Green Tea Cookies

I have never been much of a baker.  I like to cook extravagant meals and experiment with savory recipes.  Put a baking task in front of me and I am lost.  Therefore, I usually only bust out the baking with a batch of Christmas cookies or Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pies.  This year I decided to manipulate an already unique recipe for Earl Grey Tea Cookies with some Asian flair.  Green Tea (Matcha) Cookies! I used Green Tea leaves that mom and dad had picked up while they were visiting Japan in the Spring.

I would have preferred to use some tea leaves and some Matcha powder but I only had the leaves, so I ground up the tea leaves using a Japanese mortar and pestle (Suribachi).  

I again diverted from the recipe. It calls for 1 teaspoon of water but to get as much green tea flavour as possible, I figured it would be helpful to add 1 tablespoon of highly concentrated Green Tea (minus the leaves).  On reflection, I probably would have added even more straight Tea for enhanced flavour and adjusted the flour ratio accordingly.

Cream the butter with all of the ingredients.

Roll dough into a long tube and store in the freezer for 30 minutes to half an hour.  This will harden the dough enough so that cutting it will be easier.  Cut into 1/4 inch slices.

Bake at about 350 - 375 for 10-14 minutes.  

I got the original recipe from a blog entitled Kitchen Therapy.  It was for Earl Grey Tea Cookies (which are also very delicious).  I altered the recipe to look more like this:

Green Tea Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup icing sugar
2 - 4 tablespoons of Green Tea Leaves or Matcha Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 - 4 tablespoons highly concentrated Green Tea
1 cup unsalted butter

Happy Holidays Everyone!

xx

J

Jun Mayuzumi - Black Room

I really and truly will post my Christmas Cookie recipe and pictures soon!  I had a slight technical malfunction with the cookies and had to re-invent the recipe.  Until then, please enjoy this fun hit from a funky Japanese Gal, Jun!

Food + MUSIC + Life

This is unintentionally turning into music/youtube blog.....Food + Music + Life = The Misadventures of MissKitty.  It's how I roll :)

This young musician sounds very Michael Jackson-esque.  LOVE IT!

Coming Home

I have neglected this blog for too long!  I think I'm back!  It's been a really busy year, 2010 has been SQUINCHALICIOUS (in a good way).  

Get ready for some Christmas Cookie recipes and pics coming soon.  

This video is of Po'Girl.  I saw them at the Ironwood last month (or so).  They were awesome.  I really Love all the Live Music here in Canada.  So good.

How To Be Alone

Things are going well....only a month and a half to go :)  

JET Programme 2011 Calendar

[Beach Cat]

You might remember this photo, as it was the header for my blog while I was in Okinawa.  Well, I was delighted to hear that this photo was accepted for the yearly JET Programme Calendar.  All of the photos in the calendar are taken by JET participants all over Japan.  I am really happy that one of my photos was chosen, as it was my last year to submit photos for the calendar.  The photo was taken on Ou Jima, Nanjo-Shi, Tamagusuku, Okinawa.

Oh Canada!

[Vancouver - English Bay]

This blog post is way overdue.  But my life has been too hectic to even think about blogging.  So the question is where to begin ......

[Alberta - Prairie Sky]

In August, I survived the move from Okinawa back to Canada.  Before I left there were countless farewell parties, speeches, late nights, early mornings, and boxes to be packed.  Now I find myself without a job, living with my parents in my childhood home, and FREEZING in this arid land.  That being said, life will be on-the-go really soon.  My practicum will be starting at the end of September, it has been really great spending time with my family, catching up with friends, and the cool air is really quite refreshing (as long as I am dressed appropriately).

 [Albert the Gopher]

Since I have been back in Canada I have done all sorts of exciting "Canadian" things like hiking and camping in the mountains, eating FANTASTIC cheese everyday, ordering poutine at A&W, wearing a Touque in August, chowing down on Timbits, and attending a completely legal (nation-wide) same-sex marriage ceremony.  Awesome EH!  I am excited to be back in such a great country and hope my body adjusts quickly to the dry cold weather.

Of course I am missing Okinawa a lot BUT I know that I will eventually return for visits or more.  So I am going to put on my Parka, Touque, Mitts, and Mukluks and enjoy life back in in my home and native land.  Oh Canada!

[Troll Falls]

[Deep Frying a Turkey]

[Blues Music Festival]

[Alberta Night Sky]

Gurukun Fishing

There were a few things I wanted to do before leaving Okinawa.  One of those things was to go out fishing on a boat again.  A and I were invited to join Shacho (from the car shop) and his friends for a day of Gurukun Fishing.  We headed out from Ginowan Marina at about 8am on a hot and sunny day.

[Heading out from the Marina]

 [My world for 8 hours!!]

[My first Fish]

I started the day off well by catching a Gurukun right away.  I wish I had been able to keep on catching them but my luck ran out after this first fish.  In 8 hours I think I caught 4 fish..... NOT GOOD.

