Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Whisking Wednesdays #9

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Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!


I'm just a bit late getting this up and going this week, as in Japan it is already Thursday.  I finally got an apartment yesterday so though we won't have our funrniture and such for another week we at least have our own place with rental furniture for the next week.  My kids are so happy to have some space to run around and not be stuck in a hotel room anymore.  It was a long month in a hotel with two kids!  I had to buy a few pots and pans and kitchen items so I could get into the kitchen and cook last night.  It was so nice!  I made Chicken Picatta.  Then I had to follow it up with brownies because it has been a month since I baked, I had to make something in my new oven!  


Thank you all for all the wonderful recipes you have been linking up.  I use to respond to every single person that linked up with a thank you but unfortunately I haven't had the time to do that lately since we moved to Japan and have been living in a hotel.  Hopefully after I get my furniture next week things will go back to normal and I can take the time to thank each and every one of you personally for your link-ups.  I do look at all of them so please don't think I don't seem your link ups and your posts!

Anyways, So the top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!

In honor of the Fourth of July coming on Monday these Red, White & Blue star brownies get the #1 spot.  Not only do they look yummy, but they are absolutely adorable and so very patriotic.  I'm trying to find a star cookie cutter today to make these with my kids for the Fourth!  
I've made a version of these Cookie Dough Brownies and they were amazing.  One of the richest most awesome desserts I've tried this year.  So anytime I see these or any variation I just fall in love with these!  Yummy!  I love the idea of the chocolate ganache topping!

#2
Chef in Training
Cookie Dough Brownies


Ohhh, oreos.  Brownies, chocolate chips and oreos.  What a combination!  These look so rich and delicious and I love the chocolate sauce on top!

#3
Six Sisters Stuff
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie & Oreo Brownie






The Rules:
  1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
  2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
  3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
  4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
  5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
  6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  
This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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      Wednesday, June 22, 2011

      Japanese Food Mishaps!

      This is my sweet little girl in her new Japanese dress, isn't she too cute?!

      Anyways, so I'm pretty big on trying new things.  Sometimes whatever I pick randomly and eat is awesome, other times it is terrible, but that is part of the fun of being in a new place and trying new things.  We went to this town near where we are living called Kamakara.  I kept just randomly picking items I saw that were more roadside foods as I was walking buy shops and shopping.  Apparently this wasn't my day.

      The first dish I tried I believe is called Nikuman.  It is a steamed bun with pork filling.  Granted Nikuman I believe has ground pork in it and the one I had wasn't ground pork but more of a pulled chunky style pork, but since I don't know an abundance of Japanese (yet) this is the best I can come up with for the dish I ate.  I didn't take a picture of the one I actually ate but got this picture along with a recipe from Japanese Cooking.

       Looks pretty tasty right?  Yeah, it was really good.  It was like onions and pork until I found a surprise in it.  I ate over half of it before I found what I am sure was some sort of organ, my only guess after we spent 10 minutes examining it was it must have been a pig testicle.  Let's just hope the other one was in someone else and I didn't eat it.  Though I won't lie, it was really good until I found that in it.  Of course, since there aren't any public trash cans anywhere I couldn't even throw it away I had to wrap it up and put it in my backpack until we got back to the hotel.  Apparently many years ago there was a terrorist issue with putting some sort of gas in public garbage cans so they were all removed so there are actually signs that say take your trash home.  Restaurants and stores have trash cans but there aren't any while you are just out walking really.

      Next we find this donut place and I decide to pick a green donut, why not?!  I figure donuts are all sweet and though I don't know what this is, it has to be sweet and tasty, right?  Wrong.  This apparently is some sort of spinach donut and it was absolutely dreadful!    Not sure what the yellow part is, maybe it was ginger or something but I tossed the entire thing after one bite.



      Need something to wash down that terrible spinach taste so hit up the vending machine.  It has an orange on it so probably orange juice or something, right?  Yeah, wrong again.  Not only is it not orange juice it is chunky.  It has a flat orange soda type taste with chunks of something in it.  This isn't the first drink we've bought that had something lurking in there, most of what we buy from the Japanese vending machines has bits of fruit or something floating around.  I'm just not into chunky stuff in my drink though, so another strike-out.

      Ohhh yummy, look at these chocolaty looking things on a stick.  How can I go wrong here!  Ahh, yeah, apparently by not speaking Japanese or knowing anything about Japanese food I can definitely go wrong again.  This is totally not a sweet delicious chocolate type dessert treat on a stick!  Not even close!!  It is called a red bean dango.  Can you think of anything further from chocolate than a pureed red bean sauce?!  Yeah, took me totally by surprise.  Wasn't even a tiny bit good, I thought it was awful.  My 11 month old seemed to enjoy it though.  I got this photo from someone's flicker account (found here Flickr).  Though the other pictures is of me eating it, my husband wanted to capture the moment!  Ha!

