Sushi day

Tempura shrimp, all ready to eat!

Tempura is the perfect party snack. Everyone loves tempura - it's more or less healthy (since it is mostly made with vegetables), most everyone likes fried foods, and yet it's not heavy like many fried foods are... it's actually pretty light! Most anything can be tempura fried. Typically sliced vegetables and shrimp are the normal tempura fare, but meats, sushi (yum!), and even bananas can be tempura fried! (Just make sure you get an underripe banana, because it softens when you fry it so ripe bananas will fall apart. Don't believe me? Look at this post on my website where I used a tempura fried banana in sushi!)

I originally posted this tempura recipe on my website, SushiDay.com.

Gu Gu Sushi & Roll

Every now and then, I like to meet an old friend of mine for sushi. I have known her since elementary school, (we were best friends back in the day) so we like to get together when I am back at home or when she is out where I am now and gossip about old times. So I was back home, and after much discussion and indecision about where to have dinner, we decided to go to Gu Gu Sushi & Roll in Hermosa Beach. She had been there a few times, but this was the first time I have been to Gu Gu Sushi.

Japanese Potato Salad

Last year, I was offered a cookbook called Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking, by Harumi Kurihara, to review and try recipes from. I looked through the cookbook and flagged a few recipes I wanted to try, including this Japanese Potato Salad. It sounded like it was going to be really good! Unfortunately, the way it turned out for me, it was just so-so, but I have a feeling this recipe would have turned out considerably better if I had more kitchen experience (have I ever steamed/boiled potatoes? No...).

Cheese and Jalapeño Wontons

These cheese and jalapeño wontons (also known as Cheese Age, pronounced ah-gay) are the perfect party food. Fried, cheesy, spicy finger food. Great for watching the big game (whichever game you prefer), or partying with friends! Sure, they take a little time to make, but you can make them a day or two before hand, then refrigerate them, reheating them right before you want to eat them. These are amazing, and incredibly addictive! I have made them two or three times since I first had them at a restaurant called Honda-Ya, and I always get rave reviews!

To see the nutrition facts, see the original post on my blog, SushiDay.com.

A beautiful lantern above our table

Last year, for my boyfriend's birthday, I took him to this cute little Japanese restaurant in Tustin called Honda-Ya (556 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92780 Phone: (714) 832-0081) that an old friend had recommended to him a while ago, but we hadn't gone to yet. We arrived around 7:45. There's a little sign-in sheet on the outside, where you write your name, how many people there are, and if you would prefer to sit at a table, at the bar, or Japanese-style on the floor. We decided to sit a table since it was our first time there, and we weren't sure how comfortable we would be sitting on the floor. We were seated within 20 minutes of signing in, which was pretty good for how busy it was there. We got this little table in the corner, which had a nice view of an itsy-bitsy garden outside.

A Baked Potato, in a Bowl!

I LOVE baked potatoes. Actually, I love just about anything that involved potatoes - potato salad, french fries, potato soup, mashed potatoes... you would be hard pressed to find something involving potatoes that I don't like! So I knew I would love this recipe for baked potato soup when I found it! This actually goes above and beyond your typical baked potato. It includes other vegetables such as carrot, celery, and onion, which add a whole new dimension to the soup. It's very tasty! I chose to garnish my soup just like I would a mashed potato - with sour cream, bacon, and green onions. Not exactly the most healthy choice, but man it was good!

A Crepe Filled With Ham, Asparagus, and a Cheese Sauce... Yum!

I have loved crêpes ever since my old ballet company hired the "Crêpe Lady" for one of our annual garden parties (a sort of fundraising thing for the company). Ever since then I have gotten crêpes at every chance, so of course I had to try making them myself!

This recipe is super easy to make... almost like making pancakes! You can put all sorts of sweet or savory fillings in them... some of my favorites are sliced bananas with chocolate syrup, or ham and asparagus with this cheese sauce! (It's at the bottom of the post). Very yummy. What types of fillings do you like in your crêpes?