i did it! i finally did it! i got my chocolate chip cookie recipe to work! yay! i'm not exactly sure why it worked, but i'll tell you what i did. i got the idea from shinshu life, who mentioned some time ago that japanese flour is not self rising. now, i didn't use self rising flour back home, either, but i think it really points out that japanese flour is not all-purpose, even if you buy the "chu" flour. but anyway, i added some baking powder. not a lot, just a pinch or two to the recipe, but i think it did the trick! i experimented yesterday with oatmeal cookies (on the right) and since they turned out so well, i tried with choco chip today. hey, i figure i've made so many missed batches that one more wouldn't make a difference! lol after i mixed it up (except for the chips) it wasn't quite right so i added a bit more flour. then a bit more. i also baked them at 170 C for ten minutes (because i think i undercooked them the last time and THAT didn't work!) and i am so pleased with them!

yum yum!



in other news, yoshi isn't getting home until late tonight so he can't go to the baseball game. which his company gave him tickets for. so lame. they give away these tickets, and i think that they put the winners at the top of the list for an away business trip! seriously, this happened last year. ok, ok, so it is spring and the growing season is starting (yoshi works for a juice/veggie company) but the timing is a bit suspect if you ask me....

i haven't updated there since september. mainly because i want to add pictures, but i never have time to photograph what i cook! either i forget or people dig in as soon as it hits the table. *sigh* anyway, i got the green bean and kaki recipe off the internet (naturally) and includes nuts, which i forgot. haha. anyway, green bean and persimmon and hazelnuts, from citymama. try it, you'll probably like it!!

...but i didn't take any pictures at dinner. sorry. it turned out really well, though. except the turkey got a bit over-cooked. oven's fault. haha. i used the steam roast option, and the fan kept blowing off the foil i put over the breast. also, i cooked it at a bit too high temperature for the first hour and a half. but it was still really good and there's lots of leftovers. i'm sending some home with my in-laws (if they want it) and have plenty for a pot pie and sandwiches.

my in-laws surprised me at dinner. i usually moan about the fact that the japanese boil the hell out of their veggies. never a raw vegetable anywhere. in our family, though, my mom usually serves a veggie dip plate (including carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and green onions) so i put out carrot and celery spears, and served them with blue cheese dressing. they loved them, especially my father-in-law. he kept going on about how he'd never had raw carrot before and it was really good. they also liked the dressing. they could have been kissing-up, but i think they really liked it.

also popular was the cranberry sauce. growing up, my sister was known for loving cranberry sauce and we had to keep it away from her until she had eaten some turkey and veggies. well, it looks like sasha is going to take that role in our family! seriously, yoshi gave her some cranberry sauce and she sucked it down, held out her bowl and said, 'more!' she has never done that before (said, 'more.') and she did it about six times! it was soooooo cute! if we ever have a turkey dinner with aunt katie, we'll need two or three cans of that stuff!! ;)

my pie turned out really well, though my mother-in-law couldn't finish her serving. she ate too much at dinner! actually, my father-in-law said that the dinner was like a restaurant experience, it's that different for them. they'd never had turkey before, and it was the second time for them that they were served something from a whole bird (i made a chicken last year). i am glad they enjoyed it, and thankfully it went well.

the mashed potatoes were perfect. the gravy was nearly perfect (not quite thick enough, but wonderful). i made a new dish (for me) with green beans and persimmon, it was nice. a lovely thanksgiving dinner with my family and my husband's parents.

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nay sent me some interview questions so i hope to get to that tomorrow or monday.

ok, so i got my pie baked yesterday. it looks great! smelled good, too. this morning i dried my bread and cooked the giblets, i'm on a roll. wednesday i did a lot of cleaning, but that night yoshi told me his dad had to work and that they couldn't come until saturday. so, i didn't do very much cleaning yesterday. then yoshi told me last night that his parents are coming on friday (today) so now i have a lot to do.

actually, yoshi stayed up until 2 am cleaning last night, and i am not going to complain. just wait until i can't find anything, though. haha. this morning yoshi went off to hike up a mountain with the neighborhood, and i made him take hiro. they will be gone until 1:30. yoshi thinks his parents will get here around 1. i guess i better get my butt upstairs and vacuum!

anyway, happy thanksgiving and holiday weekend!

my second pumpkin pie. wish me luck! haha, if it doesn't work out, i'll go to costco. if they have any left!

gas prices are getting out of control, aren't they? *sigh* i really hope the pie turn out fine (appearance-wise anyway, we won't eat it until saturday). i can't go to costco three times a week any more. mainly because of the gas price. this is really going to hurt me, because sasha can't walk well yet and i don't want hiro pushing her in the stroller on the street (because my hands will be full with tomo.) i don't understand why gas prices are going up. i should probably look into it so i can understand, but i'm tired. i'll just have to think of ways to occupy myself if i can't drive around as much.

last week i bought two heads of cabbage for fifty yen. good deal, don't you think? then, over the weekend, thinking he was getting a bargain, bought two heads of cabbage for eighty yen! yes, i have loads of cabbage over here. i've made coleslaw, miso soup with cabbage and an interesting dish with ground beef simmered in chicken stock between leaves of cabbage (very yummy) but that about reaches the end of my cabbage recipes. any ideas out there (besides chopped cabbage). i guess i should plan on making okonomiyaki this weekend, but what's your best cabbage recipe? something easy and with ingredients i can get here in japan please!