Dinner Anyone?

Well, Good morning everyone! Anyone up for some food?

These pictures - excluding the one of Coen - were our dinner. First off, we have delicious jumbo shrimp, which we de-shelled before cooking. The bottom picture is my personal favorite: squid. I can't decide which looks more appetizing...the large de-headed squid, or the tiny whole ones... They did not look quite like this when we ate them. We made tempura for dinner. I say 'we' because it really took both Abi and me to do it. She also made miso soup with seaweed to go with it. We battered and fried bell peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, okra, and kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), along with what is pictured. I think my favorites were the eggplant and bell pepper. The shrimp tasted ok, but the squid was too rubbery. It didn't have a bad taste, but it was just hard to eat. The smaller squid do taste better to me.

It's really funny, but last year, I never would have eaten squid or shrimp... Now I eat it, and it even tastes good most of the time.

The picture of Coen was taken tonight too. He is in his bouncy thing, which he loves! I thought it was too cute to miss. :) He really is asleep in the picture.

Today went well. The morning was mostly uneventful, except for trying to get Eastin to eat tofu. He had apparently formed some notion that it would not taste good (which it does).

Around 10:00 I started working on a new bread recipe, and it turned out well. I made it in a muffin pan like rolls. They actually taste and look like wheat bread. I was proud of myself. :)

After that, Abi and I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for the tempura. Honestly, I am going to take my camera there one day. It is really incredible!

On the way back from there, it started raining. It was raining hard by 3:00 when I left here with Eastin headed towards Hinako-Chan's house. We did English school in her apartment today. I really enjoyed it, and it gave me some insight into her character. She is a little mommy. By the time we left she was making vegetable soup with play kitchen food. She had set Eastin to work making a cake, and found it hilarious that he obviously had no idea what he was doing. She was also instructing me as I was making rice pudding. :) We came back (in the rain) at 5:00. Eastin was still insisting that he didn't have fun, but when we got home he informed me that we have to go to her house next week. And then we started dinner......

Last night for dinner I made stuffed chicken breasts. I never know what I put in them by the time they're done, but I think these were some of the best I've ever made. I stuffed them and grilled them for about 7 minutes. I think the best parts were the basil pesto, red pepper and cubed Gouda. :)

After supper Abi gave me a donut bag from 'Mr. Donut' and said, "The green one's yours. I got some for you and Roger. I definitely want you to have the green one." To tell the truth, I paused for a full 5 seconds before I continued opening it! I carefully opened the bag and peeked in. Sure enough, there was a green donut! Don't think easter-egg green; think cooked green beans green, with easter-egg green icing! When I bit into it, I found English pea green on the inside. It was a green tea donut. I know I'd never tried one, and I don't think I'd ever heard of a green tea donut. To tell the truth, it was pretty good. Donuts here aren't nearly as sweet as the ones in the States. Still, it was really good with a tall glass of milk.

Well, I have been reading The Hobbit lately. I have never read the trilogy before, and Roger owns all of them, so I decided there was no better time to start. One night I read about a third of The Hobbit, and I am about half way through it now. I really enjoy it. I didn't think I would, but I do.

Well, this is already very long... So I probably should end it now....

My love to you all!

Hannah