Mitsuko - I Birth - New Year's foods

Around 10 PM on December 30, Mitsuko was born in Tokyo. Mitsuko’s mother gave the story about Mitsuko’s birth to Mitsuko at the time of leaving for Chicago to join with Mitsuko’s husband, Masato.

I (Mitsuko’s mother) wanted to tell you Mitsuko, that I was sorry for myself to give birth to a baby on the day before New Year. Your Grand-ma came from Yamagata, where Mitsuko’s father was born, with lots of New Year’s delicious foods, but Grand-ma told me I couldn’t eat all those foods, because I had to make ready to give birth for the baby. Giving birth is not sick we understand now days, but in those olden days in Japan they treated the woman giving birth as ill. So I missed all those delicious New Year foods that year.
(The New Year foods Mitsuko’s mother missed and some recipes are listed below.)

Grand-ma and I wanted to change your date of birth from December 30 to January 2nd. In those days in Japan, no one kept the date of birth December 30 or 31. However, your father disagreed with us and said that he didn’t want his daughter to have two dates of birth. We found out your father’s brother kept his daughter’s date of birth on December 31. We all laughed about that and didn’t change your date of birth.

Well, now this is serious and important story connected to your birth.

You gave me labor pain such long hours. The labor pain started around 10 AM. The regular old experienced mid-wife came to take care of me till evening, and then she decided to go home to have dinner with her family. She told me to call her associate if I needed help. I was little scared, because this is my first experience to give birth.

Grand-ma made the delicious dinner for your father, and she said even I could eat a little bit of the dinner. After the dinner I was little tired and took a nap.

Around 10 PM the mid-wife came soon after we called. I felt I was ready to give birth. Grand-ma had already prepared all the necessary things for the child’s birth. They had just sat down at the next room with anxiety.

Only sound everyone heard was my heavy breathing, I think. The mid-wife said something to me but I didn’t hear. The labor came to me so bad that I knew it was time. I was in so much pain and then felt something out from me. I knew I gave birth. I heard the mid-wife’s big sigh, but no baby’s crying. I was afraid and wanted to know if the mid-wife knew what she was doing. She was very young and looked inexperienced. Then, I saw that the mid-wife put the baby up-side down and put her fingers in my baby’s mouth. She was trying to take the umbilical cord from the baby’s neck. I didn’t know how she did. Finally, I heard the baby crying. That really scary scene made me pass-out, I think. I didn’t know after that.

The mid-wife shook and brought me conscious, and she started talking what had happened. The mid-wife exclaimed to everyone, “Congratulation! You have a baby girl. The umbilical cord was wrapped around baby’s neck three times, so the baby couldn’t breathe. Somehow I had to take the umbilical cord immediately from the baby’s neck. I was so thankful when the baby girl started crying. The baby seemed O.K. Please take the baby to a pediatrician as soon as possible.”

We were shocked with the mid-wife’s explanation. Grand-ma and I were starting to cry. The mid-wife said hesitantly, “Well, I’m going home.” Your father asked the mid-wife to introduce a pediatrician who was practicing at the end of year. The mid-wife told your father to come to her home to pick up the list of the pediatricians. We didn’t say “Thank you” to the mid-wife.

We took the baby girl to the pediatrician introduced by young mid-wife on January 2nd. The pediatrician said that the baby, that is you Mitsuko, were one of the lucky girls because the mid-wife’s action saved the baby. Under the circumstances, the baby girl might have died or brain damaged, the doctor continued.
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Mitsuko’s mother said, “Mitsuko, you could have lost your life or brain damaged at your birth 30 years ago, but you lived till now very well. Please take care of yourself wherever you go.

