Busy again...

This week started quite turbulent and the weekend will be busy for my husband as well, but we hope that we can go at least fishing on Saturday...

Yesterday I got the forms for the Hakodate Fuyu artcontest, which will be held next January. Now I'm fighting with a big wooden board I want to paint on. At first, I wanted to paint another forest, but the size of the canvas is not so good for this... so I will go for another Koipond instead, I think.

In the meantime, here is some old art from me, showing a winterscene at Onuma lake. Done with acrylics, pens and airbrush on paper (Format is B4, original available).

about Japanese food ^_^

 

This weekend was very exciting. We went fishing again at Todohokke and my husband was lucky and caught 2 Kajika (a fish similiar to Monkfish or Seadevil)

When we came home, a parcel of our friend Masaki-san arrived. He sent us some wonderful Japanese cheese from the Kyodogakusha Shintoku Farm in Hokkaido, which won many national and international awards for it's fantastic products. Please read his wonderful and interesting article about it at http://www.ocada.jp/izu/kyodo.htm

and I also recomend his interesting and unique website to read about Japan, how it really is:

http://www.ocada.jp/

Actually, when I started this Blog, I only wanted to write about my art, but I realize more and more, that I should also write so much more about live in Japan as it REALLY is, because I feel that we Western people have sometimes a very different view of it.

For example, whenever I talk with my friends in Germany, USA, Canada or other "Western Countries" their first question is always "how can you life in Japan with JUST Sushi and Soysauce ?!?!?"

To me this is always so puzzeling and sometimes even annoying, because I can get here ALL western products and also western products made in Japan and honestly, most of them taste totally equally, if not even much better than in Germany and Europe.

As a proof I took a photo of Japanese camenbert, Masaki-san sent, and also a package of Hokkaido ham, which won the German DLG prize. All is very delicious and in the meantime, I think people in my own country should finally respect and realize that Japan produces the very same products they do, along with the wonderful Japanes cuisine.

Well, since we caught the fish and I got the wonderful Hokkaido cheese, I thought I cook European today, using ONLY Japanese vegetables, ham, our caught fish and the cheese of course.

Here I started with a Ciche/Chawanmushi (Eierstich in German) using the fish-fond (dashi) of the devilfish... good Hokkaido-cream and egg.

onto the second dish, with fish, crabs, tomato, balsamico (made in Japan !!!), paprika and herbs from our own garden...

...to seadevil a la saltimbocca with asparagus, shrimp, mushrooms, Hokkaido camenbert and Hokkaido cream...

and here is a the final mix of it on my plate. ^____^

It was wonderful... the only not-Japanese thing I added was one great dry white-wine from Frankonia.

Well, so all of you can see, I live and eat great here... I have great sushi, delicious ramen, tasty soba and Konbu and other wonderful Japanese dishes, but also the most wonderful Italian, French, German and other Western flavours here, and all is made in Japan and really, really wonderful, tasty and safe!!!!

Cosmos fields

Here is a field of Cosmos flowers near Furano in Hokkaido. Done with acrylics, watercolor, pencils and airbrush. Format is B4, 

~SOLD~

Momiji

Just finished another painting before the weekend. This time I painted a Japanese Maple-tree. Done with watercolor, acrylics, fineliner-pen and airbrush on paper. In a private collection in Luxembourg.

Koi pond

Finally finished this painting !!! I always wanted to paint those adorable Koi in a pond. The thing which was most difficult though were not the koi, but the textures of the lotos-leaves. Yet, it was a lot of fun to paint.
Done with watercolor, acrylics and airbrush on paper. Format is B3 original available.

arty foods and fun

Yesterday we went to one of our fave Izakaya here in Hakodate, Banya. They have one of the best sashimi and also other delicious things.

This is flounder-carpaccio and it was one of the the best I ever had.

Fishing at Todohokke

Today we had the very first snowfall this Winter... since it was a public holiday, we went fishing.

 Our fave spot in this season is Todohokke, a small fishing village near Esan and after one hour, my husband caught a big Hokke and a big Ainame.

Here is our catch from today... both were over 35 cm.

Here is what I cooked from it today... Butter rice, Asparagus/Paprika and Oregano, Italian Salad with Balsamico and fish with Bacon and garlic.

Mushroom cooking

Today, the road to the mountains at Akagawa opened again finally, so we eagerly went picking Mukitake. The Latin name is Panella serotinus. Serotinus means "late" and indeed it's the last mushroom we can pick there before the snow.

Finally we found some. Those mushrooms grow always near the river, at old trees... but you need to be careful not to pick the poisenous Tsukiyotake. So please, if you are not sure, DON'T pick them at all...

After a long drive through the forest and rivers, we picked enough for a nice meal. I'm always amazed when I check German books and they tell, that Mukitake is not a delicious mushroom. This is absolutelly not true. You can cook it even European style and it is very delicious !!!

So here is what I cooked from it today. Omlette rolled with "Hokke" (a mackerel famous in this area), cheese, shrimp and Mukitake... and Penne with pork, papirka, Mukitake and sour-cream sauce and some salad with our own smoked bacon together with white wine from Tirol *yummy* :p