End of the year Cleaning up for good Feng Shui

In Japan, we do "Oosouji" means "massive cleaning up". Maybe similar to spring clean in here.

Dirty spot has a bad "Qi" and people live in the dirty house won't have a good luck.

So from 1st of December, I try to dust off shelves, ceiling fan blades, wipe off dirty spots inside of the shelf doors.. Devote 15 minutes a day to clean up one spot, and hopefully by the end of the year, my house will look clean, and we'll have good luck in next year...

So far, I've done most of the dusting off done. There were a lot of dust, I know I need to do this at least once every month or so, but I wouldn't do it.

I was surprised when I saw a cleaning lady coming to my host family's house cleaning kitchen. I thought they must be really rich since in Japan, we don't see many people hiring maid to clean their house unless they are really rich. Later on, I learned in here middle income people casually hire maid to clean their house. I guess it's getting common in Japan too, especially when they clean inside of  air conditioner.

We once ordered maid service once. It cost nearly $300!! My husband signed up, and I tried to stop it but that was when my daughter was around 1 year old and I was exhausted..

Well, I have done a lot already for cleaning up, I need to clean door, windows, and bathroom tomorrow!

I could have this using that $300. I hope the clean house will bring better money luck for next year.

Asian Party Dish, Nabe

Are you ready for the holiday? It's getting chilly out, For a lot of us, Japanese, (or Asian), it's time to enjoy Nabe. We cook vegetable and meat, fish on a table and dip on a favorite sauce. Once you prepare ingredients, you can cook as you eat, sitting around the table, we would take turn to cook, serve, and eat with favorite drink such as sake. I recently enjoyed Thai style nabe. The recipe is for about 4 people.

Ingredients are simple. You'll need half of a whole Chinese cabbage, green onion, next to Chinese cabbage is called "Shungiku" (garland chrysanthemum) You can find those vegetable at Asian market, but you can skip some ingredients if you can't find them.

On this Thai Nabe, I used Cilantro, if you have Asian market near you, you can buy Shirataki (konnyaku noodles), Enoki mushroom, and Tofu (may be you can get all over nowadays).

Chop all vegetables/tofu into bitable size, boil over konnyaku noodles and chop.

For meat and fishes, thin sliced meet (beef in pic and shrimp devined and peeled or any kind of fish or meat as you like. I added fish ball, and made some shrimp wan ton.

Make dipping sauce. For Thai dip sauce, you'll need
6 table spoon lemon juice
6 table spoon fish sauce
2 tea spoon sugar
1 or 2 clove of garlic, chopped
5 stems of cilantro, chopped

Just mix them.

For Japanese nabe, you can use ponzu (soy sauce plus some lemon juice) for the dipping sauce.

You can add chopped cilantro, garlic, and Chinese chili sauce on your dipping sauce as you like.

On a portable stove on the table you are gathering at, put a pot, you can use usual pot.
The soup is one litter of chicken broth, chopped lemon grass stem, and cilantro stems.

For usual Japanese nabe, we would use kelp broth (a 1 inch square dry kelp with about an litter of water) with a few table spoon of soy sauce, sake, and so on.

You don't need to make it salty since you'll dip the food to your dipping sauce later.

Put a lid and wait for boiling soup..

Once the broth is boiled, put tofu, shirataki, Chinese cabbage, green onions, fish ball, but not the meat or fish.You don't have to put all the meat, or vegetable at once. cook as you eat.

Add some meat and fish to the boiling pot. put lid and wait for a while.

It's cooked! Add soup on nabe when it seems little low later on before you add more vegetable or meat. you can add some water since it's already flavorful.

Serve on individual bowl and eat with dipping sauce and topping.

After you scoop up all the meat and vegetable, add some cooked Udon noodle or cooked rice and boil and serve. This is called Shime in Japanese. (means finishing up)

This burner is handy for camping too!

This is similar to what I have.


More recipes!

Handmade Minecraft Steve Halloween costume

I made Handmade Minecraft Steve costume two years ago.

When I saw this guy, I thought "I can make this easily!!" I went to walmart to buy some paints, draw some straight line, and filled grid. I saw similar thing sold at Target around $20.00, and I spend roughly 5 bucks on paint. Too bad my son doesn't want to wear it again this year.

Tilapia Saute Recipe : Easy & Delicious

Easy Tilapia Saute Recipe

Tilapia is relatively cheap fish in the U.S. I found a good recipe from cookpad and I arranged some. You can use any fish filet! 

1) Season fish with sprinkle of salt, white wine (about 1 table spoon) beforehand. Keep in the refrigerator about 30 min.

2) Dry fish with a paper towel and season with old bay or any seasoning you like,  then coat with flour. 

3) Heat the pan and melt about 2 table spoon of butter or coconut oil. After pan is heated enough, put the tilapia until bottom is nicely brown and crunchy.

4) Flip the fish, brown the other side half way and add 1/3 cup (80ml) of white wine and cook until wine is evaporated.

Done! Serve with rice / potato / vegetable and enjoy!

PFOA Free Non Stick Pan with Lid! Luxury, but may be it worth it!

All-Clad 41135 NS R2 Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Bonded Dishwasher Safe 13-Inch PFOA-free Non-Stick French Skillet with Loop Handle and Lid / Cookware, Silver

2015 has started already!

Happy belated new year!

Our new year has been very very bitter. My daughter had serious medical emergency already. I really hope rest of 2015 will be healthy, happy year!!

Today is Martin Luther King day. My son's school is off today. He woke up in a good mood, and just a few hours later, he says he doesn't feel good and he threw up (Thank you halloween bucket!)

My new year's resolution is : Health of my whole family.

I'll prepare good nutritious meal and study about homeopathy.

...Processing New Year's Resolution Tees and goods!