Asparagus Filo Roll-Ups

So, one night me and mom were trying to think of what to do for dinner. I just wanted fish, and couldn’t think of what else would be better. So we went to the grocery store, and found the salmon crab-meat pin-wheels. They were pretty good. As a side dish, I thought that the Asparagus Filo Roll-ups would be really awesome. I also decided to have corn, and tomato and cucumber salad with sesame dressing.

The salmon pin-wheels were pre-made, so all I had to do was cook them for 15 minutes at 325 degrees. The corn was just to be cooked in the microwave and stirred.

To make the salad, i took one big Ugly Tomato ( that is actually the name of it), and cut it into 12 pieces. Then I peeled a cucumber, and cut it into the same size pieces. I think we usually use ranch dressing for this salad, but I saw the sesame and thought it would taste good. I was right ;D

The real point was the Asparagus Roll-ups though. My uncle made these a while back when we had dinner together, and I thought they were really good.

You need:

1. Bouquet of Asparagus
2. Filo
3. Mozzarella Cheese
4. Butter (Melted)*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. I usually line a cookie sheet with tin-foil to avoid the mess, but that’s optional.

Cut the ends (the non-leafy side) of the asaparagus you will use. To estimate, you need between 3-6 depending on the size of the asparagus. I used small to medium ones, but larger are just as good. You probably don’t want the rolls to be more than the size of a quarter in width.

Take one sheet of Filo (that has been defrosted first, or it will break) and lay it flat. Take some butter (use a brush-baster if you have it) and line the outside of the filo to help it stick. Then take the mozzarella cheese, and spread it out evenly on the Filo. You don’t really need much cheese, just sprinkle it. Then, put the asparagus on one end of the filo. I layed half in the opposite direction of the other so that there are an even taste throughout.

Roll everythin up and put it on the cookie sheet. Then, repeat the process until you’ve made enough or run out of room.

Put them in the oven and back for 15-20 minutes. Mine were completely done in 15. Then, enjoy!

 

Mother’s Day

So, usually for Mother’s day, we make mom breakfast in bed. My brother and I have been doing this since I can remember, and it’s always fun. This year, however, I had to drive in from tampa, so Billy took on breakfast by himself.

When I got back to St. Pete, I said hi to Mom, and started working on my present: a Red Velvet Cake. This is mom’s favorite cake, so I wanted to make it for her. I found this recipe online, and went to work. I did have to modify the recipe a bit, because I couldnt find the right flour, and I didn’t have anything to sift with, but I had fun making it, and it came out pretty good!

I did frost it a little earlier than I should have, so I showed it to mom as soon as it was finished to take a picture.

Afterword, we decided that Mini-golfing would make for a fun day! We hadn’t been in forever, and so we went to Pirates’ Cove. It was a lot of fun to do that – it’s something we’ve all enjoyed together for a long time.

We came home and had a nice dinner together. And of course, we had dessert afterword.

 

M’s Cafe

Just because I really loved this café, and I hope they never go out of business for lack of customers, I thought I’d tell as many people as possible about it in the event they are in 枚方市<Hirakata City> and are looking for a delicious meal.

Usually, the café had different set menus. My favorite was the after lunch menu. In this, you would get a salad, pasta, cake of your choice, and a drink for around 1200￥. (I think that was the price.) The food was truly delicious. My favorite was the eggplant past with tomato sauce.

They also had something of a bar available as well. There was a nice selection of liqueurs available, as well as a wine list.

The atmosphere of the café was very relaxed. There was always good music playing and you were rarely pressured to hurry. This is definitely a place you should visit if you find yourself in Hirakatashi. Be it as a Kansai Gaidai student, or another reason.

Address:

〒573-0031
大阪府枚方市岡本町2-2 
豊田ビル1F

Walking directions from the station:

Coming out of the station at the Starbucks/ Tsutaya Rental exit, turn left and walk up the little walkway. The very last street before you come to a crosswalk, turn right. (If you see SATY, a shoe-store to your right, you’ve gone too far.) You should see the entrance to M’s café on the right, but if you get to a parking lot, and haven’t seen it, then you’ve gone too far. I often used that parking lot to park my bicycle when visiting the café.

 

St. Patrick’s Day

So, Monday was Saint Patrick’s Day. (^_^)v

To begin with, I didn’t really remember. Living in Japan has the side effect of forgetting holidays common in America.

But, not to worry! My Mom called that morning, since she was at a hockey game sat. night. (Lightning Hockey – Marty Scored, We Won!). Anyway, time difference means her saturday night equals my sunday morning. So she called me on my monday morning. Anyway, during this conversation, she reminded me of the holiday. Fortunately, I was already wearing green.

After word, I started the walk to Seminar House 4, to meet up with Jessi to color eggs and eat homemade bread. Our little party included Jessi, Anna, Heidi, Marina, myself, and Taka (who slept most of the time).

Later, Taka and I planned to go play pool. But I had bought pork the day before, and if I didn’t cook it monday, it would have gone bad. Orriginally, I wanted to make Nikujaga (cause I love it), but I’m so glad I made Cabbage stew instead. It surprisingly came out really good. I based what I did off of a memory eating Cabbage stew when I was somewhere around 8yrs old (eating only, i didnt see the process to make it).

Anyway, this is what I did:

• half a cabbage
• 6 small potatos
• one large carrot
• one package of pork (it was thin)
• one onion

First, I broke up the cabbage and peeled the potatos. Boiled them in a bot 2/3 filled with water. (I should have added the carrot at this point). I salted the water before it boiled, it was maybe a quarter (the coin)’s worth.
In a frying pan, I half-steamed half-fried the onion and meat together. I accomplished this by putting a hand full of water in the pan and covering it. When the water evaporated, I let it fry a bit. This cooked until the pork was done and the onions were soft. I seasoned this with white pepper, black pepper, tarragon, and a sprinkling amount of sugar.
Before adding the pork and onion to the rest of the stew, I seasoned it with White Pepper. Actually, my pot was too small, so I halved it into another. (adding just a bit more water, maybe 1/4 of a cup). I also added the carrots at this time.
This I let simmer for at least an hour. Probably more. Salt to taste (but under salt it because the taste is a bit stronger the next day).