinner, which I wish I had taken a picture of! I still have to learn how to make Margaret's Taro "gou" one day. I made a quick spinach salad made of spinach leaves, chopped leaf lettuce, mushrooms, strawberry slices, candied walnut pieces, and some bacon bits, tossed in a sesame dressing. It must have been tasty, because there weren't any left - Chinese people rarely go for raw veggies and salad things, as we're used to our veggies being cooked and stir-fried. ^_~ Theo also taught us a card game, called Mao...which I'll have to share with a group one of these days. And Diana brought a lovely flower arrangement to brighten up the party!

Meanwhile, I'm about 7 months already! Shelton took this picture from a lower angle, so I think it makes me look REALLY big. O_o

Chris H. at work warns me that once I hit 7 months, I'm gonna go crazy with cravings. Or so it was with his wife, for each of their 4 kiddos, hee hee...so...we'll see...=)

Piggy Moon Cake!

2009-09-30T06:56:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was unrelentless. Actually, it feels like the whole past week has been unrelentless in keeping me busy. O_o

So Shelton cheered me up with a Piggy Mooncake (“猪仔饼”)! ^_^ Check it out! =)

Y'all know you want one too! ^_^ It's so cute! =) I'm going to save it and eat it on Saturday while celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, heh heh heh...

Ooo. There are all kinds of mooncakes out there. For those that are curious. =)

And? I was up last night till late, making some Mexican/Spanish style rice for potluck today at work.

Yum. =) Even if I cheated this time. ^_~

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

2009-09-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Thomas is bananas! ^_^

Lorie & Damon are married! Their wedding at Fort MacArthur was fun and beautiful Saturday, filled with lots of love and joy. ^_^ It's too bad we had to leave early on, but it was great nonetheless to witness one of my dearest friends get married to a worthy man. =)

Giang's sent her save-the-dates for the wedding...it's coming up in a few months already! Ay! ^_^

Rosalyn's back from her DTS Training in Australia and South Africa! I'm sure she has much stories to tell, so I can't wait to see her again and catch up on her adventures. =)

What else? During dinner before Back-to-School night, I discovered Panera's Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich...which is heavenly. =) Chicken, celery, almond slices, grapes, honey and a light dressing...I can totally do it! =) Eating with co-workers is always fun as well. ^_~

I have to admit though, with work, I've not been in the kitchen as much. =( Grading and lesson planning has been keeping me busy. Grr. I've not even made a single thing this school year to share at work! Time to cook and bake sometime soon I hope...=)

You also know you're old when you get knocked out for a weekend from Back-to-School night. I was exhausted the next day, and my feet were swollen for the next few days. =( Actually, I guess pregnancy can do that. =P The baby can move around a lot now. ^_^ Once, Shelton put his mouth to my belly to speak to her, and while talking, she kicked his mouth! And last night, though I've seen it before, it was Shelton's first time in seeing my belly move when she kicks. Amazing.

Every kick is amazing, actually. =) It's amazing how God knits life together. Even when she's squishing and playing kickball with my bladder, though it's not as fascinating as it's troublesome, ha ha ha...=) We have yet to move things around in terms of getting a nursery somewhat ready, so that will take some time.

And apparently, I have a new name. =P My boss announced me as "Mrs. Winn" at B2S night...which means I'm either partly responsible for the Wynn hotels in Vegas, or Vietnamese ("Nguyen")...O_o Heh heh...oh well. Perhaps I'll inform her next time on how to properly say my name. ^_~

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is coming up soon, in case you didn't know. October 3rd! Another food-centered Asian holiday to celebrate my culture. Yes! I love being Chinese! ^_^

The Four Deuces, Version 2

2009-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Four Deuces...revisited this time on Saturday for Perry's Bday party! ^_^ We had a delicious Wood Ranch BBQ dinner and Porto's for the cake, at Connie & Perry's new place! It was fun to see Connie & Perry, Mindy & Neil, and Benny again, and to meet new friends (or enemies? since it's a murder mystery party? ^_~) there, heh heh...I didn't get any pictures this time, but Jean sent some to us (thanks! ^_^):

Cash Steal being interrogated by Rhett Bumbler...who kept trying to accuse my husband of the murder! Heh heh...only the Steals had their own agenda there that night!

Cassandra Steal, scoping out who to gather information from next...^_~

Mmm...cake...^_^

The birthday boy! =)

Group Picture! ^_^

Goodnight! ^_^

Slacking...

2009-09-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

I've neglected my little farm on FarmVille...my Mafia in MafiaWars...my Restaurant in Restaurant City...and so many other Facebook games cuz...work has started!

Heh heh...it's been about 3 weeks of school already, but there has been lots of good things going on!

- Students? Great!
- I have a student teacher this year! Yes! =)
- Last year's kids have visited, many of them saying the big news amongst them is the coming Baby Yuen...^_~
- Students have been writing names ideas in a jar for Shelton & I, which is always fun to read and check out. =)

- The baby itself is doing great! The doctor says she's an active one (and she is!), moving a lot, healthy, strong, and everything is checking out great. Woo hoo! It's all very exciting. =)
-I'm growing very round, at a little more than 5.5 months now...thus, perhaps that is why all the students want to rub my belly like it's full of good luck...as if I'm Buddha or something...heh heh...

- Work amigos are great! =) I've even made a new friend, Tabitha, who started teaching at our school this year. She's quite nice, and I like her alot! =) Our lunch table has expanded, too, so there's a lot more people this year. =)

- Went to Lorie's Bachelorette Party! Fun fun! And good to see everyone again! =)
- We visited Vegas over Labor Day weekend, and got to hang out with Uncle John, Carol, Shelton's parents, and some of the LWCC crew!
- Lunched and played at Victoria Gardens with some of the girls yesterday - Mello, Megan, Amy, Nina, Leah, and a Diana!
- Heidi's Birthday was last week! Happy Birthday! =)

-Connie & Perry are doing the Murder Mystery Party too! Yay! We'll be there, playing minor roles since we know who the main murderer is already, hee hee hee...we still want to do the second part one day, but that's going to be on hold till after the baby. =)
- Takako & Wilkin's baby shower is coming up soon too! =)
- As is Lorie & Damon's wedding!

