Friday, January 21, 2011

2010 Christmas Party

Everyone spent a wonderful Christmas Party at Hiroko's daughter's apartment.

Hiroko screamed that she forgot to take her camera when she arrived at the party. Then, someone said, “I’ll take the photos for you.” The lady who is a semi-professional photographer was at the party.

Recently, all those photos came from the photographer. They are clear and very good photos. Give many thanks to her. Please enjoy all these beautiful photos. Those photos itself tells us the story of love and having the wonderful fellowship at the party. However, Hiroko writes some explanation and her thought.


First, give thanks to Lisa and Dave to decorate their apartment in their busy schedule. This is their entrance. This decoration reminded to everyone who stepped in the place why we were there.

Appetizers corner


Please don’t eat too much delicious appetizers, because it will spoil your dinner. There were about three hours before dinner, so everyone was enjoying the appetizers and fellowship.

Fellowship time




The first photo is Lisa and Dave who opened their apartment for this party. Lisa’s family and Dave’s family, there were total of twelve people and one dog were at the party. Be careful to watch for the dog because of her health, she eats all the food dropped from the table; even broccoli, cauliflower and everything. It is very precious to see little children among the gathering. Photographer’s husband was introduced, so Hiroko gave “Thanks” to him. He said the camera she was using belongs to him. Well, double thanks to him. Arigato!

Here came the time of the opening presents.













No need to explain. Please enjoy and watch their happy faces. They loved Hiroko’s hand-made blankets..
“Well, wait a minute! Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Jesus is the one should have all the presents. Why does everyone have many presents. Hiroko had five presents. What present are they able to give Jesus. Hiroko wanted to know the answer to this question by 2011 Christmas.

Tenderloin and other dishes





The main dish of the dinner was the tenderloin steak cooked by Dave. It was so tender that melted in your mouth.
“Why is the tenderloin so expensive?”
“Because of only this much of meat can be taken from a cow.”
“Only this much! No wonder it is so expensive.”
“Where is the tenderloin located in a cow?” (See the cow’s diagram posted below)
The salad made by Dave’s father was very delicious. And there are many other dishes.
Lisa was saying “It is time. --- dinner is ready. Daddy, please give a grace for the dinner.”

Daddy’s prayer

“Father God in Heaven: Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to this world for saving human being from sin and gives us eternal life. Give many thanks for making us through 2010, and loving one another in the family. Thank you for sending new family among us. Teach us to carry this love to other people in the world. We ask Jesus to bless the food prepared before us, and bless our fellowship for the remaining hours. I pray this through the name of Jesus Christ.”

Dinner Starting



All by herself, the little girl chose the food she likes.
“Here are knives and forks. I took only the small amount of each food which is piled up in the big plate. … “Yumm!! Each one of them was so delicious. I ate it all.”
Everyone ate so many foods and has so many drinks – red and white wine, champaign, beer and water for the drivers.

Now is the time for some exercise.






“Let’s do exercise.”
“Just in time, the exercise/dancing DVD for T.V was given to us as Christmas present.”
“Very good. Let’s do it.”
“No. I can’t do it. I’m watching.”
“After we ate so much, everybody should do this.”
While many of us were doing exercising/dancing, all the dinner plates, etc. were cleaned. Thank you so much, and Gochisosama-deshita.

Good Bye Time

“Let’s us go home.” Dan-san had shopping bagful of presents for take home.
“It was a wonderful time, we had.”
“Thank you for taking photos.”
“When can we meet again?”
“Till we meet again!”
“Good-Bye!”
 
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A cow’s diagram has taken from Google image site.

Can you see the white part closer to the top of cow? That is tenderloin.

Beef tenderloin is cut from the animal's middle, specifically the psoas major muscle, which hangs beneath the spine. Beef tenderloin is also the general name for a wholesale cut of beef from which various retail cuts are made, such as filets or tenderloin steaks. As you might guess, beef tenderloin meat is the tenderest and most flavorful kind, generally speaking.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

New Year's Party, 2011 Resolution, Recipe -Seaweeds Salad

Happy New Year!
Thank you for coming to Hiroko’s blog during the year of 2010.
Please come again and give Hiroko suggestions and advises.

On the New Year’s Day, Hiroko’s family and friends got together enjoying Japanese New Year delicacy.

On the Christmas Day we had a wonderful time; opening presents and enjoying the delicious foods. Hiroko wanted to take photos how everyone reacts to see handmade blanket, but no camera. However, a semi-professional photographer was there and took many photos. She said she’ll send Hiroko those photos. Hiroko will post those Christmas photos later.