      Now this part is even more fun. Luckily I researched Japan before I ever came here so I wasn't taken my surprise.  We were told in a base orientation class that you "may" encounter a Japanese toilet at some point though it isn't likely.  Ha, boy was that a lie!  I think every single place we have gone so far has had Japanese toilets.  It is basically a porcelain hole in the floor you squat over.  My daughter was totally confused as to what it was and what she was suppose to do.  Of course, you just have to look for signs for handicap bathrooms and they have Western toilets like we know and are use to.  Most of the larger places like Aquariums and such have either both types of toilets or just Western but you will definitely encounter Japanese style toilets!

      My next post will be highlighting the wonderful food we've found and tried and the things that we have really enjoyed.  This was just my surprise and shocking finds so far!
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      Tuesday, June 21, 2011

      Whisking Wednesdays #8

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      Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!


      Yeah, another awesome week.  I'm so happy with how many people have been showing up for my link party!  Of course, I'm still totally jealous of all of you that you are able to actually cook and bake and make all these amazing looking goodies!  


      It is beautiful here in Japan.  It was 85 and sunny here today and I took my daughter to an outdoor pool for the first time in her life today.  She is almost 4 and since she was born in Washington state and it is never hot there she's only been in indoor pools.  She was totally shocked that some places have pools outdoors!  Of course, with this hot weather it makes me think of all the Fourth of July goodies I'll be missing out on making this year since we won't have a house or any of our stuff until probably the week after the Fourth.  I also miss my grill already, this heat makes me want to sit on a chair on our porch and watch my husband grill.


      Hope all of you had a great week and are enjoying this wonderful warm weather and all that summer has to offer!  Hope to see some great patriotic link ups in the next couple weeks too with the Fourth fast approaching!

      Anyways, So the top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!

      Not only do these brownies look fantastic but the picture is incredible too.  I mean, how creative to put the brownies on top of coffee beans!  I just adore I think every recipe I've seen from That Skinny Chick Can Bake site and this one is no different, as always incredible looking recipe and incredible picture to follow!
      #1


      These cake cone sundaes are too cute!  I can just imagine how much fun my daughter and I would have making these together and how much she'd love to eat one!

      #2
      The Seven Year Cottage
      Cake Cone Sundaes


      I love the idea of finding the perfect chocolate chip recipe and not only did this recipe look like a good one but the picture made me drool just thinking of how amazing chocolate chip cookies smell and taste right from the oven!  


      #3
      1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
      2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
      3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
      4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
      5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
      6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  
      This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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          Wednesday, June 15, 2011

          Whisking Wednesdays #7

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          Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!

          Wow, what a week.  Our first full week in Japan has been amazing.  We are still living in a hotel until we get military housing and I'm dying to get back in the kitchen but the food we've had in Japan so far has been awesome.  I think I might start taking some pictures of some of the restaurants we venture into and the dishes we order in the meantime to show everyone since I can't cook.

          Anyways, So the top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!

          So there is nothing on the face of this Earth I enjoy more than BBQ.  I'm from South Carolina originally and my husband and I both are big on BBQ.  We've always had a huge charcoal grill and smoker and are constantly grilling something.  I also love making homemade BBQ sauces so I saw these ribs and my mouth just started watering!  Gotta love BBQ!!

          #1


          Yum!  These look awesome, awesome, awesome.  I think I want an entire pan of these S'more cookies.  This also reminded me of grilling as we love to do marshmallows over the coals after we grill and make S'mores.  I honestly think if I had a kitchen I'd run right out and buy the stuff to make these right now.  

          #2
          S'mores Cookie Bars
          Chef in Training


          I try to limit the dairy intake in our household and love to cook with alternatives like soy milk.  So I saw these and thought they were definitely a must try.  I'm always happy to see recipes that incorporate something different into them. 


          #3



          The Rules:
          1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
          2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
          3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
          4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
          5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
          6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  
          This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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              Konnichiwa from Japan

              This is my daughter sitting on a bench near a bus stop in Yokosuka, Japan.  This was our first trip off of the Navy base.  Don't ask me what those signs say on each side of her because I have absolutely no idea in the world.   The first few days here were a bit overwhelming for me but we've now been here a week and I find that I am really enjoying it so far.  I find that I can actually carry on a standard "Hi, how are you, fine, thank you and you, goodbye" conversation all in Japanese quite well already.
              Menu at one of the restaurants 

              I don't care for the base really but we've left the base to explore the last two afternoons and evenings now and I find that I absolutely love it.  The people in this country are so unbelievably polite and friendly.  I find that I am really soaking up and enjoying the culture here so far.  Also, the food is amazing.  We've only eaten off base a few times but it is by far the best food I've had in a long long time.  Luckily the menus have pictures so I can just point to what I want and shake my head since I have no idea in the world what the menu is saying.  I'm hoping to not only take a class soon on learning Japanese but also Japanese cuisine.  I'm eager to get into the kitchen and try some new things and hopefully sooner rather than later!!
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              Wednesday, June 8, 2011

              Whisking Wednesdays #6

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              Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!