- I've not cooked very much since school started...I made onigiri with Shelton yesterday, but our hands were all red from holding the hot sushi rice while molding them, so we have no pictures this time. =( They're filled with stir-fried, marinaded chicken...quite delish! ^_^ The only suggestion? When making onigiri, make sure the filling is drained of any juices or oils, or the rice doesn't hold very well. I had a few that were falling apart afterward...not so great looking, but good to eat right then, ha ha ha...=)

Adventure on Saturday

2009-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dim Sum! ^_^

With Victor, Jenny, and Abby...plus a TK and Bev...plus a Melody, Simon, and Gary!

AND we ran into Paul, Ruth, Thomas and Theo who were dim summing later at the same place!

Mello, Simon, and Gary went on then to move Gary into his apartment in Santa Monica, but the rest of us went to 99 Ranch for some grocery shopping and Chinese food education for the Cisneros, hee hee...^_^

And on our way to get some yummy shaved snow and shaved ice, we ran into the Fantastic Four Laus once again! ^_^

While waiting for our shaved goodies, we also ran into Jessica Chen and her mom and sister! ^_^

Shaved goodies were excellent for the scorching heat that SoCal's been going through lately, and even better when shared with stories of Kitty's latest misadventures in Irvine. ^_~

Hopefully, the gang doesn't think we know all of Chinatown...=) But it was fun to see familiar faces on our adventure today...=) We came home, completely tired and napped the afternoon away. For Shelton, his back has been bothering him. =( For me, I just needed my afternoon nap after a week of no afternoon naps, hee hee...by the time we woke up, we were hungry again, so we got our free pizza (they gave us a letter for a free one when we moved into Corona) at Graziano's, which is a busy but fun pizza parlor nearby that served delicious, piping hot pizza, before picking up some fruits and dairy things at Henry's nearby. =)

Needless to say, I did very little schoolwork. At least I did get to put my gradebook together for the new year? =)

Jealousy

2009-08-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Simon brought up something at FNL that made me think a bit extra this weekend...we were talking about something - I don't remember exactly what - but the topic came to how certain people can often be very happy and easy-going, despite their circumstances. Simon warned something about not being TOO happy, lest others be jealous. I don't think it was quite worded like that, but it was along that line. I flippantly replied that well, if they're jealous, they usually don't really talk to you. In other words, they wouldn't usually good friends, who would instead, be genuinely happy for you, and so it shouldn't be a problem that we worry over. And then we all moved on to something else.

Thinking back, I realized that probably wasn't the best answer. I mean, yeah, we can NOT concern ourselves with it, because it's not something in which we're doing anything wrong. It's the other party's problem. However, that might not be of any benefit to either party. Well, that is, if you're aware of it. If you're not aware of it and have no idea about it, then one wouldn't know to do anything about it. Personally, I'm pretty naive. I know this mostly because others tell me so because I'm either too gullible or don't think others would act a certain way, hee hee...but usually, I can pick up if something's not right. I just don't know the WHAT or WHY of it.

I think it might just be best to share with them whatever they are jealous of, if the situation permits. (Granted, I may be jealous of Shelton's Bejeweled Blitz score, but that's nothing he can SHARE with me and give me too - I have to earn a higher score on my own. But wait...this is more of a rivalry, instead of a jealousy, heh heh heh...) I say "if the situation permits", simply because some people not be receptive to it, and sometimes, there are things that really can't be shared - but one CAN share time and some effort with them. To share the joy with them in a way that includes that person somehow, if they're receptive to it. So yeah. Some quick thoughts on that that I wanted to remember. =)

Happy Fukada Birthday! ^_^

2009-08-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Bday was great! Thanks all! ^_^ As it turns out, August is a wonderful bday month! Shelton's. Justin's. Joanna's. Chris H.'s. Kristen's. Asa's. Alison's. Lynn's. and a bunch of other fantastic people! ^_^

Besides a most lovely surprise card in the morning, Shelton took me out to a surprise dinner at Fukada in Irvine! We haven't been there before, but it's always fun to find a new place to try out...and mmmm! If you're in that area, you should try it out! ^_^ It's also really close to the Spectrum, so you can, like us, wander around there afterwards. My, that place continues to grow...O_o

So, we thought all the little appetizer dishes would be tiny, like Furaibo, which is NOT so great. Last time Shelton, Derrick, and I went to Furaibo, we spent lots of money and were STILL hungry afterwards, AND it wasn't too tasty. Maybe it's toooo authentic Japanese??? I don't know. But this place was much, must better - bigger portions, cheaper, and delicious! ^_^

So, here's a quick little review of the place...

For about $10.95, you could order a noodle and rice combo. This was filling enough, and I ended up taking home rice for lunch today. =) But they served us Sansai Udon (udon with mountain veggies) and Tanuki Udon (udon with tempura). With that, you can choose brown or white rice for the rice portion, and Shelton got the Spicy Tuna Don on brown rice, featured below. He said it was WONDERFUL!

I got the Oyaku-Don, which is Chicken and Egg, and I got half brown rice and half white rice. The chicken is free range, the brown rice wasn't bad at all, and the white rice was great! Fukada, as we learned, is a healthy Japanese restaurant. It was all tasty though. ^_^

Next, came the Nasumiso. WOWWWWWWW. This was my favorite dish of all last night...it's basically roasted Japanese eggplant topped with a miso spread. I've learned to like eggplant more and more this past year, hee hee...and this one was DA BOMB! Warm, savory and flavorful, I know I'm getting this again next time I'm at Fukada. =) Worthy for a $4 dish.

The Crunchy Roll showed up next, and it was tasty, with blanched asparagus rolled up with shrimp tempura, topped with crunchy goodness. =) However, it wasn't too special - it IS healthier, because the crunchiness is less oily, which is a good thing, but we've had many crunch rolls, and other places can make them tastier.

Last, but certainly not least, came got this TenMusu dish for $4.50. It's like an onigiri, but with a shrimp tempura inside. Another dish that I'd order again and again, and I even have a leftover one to bring to work today as a snack! They were bigger than expected, and mouthwatering delicious. =)

Mmm...I'm all up to going again! I'd get the TenMusu, NasuMiso, and then perhaps try something like the AgeDashi (fried tofu) that looked like a little bowl of golden-goodness sitting on our neighbor's table. Or the Yu-Tofu, which is like a tofu pot that our other neighbors had. Or this grilled fish...or the seared tuna salad...or...well...too many things to try! ^_^ Must...return...=)

Dallas Keynote Speaker - Dalton Sherman

2009-08-22T08:18:00.001-07:00

They showed this at our staff meeting...and wow. Inspirational to watch for all those that work with kids somehow or another. =)

This kid is 12 years old...and speaking in front of 20,000 people!

