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Yummy Pork Buns and other Tianjin Foods

24 Aug Pork

The people of Tianjin, China are very proud of their cuisine; and for good reason.  I am an extremely picky eater due to allergies (Pork, Fish, Tomatoes, Soy, Nuts, and more) and I usually have to subsist on Pringles and Microwave meals from the Convenience stores when I stay in Asia.  So I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tianjin is actually not as bad for me as some of the other places. Most of the food served in Chinese restaurants there are actually vegetable dishes. I expected tons of rice, but found that you frequently only got a teeny tiny bowl at the end of your meal.  Most dishes were pea pods, cashews, leafy greens, mushrooms, peppers (green, red, and yellow), eggplant, and other such organic foods mixed together with varied sauces and meats.  While I did find myself eating a lot of pork; my allergy to that isn’t so bad so I was able to bypass the effects there and they served a lot of beef, duck, and lamb dishes. Amazingly, I found that their concept of dessert was fruit: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, and Grapes were served all summer as a refreshing meal end.  I actually lost more than 20 lbs this summer between the exercise and healthy foods.  To give you a taste, here are some of the great dinners we had!

Nonetheless, while Tianjin cooks serve hundreds of yummy dishes, they are most famous for three different Continue reading

Waffle Fish: Essentially Japanese

29 May

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Haha, had a little fun today!  My roommate and I went wandering and we finally got the chance to try these fish-shaped waffle treats.  We’ve been dying to try them for a while, but they usually are filled with this bean paste that doesn’t sound too appetizing.  However, today the little shop across from the hotel offered the ones filled with chocolate so we took a chance and grabbed one on the spot.  It cost 100 yen (approx. $1), and was pretty good.  I thought it was a little bland (literally a pancake filled with cheap chocolate), but I think it has a lot of potential.  I want to try making one with sweeter pancake batter and perhaps a more flavorful chocolate.  Still, I had fish-shaped waffles! How awesome is that?!?

10 Things I Will Miss About Japan (and 1 Thing I Won’t)

25 May

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6. Vending Machines

Vending Machine

Cigarette Vending Machine

Holy cow, there is just no way to describe all of the things you can get in vending machines here in Japan. Continue reading

Cooking with Peanut Butter

12 Feb

Random cooking lesson of the day!  If you ever need to cook with peanut butter (i.e. Heath Peanut Butter Cookies), and you have to measure it out of a jar, don’t bother messing with it straight up.  You’ll only find yourself losing time while trying to get it to quit sticking to your measuring spoon.  The easiest way is to coat the measuring cup/spoon with water first.  Just run it through some water before scooping.  This won’t affect your recipe, but the peanut butter slides out a lot easier!  Cool huh?!?

Best Holiday Cheese Log!

29 Dec

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Ahh, sweet childhood memories.  For most of my youth, my uncle owned and operated a cheese factory.  They made American processed cheese of the best variety, including an amazing swiss and bacon cheese that made amazing grilled-cheese sandwiches.  Naturally, I love all things cheese related–grilled cheese, cheesy potatoes, corn & cheese casserole; if it comes with cheese, my day is made.  (This proved unfortunate in Asia, where cheese in not a daily staple food.  I was quite traumatized to realize that cheese there cost a fortune. 😦 )

Anyway, I am getting off track (and now I want nachos…), but I thought I would share my favorite recipe for a holiday cheese log.  I actually started making this several years ago, but I made it again today for a family dinner.  It is just SO GOOD!  It takes a little bit of work, but the end result is definitely worth it if you enjoy cheese balls.  Great for Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties!

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Tragedy & Success in the Kitchen

26 Nov

Today, Ladies and Gentlemen, I come bearing both bad news and good news.

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Gluten Free Apple Pie

22 Nov

Gluten Free Apple Pie

What is your favorite dish?  Mine is always the apple pie, and I make a mean apple pie if I do say so myself 🙂  Unfortunately, this year I had to give up gluten, so I have been attempting to replace all my favorite thanksgiving dishes non Gluten-Free (GF) items.  So here is my new pie recipe!  See?  A blessing!  I did not have to give up any of my favorite treats this year. Continue reading

Gluten Free Corn Casserole

22 Nov

Gluten Free Corn Casserole

This dish has always been a particular favorite of my family (especially me); the creaminess of the dish fits perfectly with many entrees.  However, usually I would just use butter, cream cheese, milk, and Jiffy Mix.  This year, in replacing my dishes with Gluten Free (GF) products, I had to get rid of the Jiffy Mix.  Here is my replacement dish! It is delicious, and makes an absolutely marvelous holiday side.  Plus, it takes about 5 minutes to make!

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