URL: Vosges Chocolate | Mo's Bacon Bar | Amazon

Mo's Bacon Bar:
applewood smoked bacon + Alder wood smoked salt + deep milk chocolate, 41% cacao

When I first saw this chocolate bar at Whole Foods, my initial reaction was "Who would in the right mind enjoy Chocolate with Bacon?!" I was pretty disgusted by it... But, those bars kept disappearing every time I went back to shop at Whole Foods. And it was down to 1 bar... So, I decided to give it a try... thinking... you know, this might make a funny gift if I decide not to open it for myself!

URL: Montinore Estate

We cracked open the wine we received from Karen & Perry for Christmas last night for our fish dinner :-) The bottle is Montinore Estate 2006 Riesling Semi Dry Wine from Oregon, and it has their beautiful logo on the label! The logo is done in watercolor with Montinore's "M" merged with the image of a root growing underneath. The logo was so pretty that I had to look them up and check what other types of wine they have...

Overall Rating (+++++)
URL: KOOTS GREEN TEA Japan | Seattle
* We just discovered that this place was out of Business at the Narita Airport :( (Checked on November, 12th 2007)
At the Narita Airport, we found this cool Japanese cafe called "KOOTS GREEN TEA". They specializes in serving high quality green tea along with delicious Japanese sweets and small portion (easy to eat) Japanese tea food. It is like Japanese version of Starbucks. You can pretty much find green tea in many variety of forms (It is like my dream cafe!!). They even have Matcha Americano :D

I talked to the guy at the counter, and he told me they opened 2 stores in Seattle, and they are planning on expanding more in the U.S. Very cool :D I'm really hoping to see them in LA soon.

URL: Gary Baseman
SHOP@: Bristol Farms | Amazon

When I was shopping at Bristol Farms yesterday, I saw some Hint Mint with Gary Baseman's art on the package. They only carried the right 2 designs (as shown on picture above) at Bristol Farms, but I discovered there are more!! They are very cute!! I like the left 2 packaging designs the most... and they are going to be only sold for this holiday season. They are limited edition!! ...and they might be a good collectible items for Baseman fans! :)

INGREDIENTS:
• Rice - I like using Koshihikari (2cup) • Aburage / Usuage (10sheet)
• Shiitake Mushroom, Steamed & Sliced (3) • carrots, Sliced thin (1/2cup)
• Green Onion, Chopped (1/2cup) • Cilantro, Chopped (1/2cup)
• Asparagus, Steamed & Sliced Thin (1/2cup) • Raisin (1/2cup) • Sesame (2tbs)
• Dashi Soup (2cup) • Brown Sugar (7tbs) • Soy Sauce (5tbs) • Sake (2tbs)
• Rice Vinegar (1/4cup) • Ocean Salt (2tsp)

We invited some friends who had babies this year over for lunch on the weekend, so I wanted to make unique and delicious finger food. So, they can eat while they hold their babies... well, that was at least my plan ;) Since I've made cut roll sushi plenty of times before, I decided to try for Inari Sushi this time.

Greetings! Thank you for checking back and reading my blog :)
I'll be out of town during Thanksgiving weekend, so my next post will be on Tuesday!
Meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving to you all and please enjoy my recipe for healthy stuffing!

URL: Camper FoodBALL
RELATED LINKS: Marti Guixe | Treehugger

Camper has cafes (health food shop) in Barcelona & Berlin called FoodBALL?! We just found out about this from our friend Judy (another friend of ours who always has cool interesting resources) and thought it was really cool!

FoodBALL is made out of whole grain rice and filled with various local organic ingredients - mushrooms, tofu, chicken, or beet root. They remind me of Japanese rice balls called Onigiri :) With the FoodBALL, you can chose from different dipping sauces, such as soy and ginger or coconut curry. They also have sweet FoodBALLS. The cafe seems to be laid out kind of like a donut shop except that the food they offer is healthy and organic :)

INGREDIENTS:
• Sea Bass (1/4lb) •Fennel (1/2) • White Onion (1) • Ginger
• Sea Salt • Lemon Pepper •Olive Oil (1tb) • Balsamic Vinegar (1tb)

Fennel Bulb is one of the vegetables I'd never tried to cook before. I've always wanted to try them since they look interesting, but I never had the courage to pick them up at the store since I didn't know anything about them.