Ice Cream Cake

2009-08-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Elissia made this wonderful ice cream that truly put ColdStone to shame! ^_^ Thank you for sharing it with the gang of us! ^_^

A crusty, chocolate cookie crumble bottom, topped with Rocky Road ice cream (that includes marshmallows and almonds! ^_^), the cake, and layered on top with what tasted like cool whip or vanilla ice cream. Deeeelicious, and a great way to start the school year! ^_^

Hee hee...one more picture - you could say that Julie made her do it. Sort of. Hahahah...^_~

Updates Updates Updates....!

2009-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hmm. Warning. There's been a lot of eating out lately. Oy! O_o

Between Shelton's Birthday and a week of the Church Summer Program, things got a little busy, and I've neglected updated. Epic Fail! Just like how Ian's team got draaaaaaaaged down by Simon's team in our Charades Tug of War game that week! PWNED! ^_^

But during that time, we did get a few other fun things thrown in too!

Uncle John and Carol visited from Vegas! They were on a road trip, and stopped by for breakfast with us. We took them to the rustic and lovely Original Silver Dollar Pancake House in Corona. =)

We also got to finally meet Megumi! Derrick and Megu-chan and us went out to to Sunday Bistro, before Megumi went back to Japan, and Derrick, a few days later, would follow on vacation. He's found Pork Katsu Vending Machines! Karazy! =)

Then Heidi came back for a visit from NOLA! =) We Panera'd for a light lunch, and then played at the book store, as us book readers like to do. =) We searched for a few good books to add into our Book Club, and found some possible prospects!

In Vegas for the last week...

- Rounders is this little pub in Vegas that's worth going to.

Shelton had the flavorful Chicken Fingers and shared my fries.

I had the Tuscany Chicken Sandwich, which really is an extraordinary sandwich! Wichcraft may have some nice sammies, but they're a little costly...this one at Rounders was BEAUTIFUL...Tom Colicchio, eat your heart out! =) Grilled chicken, topped with a sun-dried tomato pesto (not normally a fan of sun-dried tomato, but in this, it was juicy and good!), smoked Gouda, roasted and grilled garlic, grilled portabello mushroom slices, spinach, and a garlic aioli spread...all on a toasted, deliciously warm pretzel bun bread! =)

- We explored the Silverton Casino, which houses a Bass Pro Shop. Sugoi!!! It's like a mini-amusement park, with its gigantical aquarium, waterfalls with fish and fowl, little lakes with fish, an indoor archery range, rifle shooting arcade game, outdoor-themed bathrooms, fishing demos, and all the outdoors gear you could imagine. =) It makes me want to start fishing. ^_^

Here's the front entrance with the waterfall, filled with ducks and fish. =)

The aquarium was cool, from the floor to the ceiling. It wasn't easy to get pictures though, heh heh...but in it, sting rays smile...giant pufferfish roam...and colorful flora keep the fish entertained. =)

They had a fish tank of giant fish inside for the fishing demos. I found a surprised fish...and probably one of the oldest catfish I've ever seen there. O_o

- With signing up for Silverton's Player's Club (a good idea to do in Vegas; whether you gamble or not, in case you didn't know, you can always get some sort of good buffet deal and some free slot play, hee hee...), we got a 2-for-1 deal for their lunch buffet (as well as a bunch of other coupons, but we'll never use most of them anyway). The buffet was $10, so you really couldn't get anything better for a $5 lunch. =)

- For more food, we explored China MaMa, which includes some excellent Little Dragon Buns (Xiao Long Bao), soup noodles (we had the pork strips with snow cabbage), and other northern China specialties. =) I'd go again!

- We also checked out the new HK Star, which has excellent prices as well as excellent Cantonese food! It was only about $40 for our party of 4, and we indulged in half an Emperor's Chicken, Crispy
Fried Tofu on top of braised vegetables and topped with the inner parts of a bamboo shoot, Garlic Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy, and our free half a Chiu Chou Soy Duck (with $30 purchase minimum). ^_^ Of course, like any good Chinese restaurant in Vegas, dinner came with complimentary soup and dessert. ^_^

- Buffet@Asia has improved their fare. I like it much better now - their sushi was improved, including a seaweed salad sushi roll and salmon sushis, and they even had oxtail soup with noodles on the buffet line! And as usual, all-you-can-eat crab legs. =)

- And we checked out Whole Foods at The District...perhaps the Top Chef contestants went to that one. =) Mmm...Whole Foods...with all their foods and their awesome food court. =) We even picked up a lemon tart for Shelton's mom, who has an affinity for sweet things. =)

- We got to hang out with great people! Our priority, though it may not see like it, was not food, but it was to visit Shelton's parents, and that we did everyday! Besides eating out, taking us to L'Elysee Bakery (some of my favorite bakery breads are here!) regularly, we got to spend family time hanging out at home. =)

- We did get to see Uncle John and Carol down at the Elephant Bar at the Green Valley area for a lovely lunch! =) UJ tricked me with his fake-tiny-fish-in-a-zip-loc-bag, and laughed his hearty laugh (I like his laugh when he's super amused, hee hee!) and Carol did eat about all of her salad and is looking better and better! And we even visited their homes in Henderson, eating wedges of a crispy and sweet Ha Mi Melon my parents gave them through us. =)

- We got to hang out with Tiffany and Rob late at night! =) It was pretty awesome seeing her again. She makes me so proud, as she's doing so well in so many aspects! ^_^ And Rob is a wonderful guy who is worthy of her. =) I think us four sat on a bench in the Town Square and talked several hours, catching up and hanging out. =) He's even currently working with Terry Goodkind, hee hee...in fact, Mr. Goodkind was on the phone with him when we met Rob, and Rob had designed his website for him...besides giving the name for the Mr. & Mrs.'s cat. ^_~. Pretty awesome, seeing as I had JUST finished Wizard's First Rule the week before going to Vegas! ^_^ It is too bad we cannot make it to this Saturday's Meet-and-Greet, but the Tiffler promised lots of pictures, so we can pretend we were there. =)

Coming back from Vegas...

