One of my favourite sandwiches is the Curried Egg Sandwich.  Surprisingly enough, the first time I had ever eaten a curried egg sandwich was when I was in Japan!

There was this delightful little cafe my friends and I used to ride our bicycles to on our days off. Usually on a Sunday morning, we'd have brunch at this quaint little place. They specialized in an assortment of "different" bagels and sandwiches. The place also doubled as a shop that sold really cool items like the funkiest lighters and even Swiss Army knives. The menu, the ambiance, and the venue itself were all really unique and not what I would expect to find in the outskirts of Hiroshima.

How I wish I could remember the name of that place! *Edited to add: Thanks to Facebook, I was able to ask my former co-workers from Japan what the name of that place was! It's Darren Almond! Wonder if it's named after this Darren Almond? Must be!

Whenever I have a curried egg sandwich, I am transported to that special time in my life. Hard to believe my days teaching and living in Japan are so far away. Like fifteen years ago! Wow!

The original Curried Egg sandwich I had was served on a toasted whole wheat bagel and it had capers. Here's my version of the sandwich:

Ingredients

• 4 extra large hard boiled eggs
• 2 Tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1 tsp of curry powder
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh chives (if you want to switch things up, you can use 2 Tbsp chopped parsley)
•  alfalfa sprouts or chopped baby spinach or watercress
• a few slices of cucumber (just because my 4 year old's favourite vegetable is cucumber)
• Slices of Dempster's wholegrain bread or Dempster's bagel of your choice. This time we used Dempster's Villaggio, because that's Hubby's new fave.

Instructions
Enjoy!

Disclosure - This is not a sponsored post. We just really like Dempster's bread! All the thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

When I was in Japan, one of my favourite dishes was omurice.  There was a lovely omurice restaurant my friends and I used to frequent in Fukuyama. It's been eleven years since my teaching days in Japan, and every now and then I still get the craving for omurice.

My husband, the farmer, used to be a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He always had freshly baked bread with every meal and he always had dessert after every meal.

Then he married me.

Now, he never knows what he's going to be eating for supper.

He loves food and loves the fact that now he gets to sample fare from different countries. He has acquired a taste for Japanese, Korean, and Thai food. Oh, he also loves Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino, and Caribbean food. In essence, he loves food. Plain and simple.

One of my favourite things to eat when I was teaching abroad was okonomiyaki. There was a quaint little okonomiyaki shop near the school I taught at. It was fabulous! It was a little hole in the wall a little dodgy looking nothing fancy, but the prices were great and the owner, Fumiko, was a lovely lady. Although we couldn't really communicate (she spoke no English and my Japanese was really basic), we got along great! We'd always laugh at our clumsy conversations. Most of the time, it ended up in us gesturing at each other. Too funny! I remember one time we mistakenly translated "sea weed" into "parsley". Hey, it was green and flaky!

Today, I was thinking of my days in Japan and all of a sudden had the craving for okonomiyaki. On a whim, I made okonomiyaki for lunch. It was probably more the memories I craved than the dish itself. In any case, Hubby enjoyed it. It has become one of his favourite dishes as well.

Okonomiyaki basically means "whatever you like, grilled" in Japanese. My Japanese students described it to me as a Japanese pizza or a Japanese pancake.
I taught and lived in Fukuyama, Hiroshima and this dish was really popular in Hiroshima and in Osaka. Hiroshima okonomiyaki and Osaka-style okonomiyaki differ in preparation and in appearance, but are equally delicious.

Here's my Island version of the dish:
Base:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup water
1 egg
1/8-1/4 of a cabbage

Toppings - any of the below:
Chicken
Roast pork or beef
Squid, Octopus, shrimp, other seafood
Corn
Mushrooms
Onion


Sauces:
Okonomiyaki sauce
Mayonnaise

1. Shred cabbage finely.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add beaten egg, water and flour. Mix ingredients together until smooth.
3. Add shredded/chopped cabbage.
4. Heat non-stick pan or skillet.
5. Chop up whatever ingredients you would like to include. I usually just use cut up bacon and shrimp.
6. I add the bacon to the pan to cook for a bit (it also gives a bit of oil so you don't have to add any to the pan). Basically, add your veggies or meats to the pan and cook them.
7. Arrange your cooked ingredients into a round form and make sure they are in the middle of the pan.
8. Add your cabbage and batter mixture on top, also in a round shape (as you would if making pancakes).
9. Let it cook through for five minutes (you can tell by the edges when it's time to flip it over).
10. Flip and let cook for another five to ten minutes.
11. Remove from pan and place on a plate.
12. Dress it up with a bit of mayo and a liberal serving of Okonomiyaki sauce!!

