KazumiKrafts

Kinpira gobo bread

I baked some bread with Kinpira gobo. Kinpira gobo is popular vesitable side dish here. 

My family and I ate it as dinner the day before that day.  After that I baked the breads.

They were healthy of us.

How to make Kinpira gobo---about.com

Japanese wagashi

We went to a lecture about Japanese Wagashi, traditional sweets. After the lecture a sweets company provided some cups of tea and colorful sweets. 

The above one is named Hanagoromo, flower suit, likes kimono. Images of Ume, plum flowers, stamped on it. It was made with bean paste. The below one images a pine tree.

Traditional tea ceremony needs the sweets. When I was a child I thought the traditional way of tea is hard to get relax, but the colorful sweets entertain us.

 

Morning Market

Near my house a morning market is held once a month. We can get local fresh vegetables, breads and tofu. The market starts about 6:30 in the morning so I have to get up early at the day. 

make marmalade

 

A lady next door and my husband's client gave some oranges to us on the same day.  The Japanese oranges are in season now. I made marmalade with them like I do last year this time.
Sweet and sour. I love it.

同じ日にご近所さんと夫のクライアントさんより夏みかんを頂いたのでマーマレードにしました。黒糖入りでこっくりした味です。

The joy of making marmalade

  I received a lot of Natsumikans, japanese oranges. Two of us couldn't eat them at once, so I made marmalade with them.
It took a really long time to remove the peel and the remaining rind. I didn't get down to how to peel with the knife. I straggled with oranges. I completely finished peeling the skin when I found the peeler!!

Cook the fruit...put the peels, chopped oranges, sugar in a sausepan. I used the brown sugar. Bring the mix to a boil. Three hours later, the marmalade smelled very good but I found it was still waterish. I had to go to a supermarket to get a box of pectin. Using the pectin, it started to be thickend.

Fill the jars and put the lid lightly. Put them into the boiling water. Set out of it and put the lid firmly. Put them in the cold water (figure). It must be done here in Tokyo because of preparing hot and humid rainy season.
Done!!!
Cover the jars with the cloths you like.
It took a long time but It was not difficult and fun!

たーっぷり夏みかんを頂いたのでマーマレードにしました。黒糖と三温糖を使っているため、少し色が黒めです。時間はかかりますが、そんなに難しくはありません。砂糖の量とペクチンが濃度の決め手のようです。ペクチンはみかんの皮に含まれていますが、皮の渋みを押さえるため最初にボイルしてしまったため、ペクチンが流れてしまったようです。箱のペクチンを後から慌てて買いました！

making Miso

Hello! Long time no see.
My friend invited me her house and her mother showed me how to make miso last Sunday.I haven't been thought about making miso myself yet but it was easier than I expected. Then, I tried it.
1, soak the soybeans overnight water

2, boil the soybeans until tender
then, use a potato masher to puree the beans

3, mix Koji with salt
*Koji is molted rice, and it helps fermentation

4, mix 2 with 3, then put it inside of the container
finished!
I'll drink delicious miso soup next winter...I guess.

Her family's dog, Shu-chan is relaxing.

味噌を仕込んでみました。こうじは、初めて触れてみたのですが、甘酒のような（というか、甘酒ってこうじなのですね）よい香りがしました。うまく出来るといいな。友人のわんこ、シュウちゃんはお昼寝中です。

chocolate for Valentine's Day

"Yahoo! Japan conducted an annual survey on St. Valentine's Day. Nearly 14 percent give handmade chocolate to their sweethearts" I was netsurfing when I found this article. Well, I'm one of the 14 percent.
It was easy to make and didn't take long time.

Chop the white chocolate bar on the cutting board.

Then put in hot water to heat it up.

a couple of minutes later

a pack of pumpkinseeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts and Chinese matrimony vine seeds
The seeds, one bite leads to another.

Pour the chocolate on parchment paper with the spoon. Put the seeds on them.
On last Valentine's Day  I made cakes shaped the heart.

I found it's Japanese custom that only women give something to men on Valentine's day. Here, men gave women presents in return for Valentine's Day gifts on March. Some years ago I traveled to HongKong on Valentine's Day and I was surprised I saw many men have a bunch of red roses for women.I'm interested in what do you do on Valentine's Day outside Japan.

チョコ、作ってみました。溶かしてナッツをのせるだけなので簡単です！おすすめです。今年も無印良品にお世話になりました。ちなみに昨年のバレンタインはケーキでした。
そういえば香港へ旅行したとき、バレンタインデーに多くの男性が大きなバラの花束を女性へのプレゼントとして抱えているのを見てびっくりしました。他の国ではどうなんでしょう？

Happy holidays!

My mother made a cake for my family.
Merry Christmas!

Bagel

A friend of mine gave me a bagel of Bäckerei Tokutaro, TamaPlaza, Yokohama. I was very glad because I love the breads of the bakery.

I use a little Chinese steamer regularly instead of a microwave oven. I got it at the Chinatown of Yokohama. With it the bagel became soft.

heart-shaped cakes

This is for my friends and husband on Valentine's Day. I bought the ingredients at MUJI and they came in kits so it was easy to make that. This is cute, isn't it?