Old fashioned pancakes

This buttery pancake recipe makes light and fluffy pancakes. I prefer my pancakes to be light and fluffy so I really love this recipe. To give the pancakes a lighter and fluffier texture, the key point is to use pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Old fashioned pancakes

•      250 cc pastry flour
•     1 teaspoon baking powder
•     ½ teaspoon baking soda
•     1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
•     A pinch of salt
•     200cc milk
•     1 whole egg
•     2 tablespoons butter, melted
•     Extra butter
•     Maple syrup, whipped cream, or anything else you like on your pancake!

1.    Combine dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well with a whisk.

2.    In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg together.

3.    Add the egg and the milk mixture into the powder mixture and add the melted butter. Whisk lightly. Make sure not to mix too much, because it will make a tough batter.

4.    In a heated pan, add butter for cooking the pancakes. Using a ladle, pour a serving of the pancake mix into the buttered pan. Keep the heat low to medium heat.

5.    When bubbles appear on the surface, flip over the pancake.

6.    Cook for additional 1 to 2 minutes and serve.

*You could keep the pancakes in the oven at around 180°F to keep them warm while the rest are cooking. Don’t leave them in the oven for too long or they will dry up!

Serve with butter, whipped cream and/or maple syrup!

German-style Potatoes with Egg and Tuna

Who doesn't love potatoes?  Some of my favorite things are made from potatoes like French fries, mashed potatoes, shepherd’s pie, croquets, potato salad, roasted potatoes, simmered potatoes with meat (Japanese dish)…yum. 

A dish to add to my list is this German-style potato salad.  What really makes this particular dish stand out is that the potatoes are paired with another of my favorite foods, hard boiled eggs. This dish is a double treat!  For this dish I use a special seasoning from Japan called Magic Salt, by S&B Foods.  If you can't find Magic Salt by S&B Foods then you can substitute any "spiced" or "herbed" salt mix.

The recipe is very easy and you won’t regret trying it. It works as a great side dish or an appetizer.

German-style Potatoes

•  4 to 5 Potatoes

•  ½ to 1 Onion
•  1 Tuna can
•  4 to 5 Hard-boiled eggs
•  Spiced or Herbed salt mix to taste
•  1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, for cooking potatoes
•  Olive oil (healthy frying oil), for cooking onions

1.  Cut potatoes into bite size pieces and cook them in a deep pot with boiled water and salt. Use a toothpick to check if the potatoes are fully cooked.

2.  Slice the onions into thin slices and fry them with olive oil (healthy frying oil) in a pan.

3.  When the onions start to cook down, add the tuna and stir fry well.

4.  When the onions start to turn transparent, add the potatoes. Make sure to pat out any extra moisture from the potatoes before cooking them.

 5.  Season with the Magic Salt according to your taste.

6.  Cut the boiled eggs length-wise into four pieces. Transfer the cooked potato mix to a large mixing bowl and add the eggs.  Lightly season again with seasoned salt, and garnish with parsley if you like.

*You can change the amount of potatoes or onions depending on your taste.

VIVA! Homemade dried tomatoes!

Do you have some leftover cherry tomatoes? Well here is an idea, try making oven-dried tomatoes.

You only need to heat the cherry tomatoes in the oven for a few hours at a low temperature, to dry them up and concentrate their flavors. The end product is a very sweet and delicious dried tomatoes. The tomatoes are delicious on their own, but they are amazing paired with a nice wine and a little bit of goat cheese on the side. I serve the tomatoes on top of a fresh baguette, smeared with a chunk of goat cheese and topped with fresh basil leaves. Of course, I drizzle a bit of olive oil from the dried tomato marinade over the top as a finishing touch. Perfect finger food for parties!

Now that I think of it, maybe I will pick up some pasta to serve with these tomatoes over the weekend…yum…


Homemade dried tomatoes

·         Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes, fruit tomatoes, plum tomatoes.. anything!)
·         Coarse salt
·         Extra virgin olive oil

1.   Cut the tomatoes lengthwise and lay them with the cut side facing up, on a flat surface.

2.   Sprinkle salt on top of the cut surface of the tomatoes and set them down for 30 minutes to allow the extra moisture to evaporate.

3.   On a parchment lined baking sheet, place the tomatoes (the cut side facing up) and roast them at 270°F for about two to four hours.

4.   Keep the dried tomatoes in a container and cover them in olive oil.

*Keep the tomatoes in the fridge and bring them back to room temperature when you’re serving them.
*Roast for shorter or longer time depending on your preference. I roast them for about 3 hours.

Wild blueberry clafoutis, a variation of a Julia Child's recipe

Clafoutis is a traditional baked treat from the Limousin region in France. It is baked with a milky soft custard composed of eggs, milk, sugar and flour with tart cherries on top. It is easy and delicious!

I do enjoy the traditional recipe baked with tart cherries, but I also like to create and experiment with new combinations of fruits. My favorite of these is wild Blueberries.  The wild Blueberries have a very nice flavor that blends perfectly with the texture and sweetness of the baked Clafoutis.  With the versatility of this recipe, you can experiment yourself using your favorite fruit and see if you can score the perfect combination too.