After Mitsuko became a Christian, Mitsuko was thinking about this incident a lot. At the deliverance prayer Mitsuko saw Jesus was always with her and care of her even at Mitsuko’s birth, and God led Mitsuko to salvation through Jesus Christ.
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Mitsuko’s mother missed most the Ozoni (mochi, sweet rice cake in the soup)
There are hundred different recipes in hundred household. It means each household has their own Ozoni recipe
Basic Recipe (4 bowls)
2 cups soup – made with shaved bonito and kobu
1 tsp salt and 2-3 drops of shoyu
6 sliced baked mochi

With this basic ozoni recipe many different ozoni can be made with the following ingredients.
Meats -thin sliced white chicken – i boiled with salt water
ii Soaked in shoyu and sugar, and then baked
-thin sliced pork soaked in shoga (ginger) shoyu
coat with corn starch and fry
Or just cooked
Fish -fish cake called kamaboko, naruto, satsumaage, etc.
-shell fish, shrimp, clam, oyster
-yellowtail
Vegetable -spinach, boil
-shiitake, cook with shoyu and sugar
-carrot, thin slice and boil
-daikon (Japanese turnip) thin slice and boil
-shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves)
-gobo
-green onion or scallion – can be added always
Tazukuri (fried dry sardine)
2 cups dried sardine
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp shoyu
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp hot pepper or white pepper
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, white
Put oil in the hot frying pay
Fry sardine in the fry pan with high heat, constantly mix to prevent from burning
Around 15 minutes until the fish is crunchy
Add shoyu, sugar, hot pepper and sesame seed
Mix well about 1 minute, then cool them off

Kinton (cooked lima beans with sugar and salt) – lima beans paste
2 cups lima beans – soak over night
(2010 Mitsuko learned Kinton is usually made with Japanese sweet potato instead
of lima beans. There are no Japanese sweet potato in olden days in Chicago.)
Wash the lima beans couple of times
Cook lima beans with about 3 cups of water
Bring to boil until the foam builds up
For the purpose of taking the bitterness out from the beans, pour the hot lima beans in the strainer and drain the water and foam
Cook with 3 cups water with low heat till tender – add water as needed
DO NOT PUT sugar or salt until beans are very soft
Put 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp salt and cook till all the juice evaporate
Mix the beans every 30 minutes to prevent burning
Mash the beans for bean paste
It takes about 5 hours from start to finish cooking. (use slow cooker till soft)

Chicago Children’s Chorus Group Concert

The concert was held on Sunday, February 21, at Lakeshore Baptist Church. Around 100 children were standing under the big cross singing “Alleluia!” beautifully. Children’s innocent voices are so pure and heavenly. The picture of Jesus on the wall seemed to listen to those beautiful voices singing “Alleluia!” Those voices made me shiver as if I were in heaven in front of Jesus.

They sang many popular songs, I think. For some of the songs, the conductor asked the audience to sing along. Many in the audience enjoyed singing with them. I don’t know any of the songs except one song sung in Japanese. Many Japanese children sang the song in summer time. I was singing along the Japanese children’s song happily.


The final song was sung in Hebrew called “Shalom!”

It was a very enjoyable concert. Thanks to Eugiene and Nathan who belongs to the group for inviting me to this concert.
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The Revelation Chapter 4 in the Bible talked about heaven. Please read the following Bible passages.
Revelation Chapter 4 The Throne in Heaven
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
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Croquettes recipe (for 4 people)
Croquettes can freeze to keep for emergency dinner. We ate them for the dinner after the concert.
4 or 5 medium size potato
1 lb ground beef
½ lb sausage meat
1 tsp of each black pepper, garlic powder (or 3 cloves chopped garlic)
½ tsp chicken & beef stock powder or 1 tsp salt,
½ cup of each chopped green onion, celery
any other vegetable such as mushroom, cabbage, beans sprout
2 eggs
2 slices bread
1 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1 cup oil
Cook potato with skin on, and peel skin after potato cooked
Fry ground beef and sausage meat – throw the juice away (80% of the juice is fat)
Beat 2 eggs and mix bread with eggs
Put meat, egg and bread mixture, and all seasoning into cooked and mashed potato
Shaped above potato mixture into 3 inch round (keep into the freezer for later use)
Heat the oil
Coat panko around the shaped potato
Fry the potato into hot, hot oil

Healthy Tempra by Taro's Mother

Taro, 15 years old, Mitsuko’s nephew’s son, living in Sapporo came to Chicago last December. He said he loved shrimp, so Mitsuko made shrimp tempura for him. He said his mother’s tempura is like sauté, not real tempura, because she uses watery batter and a little amount of oil. Mitsuko was deeply impressed with Taro’s mother’s concern for her children. MItsuko said to Taro,
“Your mother knows your stomach has trouble all the time, so she tries not to use too much oil.” Taro didn’t say anything.
Mitsuko made her smelt and vegetable (carrots and green beans) tempura with watery batter and little oil. It is very good for health conscious cooking by controlling cholesterol and diet.
Regular smelt tempura next to round sweet potato and less flour and oil tempura on one plate.
Everybody didn’t say anything.

