Dinner Meeting, Christian Life

This dinner meeting was held January 30, but the “monster” blizzard make Hiroko busy untill now.

In the New Year, the both Pastors of Devon Church, at where Hiroko has been attending, invited the leaders who have served the past year and also serving the New Year to the dinner meeting.


The meeting was held between 2 to 4 P.M. at the restaurant called Italian Kitchen, Valentine decoration were on the window to remind us the Valentine Day is coming.




The leaders of Devon Church and their spouses.
Before the dinner Pastors gave “Thank You” words to the leaders. After that Sr. Pastor prayed giving praise and thanks to the Lord for supplying all our church need and for this dinner, and asked God for a wonderful fellowship.
And then, cheered each other with wine and sparking water.
 
All the foods served at this restaurant were very, very delicious.


Appetizers: Gourmet Pizza – it was tasted like quiche. Fried Calamari – it was so good that Hiroko couldn’t stop eating.

Bread with Salad – Bread served at any Italian restaurant has never been failed Hiroko’s expectation.




Hiroko was too busy eating, and forgot to take photos. It was very regretful to take only left over foods. Everyone enjoyed the seafood dishes except Dan-san.



Desserts with coffee or tea – cannoli, apple cake and various fruits

This is the list of ordered dishes:
Gourmet pizza
Italian sausage
Macaroni and cheese
Stuffed peppers
Chicken Vesuvio
Fried calamari
Linguini with oil and garlic
Linguini with mussels, clams, and calamari
Meat lasagna
Spinach lasagna
Vegetable tray
Baked Fish (don't know fish type)
Cannoli, fruit, lemon bars, Apple cake, chocolate rolls
Wine, sparkling water

Give thanks to the Lord for answering Pastor’s prayer for such a wonderful fellowship. Also give thanks to both Pastors and the restaurant cooks.

Gochisosama-deshita!

2011 Blizzard

Around 2:00 P.M. on February 1, 2011, the snow was starting to fall in the strong 70 miles wind and the thunder rumbling, and continued falling all night.

Here is the list of the past Chicago’s 10 biggest Snowstorms
1. 23.0 inches Jan 26-27, 1967
2. 21.6 inches Jan 1-3, 1999
3. 19.2 inches Mar 25-26, 1930
4. 18.8 inches Jan 13-14, 1979
5. 16.2 inches Mar 7-8, 1931
6. 15.0 inches Dec 17-20, 1929
7. 14.9 inches Jan 30, 1939
8. 14.9 inches Jan 6-7, 1918
9. 14.3 inches Mar 25-26, 1970
10. 14.0 inches Jan 18-20, 1886

The 2011 “Monster Blizzard” called by the Medias, brought 20.2 inches snow in Chicago. This is the official number measured at the O’Hare Airport, but it was a different story at some backyard of the northern part, and the field of near the lakefront. There were far more than 20.2 inches. The 110 inches snow falling was reported in the town of Kenosha located at the border of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Here are some interesting photos: left-side photos were taken at 1 P.M. on February 1, and right side ones were 24 hours later.

Hiroko’s back porch garden: There are lots of plant pots, 24 hours later they were covered by drifted snow.

From the porch, two high-rise buildings are able to see, but during the blizzard no buildings could be seen.

Alley - there were snow on the ground before blizzard, but drifted snow piled up very deep.

The snow covered one third of the garage door in where Hiroko’s husband’s car is. When can he take his car out of the garage and drive around?

Clark street – there were no snow on February 1, but 24 hours later, February 2, there were so much snow, especially pedestrian road, so people had to walk on the roadway.

It is such different. One day there were no snow on the pavement and lots of snow next day.

Same for Jewel Food Market parking lots

From these picture you can see how deep snow piled up.

Hiroko’s apartment front door – Hiroko couldn’t get out to take photos because the snow had piled up one third of the door. She had to take all the snow out from the door and the door way.

The little snow were shoveled out to make her go out.

Hiroko noticed there were no snows on the south-side of cars because of the strong wind.


Yet, the most cars were buried in the snow on the Olive Street.

Inside Hiroko’s Apartment: the drifted snow blew through the pantry window opened slightly, and the front porch window.

Both bedroom and kitchen windows were filled with drifted snow.
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It is surely the 2011 “monster” blizzard. There are so many stories about during blizzards.

1979 blizzard, Hiroko’s father-in-law went to work by his car. The snow had fallen all day long, so the Lakeshore Drive was piled of the snow. He drove on the Lakeshore Drive until Wilson Street. He couldn’t drive furthermore, so he abandoned his car at Wilson and walked home. He couldn’t reach his home until 10 P.M.

During the 2011 “monster” blizzard the big problem also occurred at the Lakeshore Drive. The Transportation Chief might be better to close the Drive earlier. He said the car was moving slowly, so thought about the people who wanted to go home. However, three big accidents had occurred between Belmont and Fullerton. After that over 1,000 cars were abandoned.