- My dad is okay. Whew. =) On the way back from Vegas, he called to let me know he wasn't feeling well - his bp was up to 200/120! And his left arm/hand was tingly and getting a little numb. My mom picked him up from work and took him to the hospital, and the EKG found that everything was clear. It might be his bp meds that were causing the problem...but now it should be fixed...=)

- We won a baby car seat online! Neato...one is supposed to click to win once a day, but I only clicked once or twice...but well, we came back from Vegas, and we were winners! ^_^ It's worth about $150, so that definitely helps. O_o

- Takako came over last Saturday, and we got to hang out and catch up over sushi & udon, and scrapbooking (sorta. more talking that scrapping, hee hee). Yay!!! =) Such exciting times are coming up for the both of us! =)

- Elder Wayne Chu & Family visited for the weekend, and we partied with them all Saturday night at Melody's place. =)

- Grace Cai has gone back to France! Aww...we will miss her...as we got used to her during her visit the past few months at RCAC. She's Thomas's cousin, on his mom's side, which means she and I aren't blood-related, but we like to joke that she's also another niece or second-cousin-twice-removed or whatever (Ah, Thomas has a better grasp on the naming of these relations, so you'll have to ask him about it, hee hee...)

- It's Back-to-School for me already! Shelton came with me Monday to move everything around, and Stacy and Sydney visited yesterday to help me with decorations, copying and wonderful things like that. I'm about done, and won't go back till tomorrow, when we officially begin. Summer is over. =( But it was nice to see all my work friends again, catching up and chatting about everything. ^_^ I love the people I get to work with...they're pretty awesome. =)

- Last night, Giang and I got to catch up too! She's got a house closing escrow, a wedding to plan, and working at the hospital to do. Oy! Her hands are full and pretty much tied right now, yet she's still finding time to chat over sliders. Yay! ^_^

I haven't used my camera much these past few weeks...more like we've spent time relaxing, playing, hanging out with friends, and so on, so it's been busy, but a good busy. =)

Soon enough, it will be back to work-busy too...! And this year, there are some changes - some teachers have moved around in the district, our principal has moved into the District Office, and little Baby Yuen is getting bigger and bigger...! ^_^

Happy Birthday Shelton! ^_^

2009-08-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Surprise! ^_^ We had a little surprise party for Shelton this morning...thanks Nina and Scott, for bringing the pie! ^_^ And everyone else for keeping the surprise so well, setting up the 24 elders (candles, ha ha...we didn't have enough candles for his age, but we have been studying Revelation, so...^_~) on the pie, and hangin' out. ^_^

We celebrated dinner tonight with my family, at Cheesecake Factory, followed by some awesome chillaxing in our cool and breezy backyard. ^_^

Here's my bro with his Bang Bang Chicken & Shrimp:

Shelton, with his Shrimp & Chicken Gumbo:

Me, with Garlic Noodles with Chicken...and the birthday boy ^_^:

My dad, with his Beer Battered Fish 'n Chips:

And my mom, with her Hibachi Steak:

Needless to say, we all ended up sharing, and we all ended up taking a meal each home to eat for tomorrow, ha ha ha...=)

~Happy Birthday love! ^_^~

Congrats Mei-Chi & Greg! ^_^

2009-08-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

August 1, 2009
SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

A beautiful wedding! Mei-Chi always knew how to throw a party, and the wedding fit her perfectly! Elegant, on the Garden Terrace, in a luxurious hotel, just as the sun was setting into the horizon as they shared their vows...^_^

You can see how lovely the bride is, and how happy the groom is here! ^_^ Hmm...as for me...I'm getting round already...O_o

Actually, one of the funnest moments was when we first arrived - crowds were all over the front of the entrance, in lines, with a tour bus here or there. We were wondering if Mei-Chi & Greg's wedding was THAT famous, or another celebrity had decided to grace the place with their presence (hey, it's a hot spot, right?), but as the valet took our car, and we were led by a hostess into the Garden Terrace, they told us that the crowd was there because the FC Barcelona soccer team were staying there, and in town to play the LA Galaxy, heh heh...=)

Anyway, back to the wedding...I'm sure we'll get some better, more professional photography, later. As for now, our shots will have to do - hindered by my height (it's hard to see over people taller than 5'2", heh heh...), the sun setting, and the lovely purple-lit ambience of the banquet hall, it wasn't easy to take good pictures.

Here's us as we wait - the sun was shining at the perfect angle...into our eyes. =P However, as it began to set lower, it was perfect for the ceremony. =)

The terrace was decorated with hanging flowers of purples and greens, and oversized mirrors from the hotel were set up on the sides. The mirrors were really cool, and we couldn't resist playing, politely, as we waited. The ceremony actually started almost an hour after the invitation time - probably on purpose, and maybe to wait for the sunset. =)

On our way inside, we found random animal statues here and there. As animals are well-loved by us, we couldn't resist. And this one features a horse and a pig together! What luck! As it matches our Chinese zodiac signs, hahaha...=)

The banquet hall was lit in a soft purple light, as you can see. Here's the awesome centerpiece:

The lighting...

Favor boxes...

There were even couches off to the side of the dance floor, hee hee...Because it was hard to get good pictures, it wouldn't do any justice to put pictures of their first dance and such here. We'll have to save that till we get pictures from them first. =)

Of course, food is very important...so here's a rundown on the food...^_^

Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of the delicious hors d'oeuvres that were served in small tables around the terrace, nor those that came out in trays by polished servers who were attacked almost immediately as they came out into the crowds. It was kinda like something you'd see on Top Chef...chefs preparing tiny delicious morsels as crowds waited for their turn to please their taste buds. ^_^ However...I do promise you it's worth reading if you like food. =)

There was a tiny block of foie gras surrounded by a light cloud of cotton candy - the contrast of sweet and salty was quite good. ^_^ A favorite was the Philly cheesesteak style bread - a light and fresh air bread, pumped with a foamed artisan cheese inside, topped with thin slices of lightly seared steak.