However, carrots and green beans tempura was not succeeded.
Carrots and green beans were separated, regular ones stuck together.

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The Bible mentions different father and mother functions to raise the children.
I Thessalonians 2:7 “But we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.”
Gentle – mother’s care. Women’s sensitivity and carefulness are good to raise the children
I Thessalonians 2:11-12 “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you …
Father duty is heavy.

Mitsuko - Mysterious God’s Hand – From Prayer Journal

Writing – God answered my prayer to write about how God has always loved me. I asked and the Lord has been faithfully working on me, but my part of writing was postponed for a long time. Surely it is time to start writing, because I dreamed about my own death and standing in front of the Lord. The Lord didn’t say anything and I couldn’t say anything. It was really a scary dream. When I woke up I said to the Lord I’ll do it. After the dream I made a decision to withdraw myself from the Children’s ministry. I know my limitation with physically and mentally in my advanced age.
Writing the stories is my dream since young age. Once long time ago I hoped to make a living as a writer. In my Prayer Journal I found that I asked God to make me an evangelical writer. Since then I can see God’s faithfulness working on me.
From the journal of August 1970, Rev. Baker taught us about the spiritual gifts at the church Conference Point Camp. He asked us to think during the camp what kind of gift everyone has. Everyone shared their thoughts at the last session of the week. Everybody talked about their gift but I couldn’t say anything because this was the first time for me to study about Spiritual Gift. Everyone said I might have a Hospitality gift because I am caring person and a good cook. I would like to have the gift, but if possible, I thought, having an Evangelism gift would be better for the sake of my blood related relatives and many friends in Japan who are not Christian. Rev. Baker prayed for my relatives, friends and revival for Japan.
From the journal of September 1970, I believed I was tested by the Lord. God told me to witness to a total stranger in the nearby park from our apartment. I gave the unreasonable reasons to the Lord and ran away from the park. It was very clear I didn’t have an Evangelism gift. God knows better than me.
Since the incident, I was spending many years with a fear of forsaken from the Lord and with the depressions from my sin of disobedience.
From the journal of August 1971, we went to the camp again. I had been spending the dark time with heavy heart since failing His test. I hoped and expected something to happen at this camp. Nothing was happened during the camp. However, at the quiet time I was inspired by the Holy Spirit that I am a talkative person, yet when it comes to talk about Christ, I become timid and my mouth gets heavy. I knew I can’t have Evangelism gift. I was so sad about my brother, sisters, relatives and friends in Japan who aren’t Christian. One week of the conference time had passed so fast. I asked the Lord at the last quiet time about the salvation for my family members and friends. The Lord didn’t say anything. I asked the Lord again and again. Finally, I asked the Lord that I wanted to write about Christ Jesus, instead of speaking. The Lord didn’t say anything. I asked Him help me to write.
God provided a wonderful job at Baker & McKenzie, LLP. It was so wonderful for financially and also for my wish to write. Brand new Japanese word processer was at the firm, and I had self-taught how to work the word processer. At work there were sometime free hours. All these condition was so suitable for me to write. Furthermore, I learned from the Japanese Attorney how carefully to pick the word, trying to use plain word, making the sentence clear, no repeating words in the same sentence, so on. I was so thankful for God’s guidance. I started to write some story and sent them to my University magazine and book clubs, and Christian publishers.
From the journal of Sunday August 24, 1998, I couldn’t forget the date. There was two wonderful things happened on that day.
First one was I felt I gave the true worship to the Lord first time. This was the first Sunder after my Deliverance prayer session. The grace and love from the Lord God was abundantly filled in me. Tear was dropping off, and made me so happy, joyful and peace from God, because I knew I was forgiven from all my sins. I totally understood that the Lord has loved me all the time in spite of my awful sin.
Another one made me really happy, too. The letter I received from my non-Christian friend. In her letter she was very appreciative what Devon Church has been doing for her children even though she is not a believer and not attending church. When I read the letter I felt the urgent need to write about my salvation story. I wrote a little bit long letter to her.
After this I could joyfully start writing many stories; how God cares for me, the death of my best friend of Kei, the founder Rev. Y. Oyama of Devon church, the life in Chicago city, etc. At the end of those each story, I wrote Bible verse or story, and the recipe in connection with my writing. It was such s good idea. I praise the Lord for giving me the idea.
From the journal of April, 2000, I found the rules of the submission of a short story contest in the Japanese local newspaper. I was excited to submit my writing to the newspaper.
From the journal of October 2008, God brought me Shiho-san and let her introduce me the “blog.” Shiho-san was setting up my own blog and said, “Hai, everything is ready to write any time.” Shiho-san gave me warning that if I didn’t write one month there would be lots of advertisements on my blog. Well, I had to write.
I started to write short articles and of the end of each article included teaching of Jesus Christ and recipes in my Japanese blog. Now, I was excited to think that some strangers will read my writing, and then, the local newspaper short stories contest was coming in my mind.
From the Journal of October 14, 2008, I sent my first short story (8,000 Japanese characters) to the newspaper. How many years since I asked God to help me to write? It has been passing thirty-seven years. I had no word to say to the Lord God on that day. I just went on my knees and worshipped Him reverently.
I was given the second place award for one of my short story from the newspaper on March 2009. God can do anything. There is no word ‘impossible’ in His dictionary.
Please pray for me, give me your advice regarding writing, and leave me your comments on my blog. Thank you in advance.
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I’m continuing to submit my article to the Japanese newspaper and to write these Japanese and English blogs. Please leave your comments regarding my writing, and then I’ll be encouraged. Thank you! http://ishimaru92.blog105.fc2.com this is my Japanese blog address.
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I’d like to celebrate for starting English blog with Osekihan.
In Japan, the Red Beans (Azuki) Rice, called Osekihan in Japanese should be cooked at the celebration of any occasion. Children’s Day, birthday, engagement, and on many other happy occasions Japanese people make Osekihan to celebrate.
Steamed Osekihan