Enjoy!

Oh, it's best when eaten piping hot and straight from the griddle! :)

I miss going to the okonomiyaki shop near my apartment when I was teaching in Japan. (Image from here)

I also miss Japanese TV shows! Too funny!!!

I was reading an interesting post by my lovely blog friend, Veronica @ Sleepless Nights. She wrote about the not-so-gluten-free gluten-free pizza advertised at Domino's Pizza in Australia.

One of our nieces has Celiac Disease, so I can relate to Veronica's frustration when it comes to restaurants having dishes that are supposed to be gluten-free and end up being cross-contaminated or containing ingredients that are not gluten-free.

I was vegetarian for seven years (for the mere fact that meat, flesh, blood, gristle, and bones gross me out). At a party I hosted when I was in university, one of the guys brought this amazing pizza! He made three HUGE rice crust pizzas and they were devoured within minutes! It was just so different from anything I had ever had before.

Years later, when I was teaching in Japan, one of the restaurants I frequented had shrimp burgers that had rice patties in place of burger buns! What a novel idea! Gotta love the Japanese!


RICE CRUST PIZZA

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked rice
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated
½ teaspoon oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup onion, minced
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 can tomato sauce

Directions:
Mix rice, eggs, and 1 cup cheese together. Spread thinly with raised outer edge into greased pan. Bake at 450 F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Simmer tomato sauce and herbs together for 15 minutes (oregano and thyme). Spread over rice crust. Add whatever toppings you like (olives, mushrooms, green pepper, ham, cooked chicken, etc). Sprinkle with the rest of cheese and bake at 450 F until cheese is bubbly.

This is not your typical lunch box (at least not in Canada, it isn't)!

When I was teaching in Japan, one of my students gave me a bento box. It was just a plain double decker bento box with separators/dividers. It also had a spot to store chopsticks. This was perfect for me because I have never been a sandwich kinda gal. Sandwiches for lunch just seemed so boring to me. Plus, I'm not much of a bread eater to begin with. Gourmet sandwiches or Paninis are great, but regular, plain 'ol sandwiches don't quite do it for me. Funny, because Hubby loves regular, plain 'ol sandwiches!

Anyway, the bento box is fantastic because you can make sure you have all the food groups, it's portable, compact, and the best part...it's portion controlled!
When I was in Japan (1998-2000), many Japanese mothers were stay-at-home moms. Times are changing and I don't know what the work situation is like in Japan now, but when I was there it wasn't the norm for a mom to work outside of the home.

Mothers took care in preparing their husbands' and children's lunches. I was shocked to see all the time and effort put into preparing a bento box.

I used to stare in awe (yes, I know it's impolite to stare) when I saw some of the lunches my young students brought! I told them that my Mom never made lunches that fancy for me when I was a kid. The students told me that it was a mom's way of showing she cared. Plus, presentation is very important in Japanese culture. My students in turn were shocked to hear that my Mom packed me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple and a juice box for lunch. To me, that was a cool lunch when I was a kid!

Some of my adult students were Japanese housewives who studied English twice a week as a "hobby". I was so curious about the bento boxes that when my teaching contract finished and I was set to return to Canada after my two years in Japan, my students got me a Japanese cooking class as my sayonara present. One of the things I learned how to make was a bento lunch. The detail and prep work involved was pretty crazy! I realize that not all moms in Japan go to great lengths to make a bento like this: or this: or this: or even this: Pretty wild, eh?

*All images found on Google Images*

Life is certainly never dull with Hubby and Little One to keep me busy.I woke up this morning to see a deer eating some fallen apples in our front yard. I had to do a double take. Too big to be my dog and too small to be a cow. Yay for no runaway cattle today!
I don't know why I wake up so early every morning. Little One gets up around 9 or 9:30AM. She went to bed a bit later than usual last night (almost 10PM) and woke up at 10 this morning! I guess the girl is a true believer in her twelve hour sleeps! Fine by me! :)
*sigh* I always put her to sleep on her back and she always rolls over onto her tummy. Lately, she's been sticking her limbs through the crib railing and getting them stuck all the time. Crazy kid. :)
She's sort of crawling, but not really...and she only has one direction. Backwards. In the past two days, she's discovered that she can crawl backwards under her playpen. She thinks it's really funny...until she gets herself stuck under her playpen and Mommy has to rescue her.
Hubby was getting his coffee ready. He was holding Little One in one arm and with his free hand, he made his coffee. He stuck a bagel in his mouth since he was multitasking. This is what happens when you have food and Little One is close by.
The kid wants to eat EVERYTHING!