URL: REED's, Inc.
SHOP@: Trader Joe's | Bristol Farms | Whole Foods
RELATED LINKS: Health Benefits

REED'S Ginger Beer is one of my favorite store bought soda drinks. They are so tasty and refreshing! I've been drinking their ginger beer for a long time, but I've never thought to check bottom of the packaging until recently. They have 6 different kinds of ginger beer, 4 different kinds of ginger juice, 3 different kinds of ginger ice cream, and other ginger candies and drinks!!

URL: Endangered Species Chocolate
SHOP @: Whole Foods | Bristol Farms

Especially since it is Halloween, and the kids are probably already getting many of their favorite candies around town anyway... I thought about getting something healthier, ecologically better for the world, and candies we enjoy eating!

FRANKENSTEIN ROLL (top right)
• Salmon • Japanese Cucumber • Green Onions • Cilantro • Wasabi
PRISONER ROLL (bottom right)
• Negi Toro • Takuwan (Pickled Daikon) • Green Onions • Cilantro • Chili Paste

I was thinking about what to bring for my friend's Halloween Party, so I decided to make Halloween theme sushi rolls. It was fun making (crafting) the rolls, and they were very tasty as well :)

Maccha | Macha | Matcha | 抹茶
RELATED LINKS: Wikipedia

ORIGIN: JAPAN
MAIN NUTRITIONS: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, L-Theanine, Mineral, Amino Acid, Tea Catechin, Cellulose, Caffeine
BENEFITS:
• Burn more fat when drinking before exercise.
• Preventing/treating cancer
• Treating arthritis
• Prevent cavity
....and more benefits!!

There are about 12 different types of traditional Japanese green tea. Each kind is made from different parts of green tea leaves, and they are all processed differently. The flavor and nutritious contents are also different for each type of green tea. However, Maccha has the most L-Theanine, Vitamin A, and Caffeine compared to all the other green teas. It is the most powerful, the king of green tea family, and a wonderful drink to start your morning :)

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 Kabocha Squash (about 500g) • Dashi Soup (2cup) • Brown Sugar (3tb)
• Soy Sauce (4tb) • Ocean Salt (1/2tsp)

I had a craving for Japanese "Kabocha No Nimono". My mom used to make it when the weather starts to get cooler... So, I decided to try and make it myself :) They came out really good, and it was a lot easier than I thought!

Fennel Bulb | Bulbo De Hinojo | Fenchelknolle | Bulbe De Fenouil
RELATED LINKS: WHFoods | Nutrition Facts | Wikipedia
RECIPE: Sea Bass & Fennel Bulb

ORIGIN: Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia
MAIN NUTRITIONS: Vitamin C, Dietary Fiber, Potassium, Folate, Molybdenum, Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Vitamin B3
BENEFITS:
• Antioxidant
• Reduce inflammation
• Help prevent the occurrence of cancer
• Excellent source of Vitamin C, Folate, and Potassium
• Good source of fiber
SEASON: Peak season through Autumn to early Spring
HOW TO PICK: Clean and Firm Bulbs (Whitish or Pale Green) | Straight Stalks (Green and No Sign of flowering)

Broccoli | Broccolo
RELATED LINKS: WHFoods | Nutrition Facts | Wikipedia | Online Quiz

ORIGIN: Italy
MAIN NUTRITIONS: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Folate, Protein, Omega 3...more
BENEFITS:
• Cancer Prevention
• An Immune System Booster (good for cold)
• Stronger Bones
• Help for Sun-Damaged Skin
SEASON: Peak season (through the winter months) OCT - APR
HOW TO PICK: Closed green florets without brown spots | No soft areas or stalks that are discolored or slimy | Smells fresh

URL: Evolution Fresh
SHOP@: Whole Foods | Gelson's Market | Ralphs

Evolution is awesome and tastes the freshest!! They currently sell about 40 different kinds of juices, and we've tried maybe around 5 so far. We've liked every single one we've tried. Why? Because we can definitely taste the real flavor of either fruits or vegetables in their drinks. It truly feels like drinking veggies like it says on the label!

I have been wanting to try making my own RAMEN from scratch for a while. Since my sister was going to be in town, we planned to make RAMEN together. This time we tried making SHOYU RAMEN completely from scratch! It was a lot of fun and RAMEN came out soooooo good! Yummmy :9