The story of one couple among them: They had to visit someone at a hospital, but husband figured out he could come home before the blizzard, but that was wrong. They were stuck at the Lakeshore Drive. His wife uses a wheelchair, so they couldn’t go anyplace. They just sat down in the car for around 9 hours, then the gasoline was almost gone, and they were getting cold. At that moment someone tapped of their car window. There! Fireman! They were rescued and taken to the nearby hospital. The husband said he saw the angels in the fire engine and the hospital. He gave million big thanks to them.

In the 1999 blizzard, Chicago Mayor didn’t quickly respond to the storm, so the City of Chicago was paralyzed. He wasn’t elected in the next Chicago Mayoral election.

This is very good lesson for everyone. The human being cannot see one step ahead. How can the human being to see or to make a decision one step ahead? It is foolish to worry about it, well, ignore it, or ……what?

Ferment v. Rotten, Recipe

Recently, 2 kinds of fermented or rotten seasonings were given.
The word “ferment” and “rotten” are similar. When a food carefully made rotten, it becomes a fermented food, Hiroko thinks. Asking any Japanese to explain what is Natto. All the Japanese say that the Natto is rotten soy beans, but Japanese American may say fermented soy beans.

Those germs to ferment or making rotten food are very important for the human body. Last year Dave had such problems in his teeth and chin bones for a long time. His internal doctor gave him lots different kinds of anti-biotic. His body becomes clean and pure like disinfected. The surgeon said to him he needs to take good germs in his system in order to operate his chin. He ate yogurt, sauerkraut, etc. Hiroko gave him Natto germ. Soon after he had the operation and right now he is O.K.

The given two kinds of fermented or rotten seasonings are:

Funyu (rotten soy beans curds) and Dashi Shoyu (seasoned soy sauce)

Here are Hiroko’s recipes used with these seasonings.
1-1 Dashi Shoyu for chicken thighs

Ingredients:
2 lb. boneless and skinless thighs
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 Tbsp honey
¼ cup of Dashi shoyu
Cooking:
Make sauce with Dashi shoyu and honey
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the thighs before marinate
Marinate the thighs in the sauce
Bake at 350(F) degree for 45 minutes.
Broil the thighs for 10 - 15 minutes.
No more films in my camera, so the finished chicken’s photo couldn’t be taken.

1-2 Dashi Shoyu for Zucchini (for 3)

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini sliced 2 inches and slice again to make rectangular
Put 2 Tbsp of water and zucchini in a bowl
Cooking:
Cook in a microwave oven for 2 minutes
Pour the Dashi shoyu on the Zucchini
The tasty sidedish was made.

2 Funyu
Kit’s mother use funyu as the seasoning for many cooking, among her cooking Kit loves the funyu use on the sliced eggplant and bake. No eggplants in Hiroko’s refrigerator but there were many zucchini.

Mash 5 pieces funyu (rotten soy beans curds) with the juice in the bottle
(Use this mashed funyu for zucchini and noodle soup)

2-1 Funyu with Zucchini (for 3)

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini, sliced half in vertical
1 tsp mashed funyu on the top of each zucchini halves
Cooking:
Bake for 20 minutes and then broil for 5 minutes
Funyu became crunchy and tasty like cheese
Dan-san and Elsa didn’t say anything and ate all the zucchini. Hiroko will not mention to them about funyu and keep using it.
Any germs could die under the high heat, so Hiroko don’t know this recipe is recommended or not. It is better to use mixed with cooked zucchini or any other cooked vegetables. Natto germ is one of the stronger germ, but it will die over 200F degree heat and 20F degree cold.

2-2 Funyu in Noodle Soup (for 3)

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth (no salt in it)
4 – 5 leaves Hakusai (Nappa), slice long way
½ cup onion, green or regular, slice long way
1 Tbsp Wakame, seaweeds
1 cup spinach or any leafy vegetables, slice long way
1 or 2 cups sea-foods; satsumaage (tempura fish cake) shrimp, crab meat, etc.
3 handful Chinese noodle, rice or wheat, or angel hair
3 tsp. creamed Funyu
Cooking:
Boil the stock
Put vegetables and sea-food except spinach, noodle and funyu
Cook the noodle
Put the cooked noodle in the bowls
Put creamy funyu on the top of noodle (Do not cook the funyu for preventing germs to die)
Put the spinach (Hiroko likes fresh spinach)
Pour the soup over the noodle in a bowl
Mix well the noodle and funyu, and eat.

In the Genesis, the fermented drinks and foods are mentioned. It is so important to have fermented foods for our body.
In Genesis 9:20 21, “Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, …”
In Genesis 18:8, “He (Abraham) then brought some curds and milk …”