There were also shrimp cocktail, only the shrimp were skewered onto small plastic pipettes filled with cocktail sauce, of which you were to squeeze into your mouth when you got to the shrimp, heh heh...and these lightly fried chicken croquettes...kinda like a gourmet cream of chicken blend (only it was the perfect ratio of cream to chicken...I'm sure "cream of chicken" is not the best description of the filling), fried into a golden puff.

With the aid of molecular gastronomy, the juice of fresh olives were made into a little ball at another table. It looked gelatinous, but it completely was not, and when you slide the olive juice ball into your mouth and take even a small bite, it would pop, and the olive juice would burst in your mouth! I'm not a fan of olives anyway, so I didn't quite find that one enjoyable...but if you are an olive fan, I'd imagine you'd find it delightful. =)

Next to that table was another chef, filling tiny crispy cones with a lemon and dill air-whipped cream cheese, and topping it with poppable salmon roe. Not a fan of salmon roe...but Shelton was, and he liked this one a lot. Remember how much Chisato loooooved the bursting qualities of salmon roe at Sushimon, I think she would LOVE this one too, hee hee...=)

Dinner came after guests were able to mingle in the posh hotel, filled with unique furniture, paintings, decor, lush carpets, walls made of various textures, and soft lighting in all sorts of color. We signed the traditional red wedding cloth, deposited our gifts, and even Mei-Chi and Greg were able to come out and mingle with everyone before dinner!

At our table, we met some awesome people, including Megan and Ben, Velia, and some others, where we found common ground in talking about food, work, Irvine, Las Vegas, traveling, pregnancy, children, families, and shared stories of Mei-Chi and ate with one other.

It was fun how the waiters would stand around our table, one per person, plate in hand, and would synchronize setting the courses down onto our charger plates. Very cool. =) We were served with:

First Course: Jose's Organized Caesar Salad. Topped with a Quail Egg and some sort of light and crispy bread trapezoid. It was really, well, organized. Good, but not the best salad I've had...but its presentation was unique.

Second Course: "Not Your Traditional" Onion Soup with Aged Parmesan. Flavorful, savory, and warming...a little salty, but I always go light on my salt, so I'm sure it was fine for everyone else. It was neat how they placed a slice of baked parmesan on our dishes first, and then we were served tableside by a waiter who would pour the soup into our bowls. =)

Entree: I had the Striped Seabass, served with a cauliflower puree, pine nuts, pomegranate and sherry dressing. It was good, but I have to say, the toasted pine nuts totally made my day on this dish! Its nutty flavor simply pulled the dish together.

Shelton had the Ribeye with Piquillo Pepper Confit, served with roasted fingerling potatoes and Catalan spinach with pine nuts, raisins, and apples. This was probably the biggest slab of steak ever served at any wedding we went to...and cooked medium rare...we like it slightly rare like that. ^_^

Dessert: Wedding Cake and Chocolate Tray. shaped into a giant wedding gift (that I missed, because I actually thought it WAS a gift...hey...it was near all the other gifts...! O_o) the wedding cake was a layer cake of raspberry and lemon jams. =) The chocolate tray was great though: filled with housemade bon bons, chocolate tablets (mmm...dark chocolate!), and the highlight - chocolate pop rocks!!! ^_^

Congratulations to the newlyweds! I'm so glad you've found your other half! ^_^

Ohayo!

2009-07-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

Currently Reading: Wizard's First Rule

Yes. Love it so far. Absolutely love it, more than I expected! I mean, it's an intimidating book...a huge volume, no pictures, tiny words (as Kawai pointed out, Harry Potter may be big, but the fonts are larger and there are bigger margins. True!)...but the descriptions of which Terry Goodkind writes out his novel is captivating, and it takes me to another world. Reading Rainbow, manifested, ha ha ha...=)

I'll have to get my self to the bookstore to pick up the other book I'm to read, since it's not at my library. This book is for our newly started Book Club! ^_^ If you're interested, do let me know - it's free, ha ha, and you can join in! ^_^ Our first book is Trail of Crumbs! ^_^

Oh yes, Kawai! She visited yesterday to play basketball with Shelton, and then Melody and Jojo came to hang out afterwards with us too! We dined on fried rice, almond tofu, and simply hung out...good times! ^_^

Some interesting things from my bro:

Did You Know???

And this older movie, called The Ramen Girl, ha ha ha...silly, but maybe entertaining, since there's Ramen in it. =)

HOJ Revived! Fried Egg & Sechang Shrimp

2009-07-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

That title sounds like something off of a Naruto episode or something, eh? Hee hee...

House of Joy has been revived! In so many ways! ^_^

First, online, via Heidi, Megan, and I - we'll be making a collective of culinary goodies online to exchange and learn from. Mmm...=)

And in real life! Some of girls and I thought of making some sort of "summer cooking institute" this summer...and we had our first meeting yesterday. ^_^

Melody mastered the Fried Egg ("hou bao daan", translated as "wallet egg", because the inside is runny and the outside is cooked and crisp). Here's her debut egg! Megan and Simon both approved - they're both going to be very happy now that she can make it. ^_^

And Amy showed us how to make that delicious Sechang Shrimp. ^_^

It's very easy...here's a quick set of directions. Sorry...we eyeballed everything, so if you want to do it too, just do it according to your taste buds prefer. ^_^

1. With the shell still on the shrimp, after it's been washed and cleaned, coat them well into a mixture of cornstarch, salt and black pepper, as you can see June and Mello doing below. Be generous with the seasonings. =) Meanwhile, heat up some oil in your wok for deep frying (or deep fryer).

2. Take the shrimp, and fry, like Amy is doing below. Flip the shrimp around, and once it turns pink and is about ready, take it out to drain. Set aside.

3. Slice some jalapeno peppers and a large red bell pepper into 1/2" rings. Also slice a few stalks of the green parts of a green onions into 1" sections, but dice the white ends.

4. Stir fry the veggies in a wok till fragrant, and then add the shrimp. Mix well. No oil is really needed. On the side, make a mixture of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and black pepper, and toss that into the shrimp and peppers mixture. If you want, you can add a bit of water to get the rest of the sauce into the shrimps, and to help the sauce mix around better, but keep in mind that if there is too much water, the shrimp may lose its crispiness!

