- Triangular Eating -

*This blog post shared with Fed Up With Lunch:The School Lunch Project.I wrote this as a guest blogger. 
アメリカで、アメリカの給食を変えていこうという動きがあります。匿名でアメリカの給食をupしているブログがあり、ゲストとして記事を書かせていただきました。


Hello, from Japan!
I'm a Japanese girl who used to work as an Aupair (live in Nanny) in America for 2 years. Before that, I helped in a kitchen at a preschool in Japan for a few months. Right now, I am working as a chef and am thinking about what I can do for American kids.
I'm not a nutritionist, but I ate Japanese school lunch for about 20 years; since the age of 4. I'm thankful for what I ate during my school lunches!

Please know I really enjoy American food!
It's fun to explore other food cultures.
But, there were some things that shocked me about American kids eating habits. So, I understand nothing can change magically. We just have to make changes little by little. Anyway, This is time to introduce something from Japan.

***Triangular Eating***

(ex.) Main dish →　Rice or Bread or Pasta →Soup →Main dish → Rice or Bread or Pasta → Soup....

In Japan, We usually learn how to eat food in triangular patterns when we were little kids. So, You have to make sure it is in triangular order. This is good practice in learning know how to eat a balanced meal by yourself.
I think you can arrange this as square, pentagon and so on. Please go ahead add a salad or a side dish. As time goes by, if I have meat or fish, I automatically want to eat rice, then I start to want to eat vegetable. Isn't it nice? 
Also, Triangular way could be give you rhythm. and let your mouth reset. You can imagine wine and cheese.It is work well for harmony too.

I've been thinking if I could have a chance to work for an American school lunch program, I could make great improvements! I saw many donations for school lunch. Hopefully, this post could be small donations for lovely, American kids from me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to express my ideas and thanks for reading!

Here is the photos which I cooked meal for kids in america.

Decorated Sushi Cake

for Birthday Party

Kebab

put vegetable and meat on a skewer! then grill or put oven.

colorful meals

I tried cook meals colorful like green,yellow,white (or brown) and red!

cilantro,coriander, パクチー,香菜 for Spring Roll

Do you like this?

Cilantro!!! we call Coriander, パクチー、香菜 in Japanese.
I like this!


Since I live in country side of Japan, I'm not be able to find uncommon food stuff from grocery store.
So, This Cirantro from my garden. 


I've finally gotten ready to cook Spring Roll.

It's so easy!

just roll up something like lettuce, green onion,cucumber,bean thread noodles, boiled shrimp, boiled seafood, boiled chicken or pork. That's yet.

You can think this is finger salad!


I'm on Japenese Recipe Blog レシピブログ site.
I am thankful that you giving me a click below!
 

BOTAN(peony) 牡丹の花

The BOTAN(peony) are in magnificent bloom!
Sooo Beautiful!!!

with frog

as big as my hand.

arrange in a plate

gorgeous

I hesitated to cut a flower ,actually.

but, One Lady who saw my arrangement told me 'Awesome! Thank you for showing me this beautiful thing. It make me so happy!'

She made me so happy too.

I think Flower and plant has this kind of energy. That's why I like it.

The Business of School lunch

I'm interested in American School Lunch very much.


I feel like to say, this might be time to change.
There are so many people found that they have to change now.
It would be going to shift to the new style of school lunch.


I am wondering is the donation only the way to change school lunch???


I found some article and web site about american school lunch. 
Check these out.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/a-good-free-lunch-healthy-school-meals-could-be-big-business/19142552/


http://wholesometummies.com/


http://www.revfoods.com/


http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/schoollunchrevolution/


Interesting!


In Japan, many school using a nutrition software for reference, cook the healthy meal of balanced.
They don't use process food at all.


I‘m not saying Japanese school lunch is perfect, but I think American school lunch could be better.

Steamed Cheese Cake

I try by repeating again and again to find out perfect Cheese Cake.
but I have never done yet...
All people has own taste in cheese cake.
My perfect Cheese cake is ,,, like a Japanese castella yet rich cheese on it. It would be great if it's tender too. not like a souffle. not like a NY Cheese cake. It's hard to say... but I have perfect cheese cake in my head.
I just waiting for they gonna come out.


I accidentally made this Steamed Cheese cake today.

It's taste almost same  as Japanese CHEESE MUSHI PAN.
oh, yeah. It's good. I like it. I keep this recipe on my scrap book.
but It's not my perfect Cheese Cake... Hmmmm. next time, perhaps.

Three Color Rice Bowl 三色丼

This 'Three Color Rice Bowl' is my favorite meal when I was a child.

It's look colorful and gorgeous yet easy to cook! Kids loves this!




*Ingredients* 2 servings
about 2 cooked rice


1/2 lb ground chicken

1tsp grated ginger

2tsp mirin
1tbsp＋2tsp soy sauce
1tbsp sugar 


2 eggs
1tsp sugar
a pinch of salt
1tbsp milk


a bunch of rape blossoms

2tsp soy sauce

*Directions*

1, Stir fry ground chicken in a skillet, add ginger, soy sauce,mirin and sugar.
2, Make Scrambled eggs.
3,Boiled rape blossoms with a pinch of salt. Drain and squeeze. cut about 2 inch.Dress soy sauce.

