cold and cloudy day ☁️ I have a mission to shop for Christmas today 🎁 Korean seasoned seaweed is a Must Buy 😃 ¥429 this gingerbread cake looks good ¥298 they already had the New Year corner set up ! KAKAMI MOCHI with the icon of next zodiac 🐉 this bag made with Furoshiki is nice 🥰 the package is so pretty but Christmas is not here yet, I am not keen for New Year stuff 💦 this habanero sauce has a good deal now 🤩 ¥578 seasonal black pepper flavor Boursin cheese ¥537 free coffee is backed after 3 years 😗 brown sugar syrup ¥537 it’s about ¥2500 in total including tax moving on to MUJI New Year curry ?! 🤔 MAMEZARA (small plates) are all so cute matcha Baumkuchen ¥180 each dried fruits ¥350 recent favorite, Yuzu green tea ¥390 little bears cookies 🐻 ¥120 I found cookies house 😍 mini ramen ¥120 it’s about ¥1300 in total including tax shopping for Christmas continues 😗 so cute 🥰 I come to look for something for stocking stuffer too childish for my boys now 😅 puzzle to make a globe key chain 🌎 New Year items here too 🎍 Yuzu SHICHIMI (seven flavors chili flakes) ¥450 I’ll get the glove keychain for S ¥880 I have it wrapped too 🎶 then I come to Uniqlo to look for present for the hubby pajamas? socks ? if I get him something he didn’t need, I’ll get complaint, so I gave up and found the hat I’ve been eying is on sale now 😎 ¥1990 it’s adjustable which is precious for me who is hard to get a hat white is very nice 🤩 but I decided on black at once 😅 I also found a T shirt perfect for K’s hip hop class ¥790 I will get this two, sorry hubby 😅 next stop is 100yen store I need to get wrapping papers I will get this any thing for stocking stuffer here ? cute but not for my boys super ball ? this magnetic puzzle 🧩 can be useful for math I’ll get this for K 😎 small snacks are perfect for stocking stuffer 👍 Baby Star Ramen, 2 for ¥100 Cola and Soda flavor gum, 2 for ¥100 gummy that used tangerine from Wakayama🍊 ¥100 gummy that used Citrus from Kanagawa🍊 ¥100 chips, 2 for ¥100 I think they will like bath bomb too but not many stocks here 💩??!! another 💩😳 happy that I found many thing for stocking 😀 I come to Seria also, another 100yen store to check the small toys here I remember S also like this robot that his brother own I will get one for him too why they like to give poo to kids to play ?! 😫😫😫 more choice of bath bomb here 🎶 I knew K will like this with little bird toys in the bath bomb 🐦 Samurai hat is perfect for S 👍 Japanese sword 🗡️ I guarantee they will like this 🤣 so I need to get two 😎 I think my stocking stuffers are good enough now 👍 my free tote bag from Marimekko is very handy 🎶 last stop is the supermarket I will get something for winter solstice today Chinese chives ¥128 lotus roots ¥199 turnip ¥99 Yuzu Citrus 🍊 ¥128 garlic 🧄 ¥99 potato 🥔 ¥199 onion 🧅 ¥380 they are expensive recently 💦 burdock ¥199 so many tangerine 🍊 now I usually get the small size as they are sweeter 🍊 ¥350 pork slice ¥1316 egg ¥194 red bean in can 🫘 ¥230 frozen Udon ¥178 it’s exactly ¥4000 today! 😃 almost break my arms 😂 back at home, found this creature on my cushion 🤣 very important job of Santa mommy is to keep everything well 👍 then the boys came home from school I am going o make a tea time snack for them line the green tea Baumkuchen up like a tress 🎄 I think I am going to decorate with the bear cookies some dried fruit like the illumination 😅 I will take a coffee break too ☺️ today I am going to make something for winter solstice but first let’s make a side dish to go along prepare the Chinese chives and crab sticks crumble 200g of Tofu add about 4tbsp of potato starch salt & pepper add in the chives and crab sticks I almost forgot the egg 💦 shape to make mini Tofu pancake they are soft so I have to flip with care I yield 8 all together 🎶 I also make an egg roll I also made Tonjijru (Miso soup with pork and root veggies) pair it with UDON for our main dish today 🎶 I’ve shown how I make it many times, so I’ll skip today 😃 refill my SHICHIMI (7 flavors chili flakes) and dinner is done ! I love TONJIRU especially in the winter the boys love the Tofu pancake ☺️ very yum 😋 my egg roll with Cod roe is very yum too UDON, daikon, lotus roots, carrot have good omen in Japanese