Osekihan Recipe(4 people)
2 cups Sweet Rice
½ cups Red Beans (Azuki)
Wash and soak the red beans over night
Cook red beans with the soaked water until boil
Scoop out the dark color foam and reduce heat and continue cooking about 10 minutes
Put the beans in the strainer and set aside the liquid
Wash and soak the sweet rice over night with the liquid from the cooked beans
Put the rice in the strainer and set aside the liquid
Place rice in a steamer with cooked beans
While steaming the rice and beans, splash the liquid over it several times
Steam until soft
It is very easy to cook with Mochi-Maker, but over $200.00.

Happy New Year!

Hi, Everyone
My name is Hiroko Tsukasa, living at the House on the Rock (Matt. 7:24) located in the north-side of Chicago city.

The beautiful Michigan Lake is 20 minutes away on foot from our home.
This Michigan Lake photo was taken last December.

This is my second blog. The first one was written in Japanese – the blog address: http://ishimaru92.blog105.fc2.com/ I’d like to write about how Jesus Christ is concerned in Mitsuko’s life, and some recipes in connection with the story.

Please leave your advice regarding my writing or your comment. Thanks in advance.
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A total of seven people came to our house enjoying the 2010 New Year dinner. We ate a lot of New Year food and drank champagne, beer, wine and sake. With Mic-san’s suggestion, we talked about Jesus. I’m so glad everyone could share their opinion.
This is our dinning table and food. Sorry the picture are out of focus.

Giving grace before dinner

This is the only set of Japanese New Year san-dan jubako (triple piled up boxes)
The bottom box – Kuri Kinton, made with Lima beans and chestnuts
The 2nd box – Kinpira, made with gobo, a Japanese delicacy
The 1st box – Tazukuri, made with herring

Oden – cook vegetables and fish cakes in soup

Sashimi, maguro and yellowtail, and sushi, nori-maki and foot balls

No picture were taken but there were shrimp tempura, Kalua pig, sunomono (Japanese salad)
Ask God continuously to work and to fill Holy Spirit on those who talked about Lord Jesus the night.