End of the Year Randoms

I'd like to think that I've been busy since September, which is why I've been neglecting this blog. But honestly, it's been a combination of keeping busy and being lazy. Between the wedding, honeymoon, and the holidays, we've been in a whirlwind of activities. So when I get home, I have a nice (sometimes alcoholic) beverage and veg out in front of the TV.

So in and effort to revive my inner blogger, we've returned to the randoms. Here is the best of the randoms pictures I took from September, October, November and December.

Baby's first chicken

What's your number?

Coffee marinated pork loin with sweet potatoes and kale, avocado salad

Roasted red pepper soup with BBQ drizzle

So little

Butternut squash soup with goat cheese and crispy sage leaf

Smothered chicken with gravy and rice

Reindeer ranch

Juice me!

Vegan nachos, my new obsession

Mediterranean pizza and ginger ale

Homemade egg nog

Pajama baby

Hot baths in cold weather

The new year is just a few hours away and 2015 will be another new adventure. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving for Two

If haven't mentioned it before, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I know it's December and I'm behind on blogging, but I had to share our little cooking day. Thanksgiving reminds me of gatherings and quality time with family and food. 

This year, I had to work the day before and after Thanksgiving, so not many options for family gatherings. So in an effort to make Thanksgiving just as happy as I remember it, Bryan and I had our first holiday as a married couple and we pulled out all the stops. 

Making lunch

There's kind of no point in making a whole turkey, or even a chicken, for two people. But you still want that bird. So we made turkey meatballs dipped in homemade cranberry sauce. Super easy and delicious. 

To kick things up a notch, we put our fancy pants on for some crostini. Appetizers are always fun and I wanted the menu to have the flavors of Thanksgiving, but with a twist in each dish. To me, Fall crostini means Autumnal squash, so we had roasted butternut squash with arugula, goat cheese and sage brown butter. YUM!

That takes care of lunch. Yes, this was an all day affair. For dinner, we decided to keep it simple and made dishes that could be packed up for leftovers, another favorite holiday tradition. 

For dinner, we made roasted Brussel sprout salad. Top those delicious little cabbages with blue cheese, bacon and almonds. Rich and indulgent. 

Nothing says Thanksgiving like quinoa. Yeah, I know. Not your typical holiday fare, but stay with me. Sautee some mushrooms in brown butter and sage. Cook the quinoa with garlic and chicken broth. Combine with mushrooms and left over butternut squash from the appetizers. Voila! Healthy protein with Fall flavors. 

Dinner

Some of my favorite food memories revolve around dessert. But as an adult, I have to watch the sweet intake. Things can easily spiral out of control if you leave me alone in a room with a full pie or box of cookies. Sometimes we need to treat ourselves without going overboard. In my opinion, this is where savory desserts come into play. 

Keeping with the Autumnal feel and to go savory, we made puff pastry wrapped pears drizzled with honey and topped with blue cheese and almonds. Savory with a hitn of sweet, but you still get that buttery richness from the puff pastry. Ice cream would work too if you're not into blue cheese. 

Dessert and Dannowine

thanksgiving is always better with friends and family, but I think Bryan and I did a pretty good job. Taking this opportunity to be creative and spend the day cooking together was a nice was to spend the holiday and revive our Valentine's Day cooking adventure. 

-Akemi-chan

Long Weekend Trip to Honolulu

I miss home. For a long time I convinced myself it would be difficult to move back. I'm getting so used to roadtrips and hopping on a 2 hour flight to a completely different location and the low cost of living of the Midwest. But every time I go home to see my family, it makes my ambitions of world travel seem irrelevant. So I spent my three-day weekend on a little trip home to see the family before Winter hit Illinois. 

Final approach

I didn't get home until around dinner time in Hawaii and my parents had a little house party so I could see as many people as possible in a short time frame. How nice of them. So as soon as I landed, we went straight home and had dinner together. :-)

On my second day home, we spent most of the time shopping at Ala Moana. When it was time to eat, we were actually going to go to a restaurant further away from the mall. In an improptu move, we decided to go across the street to the new ramen shop Man Ichi. Soooooo glad we did. It was so good. Like, people not talking at the table good. Like don't stop to drink water good. Like don't stop the breathe good.  

Giant soup spoons for hungry patrons

MOOOAARRR please

My last day home, Dad and I went to Diamond Head to take a little hike. I've been trying to be more active, but the harsh and unpredictable Illinois weather makes it difficult to muster up the motivation for outdoor activities. So while the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, we spent the afternoon outside.

The last time I hiked Diamond Head was with my Dad, about 15 years ago, maybe more. How things have changed. I remembered it being so muddy and wilderness-like. No railings, no lights in the tunnels, etc. Perhaps it was my young mind exaggerating everything, but it seemed a lot more difficult. 

This time around, I saw women in moderate-height heels, railings, lights and concrete. So much has changed, but the view is still worth trekking up the mountain for. 

After brweaking a sweat, there's nothing like shave ice. Yes shave ice. Not shaved ice. Not snow cone. Not ice shave. Shave ice. Haha

Classic rainbow

It was a short weekend, but I'm glad I got to do it. Honestly, I've had shorter visits home and I felt like collapsing due to jetlag. But between the family time, the food and the exercise, I felt revived from a sort of rut. Can't wait to come back home again.

Akemi-chan