Muffins and More!

Chocolate oatmeal muffins! Hooray! Fiber and chocolate together at last! Check out my half-eaten delicacy below:

It really was far too hot for baking (the inside temperature of our apartment is nearly always uncomfortably hot), but we were out of sweets (of any kind!). I really couldn't take tea without a little something and my husband always needs nibblies for his lunch, so I took a few minutes to bake the above pictured muffins. Really quite good. As with nearly all quickbreads, it freezes well.

Tonight was fried rice night. Don't you just love how I garnish everything with mitsuba? ^_^ Anyway, I used a bit of ground beef, along with egg, onion, garlic and a handful of frozen mixed veggies in this dish. The pickled ginger tops it off nicely.

The whole meal consisted of miso soup (with wakame) and a simple fresh salad. Surprisingly economical (thrifty lately...aren't I?).

Yesterday (Sunday) I made zaru soba for lunch. We didn't eat until 2pm, but this is a fairly quick meal to prepare. The dipping sauce in the cup actually came pre-made. I just added water to the liquid and ta-da! Dipping sauce!

This is just a closer view of the noodles. They are eaten cold and are very refreshing on a hot day.

Supper on Sunday night was chicken thigh pieces simmered in ginger, garlic, sugar, sake, mirin and soy sauce. This combination creates a glaze on the chicken. I served it on a giant shiso leaf.

Because I removed the thigh bone from the chicken myself, I had leftover bones which I used to make a clear soup. The cucumber in the small dish has a dressing of vinegar and soy sauce on it. As always, a salad and rice complete the meal. It may seem small, but it was satisfying. ^_^ P.S. Chicken thigh is best for simmering because it doesn't dry out like white meat.