so it’s a custom to eat these ingredients on the winter solstice ❄️ simple yet satisfying ☺️ we also have YUZU bath for winter solstice ❄️ the refreshing and fruity fragrance is nice ☺️ Christmas Eve today 🥰🎄🎁 the boys went out with daddy so I have to quickly wrap the presents that daddy bought 🎁 game for S story books for S which he requested a scientific Manga for S game that K asked for a book about Pokémon card game for K Pokémon card game set for K Japanese kind of chess, SHOGI for them both I will just do it quick after all they will tear it off in a blink 🤣 also wrap the present I got at Flying Tiger 🎶 looking for the used bag I keep to reuse ♻️ I thought I found a good one but the SHOGI is too big 😅 I somehow manage to tie the bow 😅 hide them again until tonight 😄 Santa’s job is not easy 🎅🤣 I also need to go out to look for the chicken drumsticks 🍗 found them in a meat store (about ¥700 each) back at home, I am working on my Christmas dinner for tomorrow trim the fat like always 💪 poke some holes always start with salt & white pepper 😃 do the same to another side too my honey is going to finish, not my 💨 🤣🤣🤣 I go with the same recipe every year 🎄 but I have run out of cooking Sake, so I will try with white wine honey 2tbsp
Mirin 2tbsp
white wine 3tbsp
soy sauce 5tbsp
sugar 1tbsp
grated garlic 1tsp mix and marinated well until tomorrow dinner 👍 please be delicious 😀 evening I get dressed we are going out for Christmas Eve dinner 🎶 cheers 🍻 I have white Hoegaarden, it’s so fruity and light Quattro formaggi salad with Iberian ham the dressing is very appetizing 😋 Quattro formaggi here is very chewy and yum 😋 margherita this is good too carbonara the boys like the food here too 🎶 grilled sparerib food here is really good so glad we discovered a new place to dine 🍽️ very nice Christmas Eve dinner thanks to our Santa daddy 🎅💛 late night looks like Santa had get his job done 👍🎄 Christmas is here finally 🎄🎅🎶 the long awaited day is finally here 😄 helping his brother to get them out my Christmas present 🎁☺️ surprisingly they choose to do SHOGI first they’ve read many books and can battle for their first time 😅 it was a very happy and relaxing morning 😃 then I get dressed we are going out for lunch my husband found another restaurant not far from our place the boys will share this crab tomato and cream pasta 🦀 they are eating so fast 😆 I got to try a bite the crab taste is rich and strong 😋 daddy and mommy have Sri Lanka curry special plate it’s really authentic I really like this ethnic flavor lotus root 😋 we were recommended to mix everything but I think I prefer them separately the purple cabbage pickles is a good mouth refresher 👍 very happy we found another good restaurant ☺️ back at home, it’s game time 😆 a special day which they are not limited to 30mins game time 😅 finally today is the day I can wear my new apron 🤩 I feel so special and happy wearing what I’ve been always admire 🥰 give the chicken a flip to make sure they marinate well I will also make potato salad for side dish 🎶 a drenched kitchen towel to prevent dry out then a silicon food cover cook in the microwave until soft moving on, slice a cucumber some onion mix with some salt and leave aside for a while when done, dash some salt while the potato is still hot and then mash them finely set a side and let it cold down time to grill the chicken 🍗 preheat the oven to 200degree and grill for 30mins get back to the potato, add about 5 tbsp of mayonnaise today I will add 1tsp of grain mustard a bag of ham squeeze the cucumber and onion before add in potato salad wreath 🥗😆 black pepper Boursin I bought at Kaldi 🎶 I’ll make an easy appetizer with it 🎄 my white tree is down in no time 😎 let it snow ❄️ let it snow ❄️ let it snow ❄️ aloe drink for the boys and grape drink for daddy and mommy 🍷😃 the meat eater love their chicken 🍗 black pepper flavor is mild but Boursin is always yum 😋 😋😋😋 this is a special recipe that I only make on Christmas 🎄 very glad the boys like their Christmas dinner a lot 🥰 so glad that Santa daddy and mommy got their mission completed 👍 cheers to myself quietly with my sparkling water Merry Christmas to you again 🎄🎄🎄 and have a safe and wonderful holiday 🥰