In the Japanese New Year decorative boxes, there were kimpira (gobo roots), tazukuri (fried fish), and umani (cooked vegetables)

Kuro-mame (black beans) and kinton (lima beans paste with chestnuts) in the bowls

Sunomono (cucumber, wakame, crab meat) – recipe posted below

Tuna and yellow-tail sashimi – At Mistsuwa $55.00 to $65.00 per pound sashimi came from Japan by air was selling. It was too expensive so Hiroko went to sashimi shop on Laurence and $35 per pound sashimi was at the store. Hiroko bought 1.5 pound tuna and 1 pound yellow-tail. It was very delicious.

Tempura – 2 lb. (30) extra large and 2 lb (50) large size shrimps, sweet potato, pumpkin and vegetable were fried. All the shrimp were eaten

Sukiyaki – Sukiyaki should be on the table in the winter season. Hiroko doesn’t cook sukiyaki in the summer time.

No ozoni (New Year’s food; mochi dumpling in a soup), but everyone ate soy sauce season broiled mochi wrapped with sea-weed as dessert.


There were usual family members.

This year one family came with a new born (7 weeks old) baby. The baby didn’t cry or fuss, but he was looking around during their dinner time. The baby brought a very wonderful and warm atmosphere in the party. Thanks to baby!

Thank you for coming and enjoying conversation and eating Japanese New Year delicacies.
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Seaweed Salad recipe, and
Hiroko’s New Year resolution from Bible

Sea-Weeds Salad (Cubumer Sunomono)

1 Cucumber – sliced thin
1 tsp. salt
Handful dried wakame – soak in the water
1 cup crab or shrimp or any other shell fishes (imitation crab meat can be used)

Mix cucumber and salt, and squeeze water out from cucumber
Put the cucumber, wakame (take water out) and shell fish meat in the bowl
Mix with sauce ½ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Add salt as you taste
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Hiroko’s Resolution came from the book about Jesus’ one of the disciples John, and given by Dan-san as Christmas present.

The each Chapter starts with the question. The first one is “In what ways might your nature and background similar to John’s.” Hiroko thinks John was intelligent and a presence of mind person, so she had never been comparing herself with John. However, she compared herself with Peter in the Bible. Peter asked Jesus let him come to you who is standing on the water. Jesus said to him to come. Peter got out the boat and walked couple of steps and then he was sinking in fear of the stormy sea. Jesus said to me, “Unbelief! Why did you take your eyes off from me?” Hiroko has been trying to do through her own strength and knowledge, therefore made mistakes all the time.

The first chapter is mentioned when John met Jesus first time. Hiroko remembers how she met Jesus the first time. She met the “Bible” first at the Christian University. Professor of the Christianity 101 asked the students to submit the report instead of test. The title of the report is “Who is Jesus Christ” from the four Gospels in the Bible. Hiroko was ashamed to remember the report, that was very poor and didn’t fulfill the requirement pages. Hiroko wrote that Jesus is a magician and a superman.

It is good to write about how Hiroko sees Jesus right now in 2011 as Hiroko’s resolutions to rewrite the report.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Year's Greeting

Happy New Year!

May this New Year 2011 bring you and your family a wonderful year.

It was hot, hot summer in Chicago. Reflecting on the summer in Chicago, we are having cold, cold winter. It is not even winter yet on the calendar. It has been 20° in day time and 10° in night time every day since the beginning of December.

Please listen to our conversation with my sister-in-law who is living in Irvine, California:
“I heard it is cold in Chicago.”
“Yes, it was cold, but tomorrow will be warmer around 40°, so we’re looking forward to that.”
“What did you say? 40°? Here in California 60° to 70° every day. I can’t believe you said 40° is warmer.”
“But, it has been 20° last 4 or 5 days.” “Below freezing?!”

However, any place will become heaven after living 40 years, so we are walking 3 km. every day in this cold weather and on the icy road. I was raised at the northern part of Japan and loved ski, so I thank to walk well even though on the snowy and icy road.

By the way, I thank of my age. We, Mikio and I can sleep until 8:00 AM, and amazingly read Bible every day and understand it well. I’m still enjoy writing the blog. I’d like to write about Santa’s parade but missed the parade, because the parade was held on Thanksgiving Day. It used to hold on the first Saturday of December. However, I was walking around down town Chicago and taking the photos of Christmas trees. Please go into my blog http://htsukasa.blogspot.com and read it. Thanks!

At the end-year prayer meeting, Pastor let us meditate on the following Bible verses:

Jesus Calms the Storm 35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,“ Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

After the meditation I realize the one sentence stick out in my mind that is “Let us go over to the other side.” I wonder what is in the other side, where is the other side. Jesus may have the plan for me in the other side for 2011. I’d like to find out this question during 2011.

In this New Year, may the something wonderful change be occurred to you and your family.

By the Japanese calendar, it is a year of “Rabbit”