Southwest “egg rolls”
It’s Cinco De Mayo and I wanted to try to make one of my favorite appetizers. These are super easy to make, but you can’t make just one. Be prepared to make a whole bunch of them, but you can aways put some in the freezer or later.
What I used:
- Grilled chicken
- A bag of spinach (frozen is okay, too, just defrost and squeeze the water out of that shit)
- A can of black beans (strained and washed)
- A can of corn
- Garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, whatever spices you want to use. (I was thinking about just buying a taco seasoning pack, but they’re filled with all sorts of weird chemical compounds)
- Mexican cheese blend
- Whole wheat soft taco sized tortillas (you can always use egg roll wrappers, too, you would just need to deep fry them)
Put garlic, spinach, beans, corn, chicken, and spices in a pan and cook them until everything is well incorporated. Turn off the heat, and add the cheese little by little so it mixes smoothly. Heat the tortillas however you like (I used a microwave) and fill sparingly with the mixture. Roll up like a burrito, and set aside.
Once your rolls are made, you can freeze them or cook them. A lot of people deep fry the rolls, but I just used a frying pan with a little bit of oil to crisp up the seam so it didn’t fall apart. Other people drizzle olive oil on top and bake for about 10-15 minutes.
I bought avocados to make an avocado ranch dip, but honestly, these did not last long enough.
Sunday nights are dinner and a movie nights with the Yus. They have been for the past few months. We’ve watched such gems as Transporter 1 and 2, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Alien vs Predator, etc., whatever is on Sunday night TV.
Tonight we made エビマヨ (Ebi-mayo, or deep fried shrimp with mayonaise) with asparagus fried in the same batter. We used pancake mix instead of flour, and it turned out delicious. We also made scones from scratch, but we saved baking them for tomorrow morning’s breakfast.
The movie on TV tonight was “War of the Titans” or something like that, and I really didn’t like it the first time I saw it, so we decided to watch “Sherlock Holmes 2.” As most sequels go, it wasn’t as good as the first. I was really upset about what happened to Regina George (if you don’t know, I won’t tell you). As usual the Yus fell asleep, so I am in the process of trying to explain the movie that I didn’t really understand.
Another great week in Osaka has come to an end. Only 2 more left!
Winter Break
I am on my 2nd official day of winter break from work.
It feels WONDERFUL.
I forgot how much I liked sleeping in (at least until 9), wasting hours in front of the internet, and watching bad TV reruns ALL before my morning early afternoon shower!
However, any more of this sloth behavior, and I know I’ll go a bit stir crazy. So I decided to:
In the spirit of the holidays, I’m going to load my tiny kitchen with baking essentials and go a bit wild. No set agenda yet, but I’m reading various recipes online and everything seems great!
I love baking, but it scares me more than cooking because of the precise measurements required. My motto for cooking is, throw delicious things together, and it has to turn out alright. Baking is a bit different. With baking, nothing is all that tasty on its own (except butter), but when combined JUST right, all is right with the world.
Of course, if you have any favorite recipes, please submit them to me.
Sick Day
I took a sick day today.
It’s pretty rare for me. I’ve only taken 3 or 4 sick days in the past 2 years of working, and most of them were for serious reasons (kidney stones, pneumonia, etc). Yesterday at work, I started getting a splitting headache around 5 pm and when I got home I realized I had a fever. I took some medicine and slept, but when I woke up, the fever was still there. I called my company’s sick phone, and left the world’s shortest voicemail:
“Hi, this is Nick, and I’m not going to be able to come into work today. I have a fever. Soooo thanks, and I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
I was so nervous, I figured whoever got the message would think I was lying. I then went back to sleep.
I woke up a few hours later and felt a bit better. I decided to make the most of this day and catch up on everything I’ve been putting off: paying bills, sending money home, watching new TV episodes in my underwear.
I had a bunch of assorted veggies at home, so I made some pasta salad to have for lunch before running errands.
I just cut a bunch of veggies, opened a can of sliced olives, poured in some italian dressing, and mixed them all together with cute pasta. Simple and easy, and maybe a little healthy.
I like cooking, especially when I’m not feeling well. It makes me feel better.
Now I have to go wash all of the dishes. My least favorite part about being alive cooking.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hibernation update: Cooking.
I told you in my entry about hibernating that I’d be cooking dinner and lunch every day. That didn’t really work out.
I am cooking more, though. I like cooking, especially on the weekends when I have time to relax in my tiny kitchen.
On Sunday, I made チキン南蛮 (Chicken Nanban or Kyushu Fried Chicken). It’s fried chicken with tartar sauce on it. I used to eat this when I was little. My family would get take out from Long John Silver’s (is it still a fast food place?) and I didn’t trust the fish, so I would eat the fried chicken with tartar sauce. Same kinda deal.
So here’s what I did to make it:
(Please understand I don’t use recipes when cooking. I look up ideas of what to make, but I don’t really measure ingredients or anything)
Buy some chicken breasts or thighs or whatever kind of chicken you like. You could use a food storage bag and put the chicken in, but I noticed that plastic wrap only really sticks to itself, so it made a really handy makeshift bag (Photo 1). Beat the pieces chicken until they are all about the same thickness (I used a bottle of soy sauce as a meat tenderizer) and then sprinkle them with seasonings (salt, pepper, whatever you like). Then coat them evenly with flour and dip them into a beaten egg before frying them in oil (Photo 2).
While they are frying, make the sauce you will pour over the chicken when it’s finished. Take soy sauce, vinegar, and a little sugar and mix it together until you get the correct tanginess you desire. If you want the sauce to be a little thicker or shinier, add some corn starch (maybe, I don’t know). When the chicken is cooked, pour the sauce over the hot chicken (Photo 3).
When everything is cool enough to eat, plate it up with some tartar sauce. You can make it or buy it, whatever is easiest for you. I paired mine with some baby greens and an easy EVOO vinegar dressing.
It’s perfect as a dinner or a lunch (just put the chicken over some rice and you have your bento for the day) and it’s healthier than buying it from a shop.
(チキン南蛮 bento at HokaHoka is 900 calories. FYI.)
Have fun in your small kitchen!