4,place rice in the bowl or plate. Divide ground chicken and egg and rape blossom.

you may use spinach, beans,asparagus,peas, green zucchini, cucumber instead of using rape blossom.


三食丼 
＊材料＊　2人前
ごはん　どんぶりに２杯分


鶏ミンチ　２３０g
しょうが　小さじ１
みりん　小さじ２
しょうゆ　大さじ１と小さじ２
砂糖　大さじ１  


卵　２個
砂糖　小さじ１
塩ひとつまみ
牛乳　大さじ１


菜の花　一束
しょうゆ　小さじ２


＊作り方＊
１、鶏ミンチをフライパンで炒め、しょうが、しょうゆ、みりん、砂糖を加える。
２、炒り卵を作る。
３、菜の花をゆでて、水を絞ったらしょうゆを和えておく。
４、器にごはんをよそったら、三色に分かれるようにして盛りつける。

菜の花ではなく、ほうれん草、マメ、アスパラガス、きゅうりなどでも代用できます。


レシピブログに参加中です！
クリックお願いいたします。

Roll Cake with Mascarpone Cream

My most favorite place to go is grocery store.

Is this strange?

But I love there. I just so happy and enjoy when I hanging around there. sooo much fun!

Today, I found cute strawberry at the grocery store.

It inspired me to make a Roll Cake!

Here is a recipe.

*ingredients*

 (Roll Cake) -- 8 inch× 8 inch pan

2 eggs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour 

2 tsp milk

*directions*

preheat oven to 360F

place parchment paper on the pan.

1,Beat in yolk and half of sugar well. then, combined sifted flour.

2,Beat egg white with an electric mixer. add the rest of the sugar.

3,mix meringue into yolk mixture third at a time. add milk.

4, Pour into the pan.Bake for 10 minutes.

  (Mascarpone Cream) 

50ml (1+2/3oz) heavy cream

3〜４ tbsp granulated sugar

50ml (1+2/3 oz) Mascarpone cheese

1,Whip heavy cream and sugar with whisk.

2,mix mascarpone together!

*decoration*

When cake sponge is cool, place cream and some strawbwrries.

Roll cake up!

Roll Cake is very popular cake in Japan!

Hope you like this!!!

マスカルポーネクリームのイチゴロールケーキ
＊材料＊
（ロールケーキ）　ーー　約20cm×20センチ天板
卵２個
グラニュー糖40g
薄力粉30g
牛乳小さじ２


＊作り方＊
オーブンを180度に温めます。
天板にオーブンシートをしいておきます。


１、半量の砂糖と卵黄を泡立て、ふるった薄力粉を混ぜる。
２、卵白を電動ミキサーで泡立てて、残りの砂糖を加える。
３、メレンゲを３度に分けて卵黄液に混ぜ合わせる。牛乳を加える。
４、天板に流し入れ、１０分焼く。


（マスカルポーネクリーム）
生クリーム５０ml
グラニュー糖大さじ３
マスカルポーネチーズ50ml


1,生クリームに砂糖を加え七分立てする。
2,マスカルポーネチーズをあわせる。


＊飾り付け＊
スポンジが冷えたら、クリームをのばしお好きな量のいちごを散らす。
ぐるっと巻く！


マスカルポーネを加えるとコクがあって濃厚です！
簡単なのにふるふるやわやわの生地が出来ますよー☆

さてさて、レシピブログに参加中です！どうぞクリックを。遠慮なく！さぁ！さぁ！

My work

Today, I would like to show you what I'm doing with my work.

appetizer

grilled dish

Do you like these???
I often try to take the photos of dishes, but I'm too busy to do this when I'm cooking!
Could you imagine? I have to work quick yet carefully and nicely.
Hope I could show you more...
I always cooking for someone. hehehe. I really enjoy this! 

I'm coming!

I plan to come to the USA in the May.
I'm thinking if I could work volunteer for school lunch. It will be very nice!


also, I'm looking for the cooking class.


I really look forward to be there.I can't wait!

BENTO for cherry blossom viewing

I went to Cherry blossom(SAKURA) viewing at the night a few days ago.
It was very pretty!
I saw many people enjoy having the party under the tree.

I feel that life is the transitoriness of fleeting things when I see SAKURA. So, that's the reason why It is beautiful too.  
Spring has come around every year. but, Never come back same one. you know?
I like SAKURA. It looks dreamy as if not of this world. 


anyway, Here is the BENTO what I made for Cherry blossom viewing.

Oh yeah! I like this!

How's your food experience?

I'm interested in american food, and school lunch for kid's.

I'm wondering How is their food experience in the other countries?

Here is my idea.
I think all food is OK.
I usually don't like to judge which is good or bad. because I would like to respect personal taste.
but, It doesn't mean I don't care what we supposed to eat.
I do care how you are happy with the food in your life.


I saw many people have too many likes and dislike in the america.
Some people only eat junk food and snack. on the other hand, some people only eat vegetable.
I felt it is unbalance. It's OK when you have a choice. 
but,,, How about kid's?
They have no chance to have a right to choose. They don't have food experience that much. 
Is this fair for kid's? I don't think so.


There are some people start change the food culture in the america.
I love this! even it looks so tough! Oh, no! He is Mr. pea!
I hope I can get in this movement too.