5. Dish up, and voila! =)

6. Best served fresh at a table, surrounded by several hungry girls, and maybe some Sweet Onion Maui kettle chips on the side...^_~

Next Episode? I'll be teaching Spam Musubi Two Ways, and we'll be figuring out together Dan Taats (if I can find the right recipe for it!), and Palmier cookies! And maybe something else too...to be determined. =)

Skillet Chicken

2009-07-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

So I've spatchcocked a chicken! Which is, essentially, butterflying it. Oh, but it was fun. ^_^

And then I cooked it on the cast iron skillet, according to these directions on Gourmet.com.

1. Spatchcock a whole chicken. Pat dry chicken. Salt & pepper chicken.

2. Melt 3 Tbsp. of butter on a cast iron skillet, set at medium heat, until all the butter stops foaming...

3. Put the chicken skin side down to cook. Place some rosemary twigs on top.

4. Cover the whole thing with parchment paper, and top with another skillet or heavy pan...plus lots of tin cans as weights on top. Let the chicken cook like this for 15 minutes.

5. After 15 minutes, take everything off, and flip the chicken carefully. Place rosemary twigs back on, parchment, skillet, and weights again, and cook for about another 15 minutes.

6. Remove chicken and cover with foil loosely while you make the glaze. =) The chicken browns nicely, as you can see below. =)

I made the glaze pretty much the same as the original recipe, only...I didn't have cider vinegar and skipped it - I think that it would have thinned out the sauce base if I had it...and I didn't have whole peppercorns, but just used a bit less of black pepper, heh heh. My glaze was a little too thick, but it was tasty. You could taste the maple syrup, and it enhanced the chicken meat well. =)

The chicken meat itself, however, was REALLY juicy! Way better than baking/roasting it in a way, because all the juices were not lost; it was cooked in its own juice the whole time. =)

So, my thoughts? I'd use this method to cook chicken again. =) The sauce was a lot of work, and it was nice and I liked it...If I had cider vinegar, I'd try it, but I hardly use that and don't want to buy it just for one thing. However, I think that if I just drizzled some diluted maple juice in the chicken juice, and gravied it up a bit my own way, it'd be just as tasty. =)

Second Wedding Anniversary!

2009-07-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pictures from the Garden that is not of us, hee hee hee...

This time, last year, we were still in our apartment in Anaheim Hills...yet it all seems so long ago! O_o I guess you could say that time flies, and it's fast - 2 years already since we got married? ^_^ However, it's only 2 years...and there's more to come. Yay! =)

Last year, we celebrated with our summer trip to Aruba. ^_^ This year, we stayed local, and had a wonderful time at it! ^_^

We first visited Tasty Garden for lunch - Chicken Leong Mien Wong (Noodles), and I even got Cantaloupe Juice! Deeeelicious! ^_^ We took a to-go order of some HK Egg Waffles and Chicken Wings for our snacking at the park later too. Mmm...=) However, you could smell how delicious it was the whole time. I guess that's why some flies kept buzzing around our backpack at the park, hee hee...reminds me our hike up Cathedral Rock, when Shelton asked me to marry him (see 8/14/06 post). ^_^

Our trip up to Descanso Gardens is long...so I put captions in the pictures so you can follow our adventures through a photo journal. =) Just start at the giant Oscar Mayer truck, ha ha ha...Enjoy! ^_^

Pan-Fried Dumplings

2009-07-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

The same as regular dumplings, only shaped into the half-moon instead of the butt-shapes. ^_^ The fillings I had on hand this time were ground pork, grated carrots, and shitake mushrooms.

This time, once they were freshly made, I pan fried a few of them for a tasty snack. ^_^ They accompany well with Sriracha. =) If made Japanese-gyoza-style, you'd add a lot of minced garlic into the filling, and serve with a soy-garlic dipping sauce. =)

Gourmet.Com

2009-07-20T13:30:00.001-07:00

I was browsing on TV today, and came across this AWESOME program, Diary of a Foodie - they were talking about delish food found in Montreal (which is where Bezalel and Betty are at still! Grr! So jealous!), and showcasing different recipes and kitchenery...all very inspiring and exciting. ^_^

I'm all inspired to spatchcock a chicken and cook it on our cast iron skillet...and drizzle the crispy goodness that is created with their maple syrup glaze! ^_^

Gourmet.Com features many yummy recipes, such as Baked Chicken Meatballs and Garlic Herb Bread Twists and articles about food in all arenas. Pretty neat. =) Good for me to check out while I'm chilling at home this summer...=)

Ramen

2009-07-15T16:01:00.001-07:00

Just FYI, heh heh...=)

Noodle Son's Noodle 101 Crash Course

Noodle Son's Instant Noodle Reviews

Wikipedia: Ramen

Ichiraku Ramen, for Naruto Fans. ^_~

Ramen Museum in Japan

Green Onion Pancakes

2009-07-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

AKA Scallion Pancakes, or more commonly known to us Chinese folks as "Chong Yow Bang". ^_^

It's not really a pancake...think of a really thin pizza crust that's crispy on the outside, and just a little chewy on the inside, and flavored with fragrant green onions. =) So it's not really a cake, because it's dough-y, but as mentioned in previous Daifuku post, we Chinese like to use the word "bang" (cookie) for anything that's snack/morsel-like. However, it is made in a pan, so that's part of its name. It may sound weird if you've never had it, but it's quite delicious. I don't know any Chinese person that doesn't like it. =)

I borrowed this book from the library. Pages were ripped out of it...which is sad...but it was good enough that I'm going to buy it online with a gift card I have. =)

The recipe is from this wonderful book, and it's amazingly short and simple to make Scallion Pancakes!

Ingredients:

1.5 Cups of flour, and more for dusting
1/2 Cup of boiling water
2 Tbsp. cold water
1 Cup of thinly sliced green onions/scallions (about 6)
3 tsp. of toasted sesame oil (or 1 Tbsp shortening...I prefer the oil)
Salt
2-4 Tbsp of peanut or vegetable oil to cook

Directions:

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and stir in the bowling water until well blended. Then add the cold water.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 4-5 minutes, until the dough is firm and elastic. Form it into a ball, and dust it with flour before wrapping it in plastic and letting it rest for about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels, and set it aside.

4. Divide the scallions into 6 parts. Also divide the dough into 6 pieces.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough piece into a circle, about 7.5 inches round.

6. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil/shortening onto the dough to within 1/4 inch of the edge, and sprinkle with a scant 1/4 tsp of salt (I used less, about half of that. The first one I made seemed too salty), and top with one part of the scallions. Lightly press everything into the dough.

7. Fold the dough into thirds, and pinch to close the ends before jelly-rolling up the dough loosely on one short end.

8. Turn the coil round side up, dust a little flour on it, and flatten with your fingers, and roll it into a circle...about 5 inches in diameter.

As you can see above, I need a rolling pin of some sort. Using a cup is difficult, heh heh...subsequent cakes were better rolled (this one, and the following two pictures, are of the first one made. ^_^ The previous pictures were latter cakes. ^_^)

9. Repeat steps 5-8 for all the other dough pieces.

10. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tsp of oil to cook. When it's almost smoking, place one pancake on the skillet, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, flipping it over only once, until golden brown and fragrant. Add another tsp of oil when you flip the pancake.

11. Lift an edge of the pancake to check for overbrowning and reduce the heat if needed.

12. Transfer pancakes to a baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven while cooking the rest; cut each pancake into 4-6 pieces when ready to serve...and serve hot and fresh! =)

*Note: I didn't make all of them at once...instead, I am refrigerating the remaining pancakes to make later tonight; in the future, I might try freezing them on layers of wax paper in the freezer to see if that works too! =)

Ichigo Daifuku

2009-07-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ichigo means Strawberries. ^_^

Daifuku, well...I'm not sure the actual meaning, but it's like a stuffed mochi. =) In Chinese, it's like "Dai (big) Fuk (prosperity) Bang (Cookie/Biscuit)". It's not really a cookie, but it's a snack type thing, so the word cookie can be used at times in Cantonese to represent yummy morsels of any sort. =)

Strawberry-Stuffed Mochi is easier to make than it looks! =) I DID get lazy and buy a can of sweetened red bean paste...and I did use the microwave method for making the mochi, but it is an easy, tried-and-true method that works very well. =) Though I didn't get any cross-section pictures of it while eating it fresh (my hands were messy enough!), here's one from online:

I used the recipe given to me by Sharon for the most part, located at Chow Times, but wrapped the strawberries with the red bean paste before setting them aside in the fridge. The sweetened/glutinous rice flour that I often like to use is just plain ol' mochiko. Ingredients are simply the box of Mochiko, a can of the paste, and some fresh strawberries - I chose the smaller strawberries, and saved the big ones to eat. =)

Even though it was small, a whole strawberry inside wrapped with red bean and then further wrapped with mochi, can make for a really big daifuku. Hence, it's name...DAIfuku. =) You can see the size comparisons below: the little ones on the left are the traditional red bean mochis, with no strawberry inside.

Overall though, they were quite tasty! My mom, critical of all homemade items, said the dough was great! My dad and Shelton also agreed that they liked the taste of it. I also made ones with just the bean paste, and those were tasty too. =)

Just a note though - if using strawberries, or any other fresh, firm fruits (squishy fruits wouldn't work as well but maybe pineapples...?), make sure the mochi is eaten within a few days! However...they'd be gone by then, right? =) The freshest ones, with its bouncy mochi wrapping, is always the best. =)

I only made enough for my family, my auntie Rosa's, and auntie Martha's families this first try around, so they got to the be the lucky guinea pigs for this experiment. =)

Next time, I can try flavoring the mochi with green tea powder, cocoa powder, or strawberry powder...or instead of rolling it in starch afterwards, to roll them around in tiny, chopped-up and grated coconut shreds! The insides can be anything - from just red bean or black sesame paste...sugar with ground peanuts...and even ice cream. ^_^ Fresh, homemade mochi ice cream, anyone? ^_^

A decade and then some...O_o

2009-07-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

It's great having friends that go yeeeears back, isn't it? =) I'm sure many of you out there have dear friendships - and though we may go through the years, knowing and meeting many people and acquaintances, a true friend is really special. =)

I hung out with Giang on Monday! ^_^ Besides catching up, we snacked at Mimi's Cafe, meandered too long at Marshall's, had a lovely time together. I remember we met, way back in our EMT class one summer. It's been, I believe, at least a decade...O_o She's on her way to getting married, and hopefully, finding a house. Yay! =)

Huy got a house a while back in Seal Beach. Yay! =) And it's funny...we've known each other since the first year of college, when I noticed this person that would be in practically all of my classes...and how sometimes, he was there early, like how I got to classes really early (I was carpooling with my parents part of my first year to UCI, and I'd get the car to go to campus after dropping them off at work in the morning). I think it's been at least 13 years of friendship. I know that it may not SOUND a lot compared to our ages, but that's almost half of our lifetimes - and we've seen each other even through engagements, marriage, and getting a house!

Likewise with Lorie, way back when Snoopy destined us to be friends in Humanities Lecture...hahahaha...=) And now, she's on her way to getting married to Damon soon, and they've found their future home in Redondo Beach. =)

And that's only 3 examples - there are many more: Takako, Rosalyn, Mei-Chi, Melody, and even TK and Bev, more recent additions, and so on...!

Many things have happened since the time when we were only 17, 18 years old, still learning how to grow into adults, some of us searching for our soulmates, learning how to deal with the rest of the world, and getting comfortable to taking a stand on what we feel is right...Of course, we're still learning - we're only barely getting into our late 20's and 30's, you know? There is still much to learn. Heh heh...but now we're all getting old...sometimes finding a loud group of young adolescents in public annoying (or avoiding them at the movie theaters by going AFTER curfew *ahem* ^_~), not going out or making long drives to LA just to grab something to eat for an hour or so as much, getting settled in our homes, and so on, ha ha ha...=)

Oh, but it doesn't mean the occasional paintballing, rockclimbing, exploring nooks and crannies, going to a special event that's far away, camping, or road trips are out of the question. Oh no. Those are still fun, right? =)

There are people I've known longer than that - like Nina and Vanessa, whom I've seen grow up since they were only 4 - and now, have been in college for a few years already, hee hee...but coming across kindred spirits whom you bond well with is unique.

Friendships are precious. =)

And to think - my first friend would be my brother, whom we've known for our lifetimes. Siblings are great. =)

As are parents, who have raised and taught me, even when I was difficult and being a silly adolescent at times, and yet, they're probably force that shaped me into...well...me. =)

Families are precious too. =)

Basil Pesto Wu Mu Noodles

2009-07-08T12:03:00.001-07:00

For some Asian-fusion flair...