Case in point:
Hubby, for some reason, thought it would be funny to give Little One a dill pickle. He put it on a plate and set it beside her. Of course Little One went straight for it!
What on earth is this?!
Ummm...Ewww!!!
Maybe I'll like it the second time around.
Meh...Not bad!
No more pickle. Wait! What's this?
Mmmmm! Nom! Nom! Nom! Nom! Nom! Yes, she tried to eat the plate.
I cannot believe my baby girl will be a year old next week. I made a pinata for her party. I know she won't be able to enjoy it, but the older kids at the party will.
Can you guess who this is?! My years teaching in Japan sort of created a Hello Kitty and Miffy obsession. Even my bank card when I was teaching in Japan had Hello Kitty on it!
The contents of the Hello Kitty pinata (which will all spew from her head once the kids smash her to pieces!). Poor Kitty-chan!

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago, we were here.

Today, we are here:

Little One was supposed to be born on February 3rd. This is her one month "corrected" photo (above). On the 11th she will be four months old! Wow! Can't believe how fast time flies!

Hubby says "She's getting bigger! Our hatchling is doing well". 7 lbs (as opposed to 2 lbs, 3 oz at birth) and getting noticeable rolls! Her legs are so cute! She lifts her head and looks around. She's got fantastic control of her neck muscles. She's very alert and curious. Oh, and she's trying to roll over on her own.This is her 1 day old "corrected" (3 months in actual age) photo. It's not a great one for comparison, since I think she looks bigger in this photo than she does in the more recent one!
Thank you to Canine, for suggesting that we take photos of her and her Moo every month! Just in case any of you wanted to see another ADORABLE baby, Fancy Pantsy Momma has been taking photos of her sweet Charlotte and her bear :)

One last thing before I sign off :)
Everyone who knows me, knows I am not a very materialistic person. Material wealth is not very important to me, but there are a few material items that have sentimental value to me.
Among these few items (and don't laugh!) is my Tonari no Totoro musical wind-up figure. Before I left Japan(after two years of living and teaching in Fukuyama, Hiroshima), my good friend, Mizue (who was also the Japanese teacher at the school I taught at) took me on a trip to Kurashiki (in Okayama Prefecture). It was such a memorable day. Kurashiki is a very beautiful place and is rich in art, culture and history. After having lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant, Mizue gave me a sayonara present.
Totoro was my favourite Japanese anime, so Mizue presented me with a Totoro musical figure. The music it plays is beautiful. A special present to remember a special day and a special friend by!

When I returned from my nearly three month stay in Toronto (because Little One was in the NICU at Mount Sinai), I found out that my musical figure had been destroyed. Amidst all the renovations on our house, it probably fell and shattered. I was devastated and Hubby was apologetic. I scoured the internet to find the exact same musical figure and couldn't find it. I couldn't even find it on eBay! I put it back together, but we're missing an ear and the umbrella is no longer intact. The wind-up musical piece no longer works. Soooooooo sad! I had wanted to put it in Little One's room because the music is so soothing :( If any of you can find this model anywhere, please let me know! I will love you forever!!!

Jeanna loves candy. Chocolate is candy. Chocolate makes me happy...
except when I'm pregnant. When I'm pregnant, chocolate makes me very unhappy (as in very sick and nauseous kind of unhappy). Isn't that sad?

I love Jeanna because she is great with leaving comments on my blog. We seem to go back and forth with our jokes and banter on each other's blogs. I like that because it makes my comments section look less empty than it really should look. Have I ever told you how much it annoys me when people don't leave comments? Yes, I know you're lurking! I happen to know of many friends, family and students who read my blog and don't comment. That's sort of like voyeurism, isn't it? Yes, Hubby...that means you too! I know you lurk!

When I taught in Japan for two years, my students used to come in bearing presents for me all the time. Some of the students used to bring me flowers, stuffed animals, jewelry, and candy. I don't think I was supposed to tell you about the jewelry part. Hey, at least I didn't mention the taking me on trips or dinners part! Oops! I just did!

Anyway, among these treats were some Hi-Chew candies of different flavours. I'm telling you, these candies put Starburst candies to shame! They really do! They are filled with flavour and the texture of these candies...ooooooh! The candies just seem to melt in your mouth. Coming from me, this says a lot because I'm not much of a "sweets" or "candy" kinda gal. I do have the occasional weakness for really good chocolate though. Not too often, but every now and then I can do with a really good Cow Pie from the Baraboo Candy Company (introduced to me by Jeanna, of course)!