[Shacho with his Gurukun]

The old dudes we were fishing with had MUCH better LUCK than me and reeled in about 30 fish EACH!  No fair!  いんちき！

 「Fish need Love too]

 [Some Gurukun]

 [An Assortment + A Mibai]

夏ばて - Summer Lethargy

Summer in Japan is hot and humid.  Summer in Okinawa is hot and humid starting in May.  I have been combating the intense combination of these 2 elements the best a little Canada-jin can, but this past weekend I have been having suffering with the symptoms of Natsu-bate or Summer Fatigue.  Leaving me feeling tired & fatigued, no appetite, digestive problems, trouble sleeping, and dizziness.  

Some say that the causes of natsu-bate are:

1. dehydration and lack of minerals (vitamin B)

2. decreased digestive function and nutritional deficiency due to heat

3. Irregular temperatures inside and outside of air-conditioned rooms

other reasons may be stress, sharp climate change (rainy season, the start of summer)

This basically outlines EVERYTHING happening in my life right now......I will do my best to combat this "blahness" by eating lots of Goya, Pork, Cold Noodles, Soba  and drinking lots of water and tea.  

Here are some other strategies to combat the heat.


Okinawa currently sitting at a heat index of 37 degrees celsius at 6:33pm.......

Okinawa, JP (Airport)

Updated: 24 min 40 sec ago

84 °F / 29 °C Overcast Humidity: 89% Dew Point: 81 °F / 27 °C Wind: 7 mph / 11 km/h / 3.1 m/sfrom the SSW Pressure: 29.83 in / 1010 hPa(Falling) Heat Index: 98 °F / 37 °C Visibility: 6.2 miles / 10.0 kilometers UV: 0 out of 16 Clouds: Scattered Clouds 1800 ft /548 m Mostly Cloudy 2500 ft /762 m Overcast 3200 ft / 975 m (Above Ground Level) Elevation: 148 ft / 45 m

A Wonderful Saturday

I am tempted to say that the excessively long Rainy Season this year is finally OVER!  Maybe...I hope...we  will see.  Regardless, A and I woke up on Saturday morning to a beautiful blue sky sporting great marshmallow puffy clouds.  We both (amazingly) had the day off and nothing that we "had" to do, so we decided to make a day for us and go wherever the ocean breeze blew us.

We had stayed in Ginowan on Friday night at A's parents house so we opted for lunch in Chatan.  Lately, if I choose the place to eat, we end up eating Okinawa Soba :) :) :)  Yummmmmm.  I decided to let A pick the place this time, so we went to Jai Thai.  Good choice!

The lunch sets were reasonably priced (950 yen ?)  and came with a Thai soup that was actually quite flavourful and filled with lots of chicken and veggies.

A, had the Basil Chicken Stir Fry with a Fried Egg and Rice.  There were 2 little red spicy chili's on the menu next to this dish, so I knew it would be too much for me to handle.  I tried a bit though and the taste was great!  Just spicy!

I had the Green Curry. Which was a very very good and spicy, but not tooo toooo spicy.  It was very fresh and just the right size.

After lunch, we headed down to Haebaru.  Once we were home we were contemplating whether we should go to the beach or not.  A, suggested we drive down to Ou Island to visit our Stray Cat friends.  Yes, we are those Crazy Cat people............ We also wanted to pick up some of the famous Ou Island Tempura for dinner.  

The Ou Island Cats were few and far between.  I reckon they were in the bushes taking an afternoon cat nap.  We saw a few, they were all looking pretty skinny and nasty after the long rainy season.  We fed the few we found and headed off to find some Ou Island delicacies.  

On our way to the Tempura and Sashimi shops, we drove past what looked like a fish hatchery or something.  It had a sign outside advertising "うみぶどう" or "Sea-Grapes".  I really love these little things, so we stopped and went in to investigate.  Inside was a "Sea-Grape" FARM!  Hundreds of Ocean baths of Sea-Grapes at all different stages of development.  We asked for one package.  While the Sea-Grape farmer was packing up our goods, he provided us with a little taster that we dipped into Shiso Ponzu.  Yumm!  Talk about freshness!

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better.  As we were driving from the Sea-Grape farm to the Sashimi shop, we came across a gungle of Drying Squid, flies and all!

It was super cool and super smelly and kinda gross to see the number of flies that were swarming on these Squidlies.  Across the street was the Sashimi shop, selling their daily catch.  We got the "variety pack" and were rewarded with a サビス Tuna Filet.  For dinner we had Sea-Grapes, Tempura, Sashimi, Sashimi Salad, and Yuzu Tofu.  Nice Day !!!! :)

Hope Everyone had a great weekend! and a special shout out to Daddy-o for Father's Day!  We will have to celebrate together in August! 

Things I Will Miss

[抹茶　- Green Tea Pon de Ring]

I am really looking forward to moving back to Canada this August.  But I am definitely going to be missing some things about my life in Okinawa.  One thing in particular is Mister Donuts - Green Tea Confectionaries. They are these wonderfully chewy bites of heaven.  I have no idea what they are made of but I THINK they might be made with rice flour?!  Correct me if I am wrong, please.   