...you'll need a some homemade basil pesto, a ripe tomato, some olive oil, and some dry noodles. I've been liking Wu Mu dry noodles as shown below - they're healthier, as they're not fried (I think they're steamed), but that's not the reason why I like them. I like them cuz they're REALLY REALLY YUMMY! ^_^

It's easy...just cook up the noodles (they're ready in 3 minutes!), and meanwhile, on high heat, stir and sauté diced tomatoes until the delicious and sweet tomatoey juices start running all over the pan. Add in a nice tablespoon of basil pesto and let the flavors meld happily.

When the noodles are ready, simply drain and toss immediately into the pan with the tomatoes and pesto. Add another dollop of pesto, more if you like, and some olive oil if you feel it's a bit dry.

Toss everything well together while the sauté pan is still on high heat, until it's ready to serve. Voilà! =) A delicious Asian-Italian fusion dish, served best hot (in my opinion, but cold would work too). ^_^

Some other options:
- Add shitake mushrooms and/or asparagus into the sauté pan!
- Add polska kielbasa, or sausages. We did that a while ago when my brother had dinner with us one night. =)
- If you don't have dry noodles, plain ol' ramen noodles work too. Stir-fry ramen is also a tasty choice. =) It's just that Wu Mu is kinda like pasta, only thinner and lighter in texture, and comparable to angel hair pasta. =)

On the side, Wu Mu instant noodles are generally pretty tasty. Shelton's favorite are the "lo mein" style, where you boil the noodles, then drain and mix it with the sauce packet (half only, as the flavors are strong), instead of the traditional ramen-in-soup style. I like this one light blue packaged one, something like pork and vegetables, only it's the sour-ish type of mustard (sounds weird, but it's good). =) This one is served soup-style.

The tomato-beef and spinach ones though, are not that good. They're not as cheap as other ramen noodles, but we like to try out different ones when they're on sale. =)

All in all though, ramen is another comfort food that places easily amongst fried rice, mini chicken pies, and white rice with a little bit of butter and soy sauce. ^_^

RA Sushi

2009-07-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Shelton's always happy whenever there's sushi around! ^_^

We decided to try out Restaurant Week at Dos Lagos last night, and chose RA Sushi's dinner option. =) As we got there for dinner, we realized we were in time for their happy hour as well - 1/2 off appetizers and sushi! So we ordered a little extra...^_^ This time, I had all the cooked goods only. I have to admit...sushi is more fun with the raw stuff. >_<

Pork Gyoza served with a Garlic Ponzu Sauce

Delicate and delicious, as Japanese gyoza tend to be. Deliciously filled with pork and cabbage. =) Surprisingly, one of my favorites for the night. =)

Crispy Spicy Tuna
Spicy Tuna Mix, with Soy Chili Sauce, served on top of crispy sesame rice balls.

Tasted by Shelton. Like a mini onigiri that was fried, the little rice balls on the bottom was weird. "Interesting", if we were to be kind. The bottom was strange...chewy...different...let's just leave it at that...

Yellowtail Sushi

Shelton said it was one of THE BEST yellowtail he's had! And as we showed up near the end of Happy Hour (3-7pm!), it was 1/2 off. Worth the $2.25. ^_^ It'd be worth it to just show up and order this during happy hour, hee hee...=) It was fatty, and you see how sleek and tasty it must be! =)

Tootsy Maki Sushi Roll - Crab mix, shrimp, and cucumber rolled and topped with crunchy tempura bits and drizzled with eel sauce.

The flavors were palate cleansing, though I have to admit, my taste buds weren't scintillated by the weird tempura bits on the outside. Micro-tempura-bits, compared to the normal tempura bits you'd find on an ordinary crunch roll anywhere else, and it might have been better without them. However, then, I guess you'd call it a California Roll with shrimp. =T I must admit though, the ingredients were fresh and quality was good, and the flavors were good inside. ^_^

Sesame Lemon Whitefish Sashimi
Whitefish served with sesame dressing and fresh lemon slices, topped with sesame seeds, and an organic microgreen salad.

Tasted by Shelton. We expected a fillet of whitefish, cooked, with lemon flavors...instead, we got this narrow plate, with whitefish sashimi. We were a little shocked at how small it was for a third course, but...WOW! The wonderful tang of thin lemon slices infused acid-wonderfulness into the thin slices of whitefish. =) Fantastic. =)

Crunchy Shrimp Tempura Roll - Shrimp tempura, crab mix, and cucumber, rolled and topped with red beet tempura flakes and drizzled with a sweet eel sauce.

The shrimp was bigger than the average shrimp you'd find in a shrimp tempura roll, so that was a plus. =) However, it had that funny micro-tempura-style-bits on the outside again, which I simply couldn't adore. But it wasn't bad either. Maybe I just like things with more crunch - a crispier texture would have contrasted nicely with the softer insides. Though it was a shrimp tempura, the shrimp part wasn't as crunchy as I'd expected. Hmm. Crunch rolls are better elsewhere...or if they omitted the "crunch" in its name, it wouldn't have fallen short of my expectation.

Viva Las Vegas Roll - Kani kama and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed, lightly tempura battered and topped with spicy tuna, crab mix, and sliced lotus root (fried and as a garnish on top), finished with eel sauce and spinach tempura flakes.

Tasted by Shelton. This was a heavy dish, as any fried rolls are. It was good, but dense, and though it was one of the first ones to come out, it was also one of the last ones to be finished. I generally don't like the whole-fried-roll types, but if you do, you might like this one. =)

Nutty Grilled Chicken Salad - Grilled chicken breast tossed with crushed macadamia nuts and cashew nuts, edamame peas, carrots, mixed greens, in a rice wine vinagrette, with avocado and mandarin orange slices.

Delicious! Especially as I love macadamia and cashew nuts, hee hee...however, we only got to take a few bites out of this, as we were already full from everything else. It makes good leftovers, as the nuts won't go soggy so soon. =)

Coconut Creme Brulee

A deliciously rich dessert that tasted like a coconut macaroon in creme brulee form, with a crisp and sweet layer of caramelized sugar glazing the surface. Mmm. =)