After hearing all about Jeanna and her candy, don't you want to pop on over and say hi? Go on, check her out! I know you wanna!

Why am I so excited? I'll tell you why! Hubby and I met with my OB-GYN yesterday and everything is looking really good with regard to the baby. We are 12 weeks and 1 day pregnant today.

What's even better is that for the past few days, I have been feeling amazing! A little bit of nausea occasionally, but no more vomiting!!! My energy level seems to have gotten a boost and I'm feeling really, really good! I guess hearing the baby's heartbeat was also an added bonus!

The weather has been absolutely wonderful. It's beautiful out! It's sunny and hot...and perfect weather for taking the pooch for a run on the beach! I'm also very excited because I finally got Chance groomed! It took me four days to brush him out and get all the matted hair and burrs out of his coat. FOUR days!!! If you have ever met Chance, you would know that he is one very hairy doggy! I was able to give him a bit of a trim, but was a bit miffed when he wouldn't let me cut the hair near his bum! Yeah, I know that sounds really gross, but if you have a dog with long hair, you'd understand why I want to groom his posterior! He looks like a brand new doggy!

Lotus, you will be very impressed with me! Though I didn't do as amazing a job as the professional dog groomers do, but with saving $100 on a groomer's visit, I think I did okay. I did MUCH better than last year! Remember how pitiful Chance looked when I practically made him naked from that last haircut? Poor doggy! Surprisingly, he still loves me.

Yet another reason for my excitement? I received a package in the mail from my wonderful, amazing, very cool friend Canine!I was really surprised when I opened up the package! Upon picking it up at the post office, I could smell the aroma of mango and other tropical fruits. What smelled so good were the creams and lotions she sent me. She even packed some amazing candles that smell like strawberry-rhubarb! Remember a while ago, I posted about strawberry-rhubarb desserts? The candles totally made me think of that post! I've been craving strawberries my entire first trimester. In fact, strawberries are among the few things I could eat without getting sick. I've eaten so many strawberries in the past three months!

Canine and I once chatted about things that almost every Filipino family has in their household. Among these items are giant wooden forks and spoons and the Barrel Man. My parents had one at their house but since they moved, they have no idea where it is. Canine so thoughtfully sent one over. We've got to get my husband educated in the Filipino culture!
A while ago, I was admiring Canine's super cute Chococat compact. I was shocked to find my very own Chococat compact in the box of goodies from Canine.
Thank you sooooooo much for always thinking of me, Canine. You are so thoughtful. I love the card and the earrings you made for me too. XOXO

One last reason for my excitement? I don't have to cook tonight! On my way home from running errands and getting other stuff done, I swung by my parents' place. Dad wanted to show me some of the new Day Lilies he cross-pollinated and said that I could have some for my garden. While I was there, Dad invited us over for supper tonight. He's making General Tao Chicken! Woo hoo!
General Tao Chicken is also known as "General Tso Chicken" or "General Tsao Chicken".

It's been a while since I have posted an Engrish post! I was going through my clothes and putting away things I will not be able to wear in the next few months when my baby bump begins to show (and later on, when I become huge)! I came across a shirt I bought in Japan that made me laugh so much I just had to buy it.

I don't think I've ever worn the shirt, but the Engrish writing was just too amazing for me to not buy it. I found the next few photos via Google Images. When I was in Japan, I got a kick out of going shopping because the Engrish used to just blow me away. It was always so much fun finding all kinds of neat items in the stores, but it was the English descriptions that got me!

One of my favourite snacks in Japan was a cookie-type snack called Collon (by Glico). I just thought it was really funny that the company would choose to name a product after a part of the human anatomy. Too funny! The chocolate-filled cookies were good though...if you can get past the "collon" part! :)
Some of the American, Kiwi, and Aussie teachers I worked with used to drink this thing called "Pocari Sweat". Just the word "sweat" associated with something one would drink just turned me off. I think it took me an entire year to muster up the courage to try the drink! It wasn't really that bad. It sort of tasted like grapefruit. The drink is supposed to make one feel fresh and relaxed. I guess it can be likened to something along the lines of "Gatorade" or other sports drinks.Another drink that made me chuckle the first time I heard of it is "Calpis". When some of my students ordered Calpis at a restaurant one evening, I thought I heard them say that they wanted to drink "Cow Piss"! I immediately started laughing and was faced with a bunch of blank looks. I had to explain that I thought they had said "cow piss" and then I had to explain what "cow piss" was...and all of a sudden, it wasn't funny anymore.

Calpis Soda did turn out to be one of my favourite drinks in Japan. It is excellent as a mixer for cocktails and Chuhai.