[Tofu with かつおぶし and ゆずぽんず]

I did not really eat Tofu while living in Canada.  Tofu is very popular, fresh, cheap, and delicious in Okinawa/Japan. So I have really started to appreciate Tofu for the greatness that it offers.  I never thought I would EVER say this BUT I will miss Tofu. Especially a chunk of Tofu with bonito flakes and yuzu ponzu.  

World Cup 2010 - South Africa! Represent!

The 2010 Soccer/Football/Footie World Cup is ON!  South Africa is hosting this time around.  They are the first African Nation to host the World Cup and they are doing a great job.  Love the Vuvuzela!  Sound of the bees! BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!  The Games are on from June 11th until July 11th.  There are 32 countries participating within 8 different groupings. 

It is a great time and a good excuse to indulge my night owl tendencies and stay up late watching soccer!  YAY!  Tonight I am watching the match between Serbia and Ghana.  So far it is 0-0.  I am rooting for Ghana, the Black Stars!

Hiyashi Chuka

お久しぶりですね！！！　Long Time No See ! ! !  I apologise for my absence BUT the past few months have been crazy crazy busy!!!!!  I have been swamped with online University classes from the U of C.  As well, the Canadian Invasion was awesome but Jam Packed with adventures, my Sister and her Boyfriend (now fiance) came to visit for a few weeks and 2 days after they left my Sickly Parents arrived in Okinawa after their Asian Adventure and stayed for 3 weeks.  The visits were really great and after everyone left I was quite lonely, missing my family and expecting more of them to walk in the door at any minute.  I recovered by burying myself in my studies and preparing for our move to Canada.  Which I won't talk about right now....... I would rather talk about food.  Yes, yumm, food.  It's been getting hot again, so all I want to eat is salad and ice cream.  So I made this delicious cold noodle salad called "Hiyashi Chuka"  Beneath all the delicious veggies are cold Ramen Noodles.  Add whatever veggies float your boat but the most common are: cucumber, tomato, sprouts. I splurged and added goya and mizuna.  For protein this dish has lean chicken breast, sliced ham, and a cold half boiled egg.  To top it off you can add your favourite dressing, oil & vinegar, lemon soy, or my favourite, sesame vinegar (ごまたれ).  It was as delicious as it looks.  Give it a try this summer on a hot day (for lunch or dinner) and you won't regret it!  

Hopefully I won't be absent for too long...... I will try my best to give a blog shout out once in a while!  xo J Kat

School Lunch - 学校給食 - Dessert

What in Canada we might see as fish food, in Japan it is a delicious snack rich in Calcium.

Chocolate Booze

The most recent craze in J-pan Land right now is this new product produced by Sapporo Breweries and Royce Chocolate Manufactory. The product is "Chocolate Brewery Bitter". I bought it because it seems like such a bizarre combination. Beer and Chocolate......hmmm. My initial reaction was "Not so bad!" rich, chocolatey but not sweet, and then the after taste hit "Oh noooo". It was all bad. I was not able to even finish the beer. The Chocolate Brewery met its demise in my kitchen sink.

What the World Eats

BUSY BUSY BUSY!! :) I don't have time to write a proper post but I saw this online and felt like sharing it.

If you have some free time, check out this website for a Photo Essay entitled "What the World Eats" Really interesting!

Cheers,

Julie

Family in Japan - One weeks worth of food.

Family in the U.S - One weeks worth of food.

7.0 Earthquake in Okinawa this Morning

Stayed with A's folks and A last night. Had fun watching the Olympics and playing Wii! At about 5:30 am I woke up because the house was starting to shake. A did not wake up. Then the house REALLY started shaking and I had to grab onto A's head and get both of us up and under a doorway. It went on shaking and throwing things from the walls/shelves onto the ground. Thankfully it stopped with little damage. A's folks live in a part of Okinawa with a higher elevation so I was not too worried about the tsunami warning and went back to bed. Glad the tsunami never hit and the earthquake had little to no damage!

Turns out it was about a 7.0.

Heres some more info on CNN

Random Photos

I am enrolled in lot's and lot's of online University classes, which started the beginning of February and will continue on until July. WOWZERS! So I do not have time to write a super quality post. Thought I would share these random and potentially interesting pics....

First of all, we have this Christmas Cat. I took the pic on Kokusai Dori. This cats owner has a whole set-up for this cat to travel and busk the streets for money. The cat really seemed to be enjoying itself...purring and "smiling" the whole time. This cat sits on a chair with its paws resting on the back of the chair, while wearing a variety of seasonal outfits. Apparently all proceeds go to take care of this cat. I hope they really do...but highly doubt it.

[ Christmas Kitty ]

Went to A's folks house for a Cousin's Birthday dinner. A was cooking.. It was DELICIOUS...except for this tasty treat, which I did not indulge in....

[ Pig Face ]

I am always on the look out for seasonal beer cans OR different beer because usually there are only the standard lagers. Orion, Orion, and Asahi. This Sapporo beer can looked all retro-vintage, so I bought it and took a pic with my Mac.

[ Retro-Sapporo ]