Finally managed to get bagels working!

For years I was fascinated by Swedish pastries containing cardamom. When a year-abroad student joined my seminar one year, I finally gave the recipe below a try. While this passed muster as very like the real stuff, it’s quite sweet and not part of my regular rotation.

A simple recipe Mieko used early in our marriage, as rescued from a note wedged in one of her cookbooks. The bran readily available in Japan is rice bran, which is bland and dry in baked goods, so this version is jazzed up a little with with sultanas and brandy.

One of the cooking adventures from my side that met with Mieko’s approval … apart from the number of pots it leaves in its wake.

A thin pancake batter.

A recipe from Mieko’s kitchen (dated 1999), with modifications.

I made waffles for breakfast this morning (well, there’s only one in the house now, so it’s looking like lunch as well). It’s a simple thing, here’s the recipe, transcribed from my late wife’s hand.

If you once “go on your travels,” it’s likely that some habitual comfort foods won’t be available in the place where you land. For me, one of those items is sourdough bread.

There are six varieties of citrus in the back garden: mikan; yuzu; lime; lemon; hassaku; and shiikuasa. If you aren’t familiar with it, the last in that list is commonly grown in Okinawa and southern regions of Japan. It’s so common in Okinawa that, during the visit for Mieko’s last rights, I was hard put to find orange juice on the shelves of a local market, until I realized that shiikuasa was in plentiful supply.

[24 January 2024] There was light snow on the ground this morning. Sunrise hasn’t burned off the clouds, it’s still wafting down out there. I’m nearly out of coffee filters, so there will be a shopping run a bit later. Could be an interesting ride if the weather doesn’t clear. As luck would have it, the bread hamper is empty, and I’m out of oatmeal. Not really in the mood for a cold ride to the store to pick up things for breakfast.