The recipe that I used as a reference is by Julia Child, the “mother of American home cooking”. She lived in Cambridge, MA which is the city right next to my town. Cambridge was the home to her famous cooking show and where she wrote her renowned French recipe book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It’s exciting to know that she did all these wonderful things so close to my home.

Julia Child is like a role model for people like me who are passionate about spreading the joy of home cooking. You can use her Cherry Clafoutis recipe to try it out; just replace the cherries with wild blueberries or any other fruit you think will be fitting.
If you can’t get your hands on fresh fruit you can easily use frozen fruit like blueberries or cherries!  This dish is a perfect warming dessert for holiday gatherings, and can even be served for breakfast!

For those that like to do things the easy way, I have simplified the recipe below.

Blueberry clafoutis

 (10 inch skillet)

·        300g of Wild blueberries (or 1 bag of frozen (wild) blueberries)

·        3 whole eggs

·        2/3 cups of granulated sugar

·        1 and ¼ cup of whole milk

·        ½ cup of pastry flour

·        1/8 teaspoon of salt

·        1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

·        unsalted butter

·        extra flour

·        powdered sugar

1.     Preheat the oven to 350F°

2.     Mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl until smooth.

3.  Add salt and flour into 2).

 4.    Add  milk and vanilla extract and continue to stir well.

5.    Butter  the sides and the bottom of an oven-safe pan or deep-dish pan and lightly cover the surface with flour.

6.     Add blueberries into the buttered and floured pan and pour in the custard mixture on top.

7.     Place the pan in the oven and bake for 60 minutes.

8.     When the clafouti has cooled down, lightly powder the surface with powdered sugar.

9.   Serve warm or cold- delicious either way!

Announcing my new column in the Washoku.Guide!

I have some great news here today!
Cookpad, the most popular recipe website in Japan, has just launched their new Global website "Washoku.Guide".  This site will introduce Japanese food and culture around the world. I am contributing weekly articles to the Washoku.Guide: Yoshiko Sullivan.  Isn’t this exciting! 

The article is Chic Japanese table setting for Halloween

First, I will explain what is "Washoku".  Washoku is traditional Japanese cuisine. Washoku has been recognized around the world and in December of 2013, it was granted the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation. 
(From Washoku.Guide. More detail : Whatis Washoku)

Wa means Japanese, and Shoku means food, so it is fitting that I am introducing Japanese cuisine (mostly family style) in my weekly Washoku Guide articles. I have been living in the USA for 16 years and raising my family here, with my American husband, so I have a nice blend of  American and Japanese culture. My mother-in-law is from England so our family get togethers usually have an International feel. My husband enjoys my Japanese culture and he also loves Japanese food so we often eat the same menu as a typical Japanese family. Of course I also love food from around world and always enjoy trying new recipes so not every meal is Japanese, but I am proud of my food culture and I love to show this great culture to my family and friends. 

When living in a foreign county, getting my hands on every ingredients required for Japanese cooking can be a challenge. I am thankful that I have some great local Japanese and Asian markets where I can get the critical items. When possible I also try to utilize and adapt to the local ingredients.  Along with the Japanese family dishes I also have a collection of favorite American, English, and Irish dishes which gives me a good insight to the key points I need to highlight to my readers who are ready to experience some wonderful Japanese recipes.  In the Washoku Guide articles and in my blogs, I am planning to introduce Japanese recipes and some helpful information about the ingredients.  I will also add some cultural tips and background so you can experience the Japanese dish the same way I do at home. I hope you will enjoy my articles and that you will learn a bit more about Japanese cuisine and culture.  

 Home style sushi: called Temaki sushi. Easy and fun!

One of my Japanese style Fried chicken, Tatsutaage. 

Nostalgic Corn Cream Soup

Everyone has their own memories of their mother’s home cooking. For me, the one dish that reminds me of my mother is corn cream soup. Whenever I enjoy this soup it brings me back to my favorite childhood memories; from birthday parties, ballet lessons, and girl time with my mother.

Today, as I cook this hot and creamy corn soup for my children, I wonder if they will think about me in a similar way when they grow up.

As the temperature drops and winter approaches here in New England, you can warm up your body and heart with this comforting soup!

Buttered bread is wonderful dipped in this soup, which is how I typically serve it. I prefer to use organic frozen corn in this recipe, as I am usually preparing this for my children.

The creaminess of this recipe is perfect for me but if you like a thicker soup, you could simply reduce the amount of milk. 

Corn Cream Soup

Ingredients (serves 4 to 5 people):

2 tbsp Salted butter

4 tbsp All-purpose flour

1200cc Whole milk

2 Solid consommé cubes (chicken or beef)

300g- 400g corn (canned or frozen)

A pinch of salt & pepper if you like

1)    Melt the butter in a deep cooking pot.

2)    Add the flour into the pot. Continuously stir the mixture over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

3)    Gradually add milk into the flour mixture, and continuously stir with a whisk to avoid creating lumps of flour.

4)    Turn the heat up to medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Make sure to whisk continuously to keep the mixture smooth and consistent.

5)    Stir in the consommé cubes and let them dissolve into the mixture. 
6)    When the soup starts to thicken, add the corn. Continue to cook for several more minutes.

 7)    Taste the soup and salt accordingly.

 8)    Serve and enjoy!