Japanese HOKKAIDO Loaf Bread with Raisins

I tried to make the same soft bread, but I am afraid I have let it proof 30 minutes too much.    So, it is non-conclusive that if the Gold Medal's unbleached flour produces the bread texture of fine crumb with long strands like the breads sold at most of the Asian grocery stores.

 One dough made into three different breads - Bread with Raisins, White Bread, and Hamburger buns.

 Ground Turkey Sloppy Joe.      Actually, it was a ground turkey spaghetti sauce that my sister made.      We had so much of it, that I made it into Sloppy Joe and pizza sauce.

Stir Fried Spicy Bell Pepper with Beef and Candied Orange & Beef with Broccoli

I love it!   I found a few good use of candied orange peels I made a few months ago while making my "Calisson de Polly".    I love the food adventure and learn about the spices the different cultures use.   They really bring out the interesting dimensions to the flavor and make the ordinary dish 'new', I think.    Of course, I wanted to make the dish that my mother makes, but I don't have her 50 years old wok (an excuse.)     Flank steaks were cut into strips and marinated in 'potato starch' (not corn starch)  with less sodium soy sauce, pinch of sugar, and a bit of water.
Stir fry the beef first in oil.  Set aside.   In the same wok or saute pan, stir fry bell peppers.  Add Oyster sauce and candied orange peel.   Return beef.   Add chili peppers and Salt and Pepper to taste.  

 Broccoli is blanched first, then stir fried.  Return beef back and stir fried.  

Crispy Sockeye Salmon over Jasmine Rice and Baby Japanese Potatoes

This is a dish that I concocted from all the ingredients I find in my refrigerator.   
Jasmine rice is cooked in a saute pan with finely chopped onions, chopped red bell peppers, pilaf style.  Japanese baby sweet potato fingerling about 3 inches were washed and microwaved at "potato" setting.   Peeled chopped and added to the rice to be stir fried.    At the end, add a few fresh crushed basil leaves from your kitchen's fresh herb garden (if you have some).  Cover and set aside.   Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon fillet is covered with Japanese bread crumbs - Panko mixed with some spices - Hungarian paprika, salt and pepper, chili flakes and placed breaded side down in a saute pan with olive oil - cook for approx 2 min or until the crumbs show sign of browning/crispness.    Then, turn the fillet over to finish cooking until done.
 

Chinese Peach Blossoms

The peach tree blossomed right on time with Chinese Lunar New Year to welcome the spring.    "TSWEN DAO  LE"   - spring is here.    They are so accurate.    But really.... February was freezing cold.     Maybe it was just me because of the terrible 'cold' I had.

By the end of March, after the heavy rain, all the beautiful petals covered the ground and now it has clothed itself with green leaves.

Chinese Herb Medicine

January and February haunted me with a terrible cold.    My body got so weak that the normal over the counter medicines only lasted two weeks to resolve the first attack.    It returned with revenge after the 3rd day.   This went on and on and on for two months.     I would not have made it through my classes.     I finally resorted to the ancient Chinese Herb Medicine.    My family knows about me and the herb medicine.    Just a whif of it before the bowl of medicine hits my lips, my stomach would turn upside down.    I think the last time I had taken the herb medicine was when I was in South Viet-Nam forty years ago.    But I know my body is just totally out of wack from all the antibiotics and what not I took over the last few years, and now I am allergic to almost all the antibiotics.    So, just for the record, here is how my herb medicine looks like.     They were slowly simmered in 4 cups of water in this special electric automatic clay pot for about 2 to 3 hours until it is reduced to one cup.    Effectiveness?  On the first day, I coughed for 3 hours.... it seems to be detoxicating me inside out.   Then, the second day, I was calm.  On the third day, my temple warmed up -- ahhh! finally, I don't have that cold spot on top of my head.    On the 4th day, I was getting a bit energetic.  On the fifth day, feeling better.     Then, .... I am much much better.    These herbs are specifically prescribed for my symptoms by the doctor.

I am not trying to sell you the medicine.   I just want to share the reason why I could not post the blogs as often.   Sitting and typing is my weakness after 8 hours of work with mainframe computing.