              We arrived in Japan yesterday after getting up at 4:00 am, taking a 10 1/2 hour flight and a 2 hour bus ride!  The kids were good sports though there was a lot of crying but who can blame a 10 month old and 3 1/2 year old for hating that trip.  Now are time and day are all screwy as we are 16 hours ahead of our normal time.  We are living in a hotel until we get military housing so can't cook yet and I'm missing it already.

              Anyways, So the top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!

              These chocolate pecan pie bars look awesome.  I love pecans.  They are my favorite nut.  The combination of chocolate and pecan together always rocks!

              #1
              Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
              Jam Hands

              These look sooo much better than any candy bar you can buy at a store.  I can't wait to try these!

              #2
              Mounds Bars
              That Skinny Chick Can Bake

              Who doesn't love cake and frosting and these ones look so tasty.


              #3
              Chocolate Whoopie Pies
              Eat Cake for Dinner


              The Rules:
              1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
              2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
              3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
              4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
              5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
              6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  
              This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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                  Friday, June 3, 2011

                  Double Blueberry Muffins

                  This was the very last recipe I made before moving out of my house recently.  I've been so busy packing and  getting everything out of our house before our big move to Japan I just haven't had the time to actually post this.  Looking at the picture and my blog makes me miss my kitchen already.  Our hotel room has a kitchenette.  I think they are pretty fast and loose with that term though as it has one burner that works, one that is broken, and a toaster that toasts only one side of the toast with pans that are so awful you cannot actually cook anything in them without destroying what you are making.  So looks like no hotel cooking for me!  My kids are having a blast though running around the hotel room like crazy and jumping from bed to bed. 

                  These blueberry muffins were awesome.  This is the first time I've made this specific recipe and defintely plan on making this one again, probably my new "go to" for muffins.  I used defrosted frozen blueberries and it turned out great.  We ate the entire dozen within an hour. 

                  Double Blueberry Muffins

                  8 tbsp. unsalted room temp. butter
                  1 c. sugar (plus 2 tbsp. for sprinkling)
                  2 eggs
                  1 tsp. vanilla extract
                  2 tsp. baking powder
                  1/4 tsp. salt
                  2 1/2 c. fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries
                  2 c. flour
                  1/2 c. almond milk
                  1 tsp. cinnamon 

                  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a muffin pan with paper liners.  In a mizer fitted with a paddel attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Add 1 c. of sugar and combine.  Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt and combine.  In a bowl mash 3/4 c. of the blueberries with the back of a fork and add into mixer.  Slowly add in the flour and milk and just combine.  Fold in the remaining blueberries by hand.  In a seperate bowl add the 2 tbsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon.  Spoon mixture into muffin cups until about 3/4 of the way full and sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted comes out clean. 

                  This post linked with:
                  Talking Dollars and Cents
                  Debbie Debbie Doos
                  Moms Crazy Cooking 
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                  Wednesday, June 1, 2011

                  Whisking Wednesdays #5

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                  Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!

                  To think by the time I do this next Wednesday I'll be in Japan!  So exciting!  This is my last link party in the states.  So, next week's will probably be a bit late since our flight doesn't leave for Japan until Tuesday so not sure if I'll be posting on time since it is an almost 12 hour flight (with a 10 month old a 3 1/2 year old -yikes) but better late than never, right?! 

                  I had so much trouble choosing the top 3 from last week as there were so many amazing looking recipes linked up. Third place is a tie as I just couldn't decide between the two.  

                  So the top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!    

                  In honor of Memorial Day these absolutely adorably patriotic cupcakes take the #1 spot!  They look stunning.  We are a ridiculously patriotic household and there isn't much I love more than Red, White & Blue!  my 3 year old even chants USA during the Olympics!

                  #1
                  Mini Firework Cupcakes 
                  Lady Behind the Curtain 



                  These cookies look scrumptious!  Looking at my blog it is obvious I adore the peanut butter and chocolate combination so this just makes my mouth water looking at it.  

                  #2
                  Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies
                  Easy Baked 


                  This tunnel cake looks super gooey and chocolately.  Plus the extra chocolate on top and whip cream just makes it look divine.  One of mine and my husband's favorite chocolate desserts is Molten Lava Cake.

                  Tie for #3
                  Molten Chocolate Tunnel Cake
                  Patti Comfy Cuisine




                  This one wasn't so much the recipe that got me but the pictures.  The pictures of this french toast looked amazing, the blueberry was just such a bright beautiful purple-blue color that kept making me want to eat it!  So I just couldn't leave this incredible looking breakfast out!


                  Overnight Blueberry French Toast
                  Chef in Training




                  The Rules:
                  1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
                  2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
                  3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
                  4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
                  5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
                  6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  
                  This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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