Leftovers Into A Seafood Symphony...Into Leftovers

Song:  0 To 60 In Five

Group:  Pablo Cruise

This night's supper was food that was in the fridge...

and had yet to have found a home  :)

I took them and made an Asian staple for leftovers...fried rice.

There were half a dozen eggs...so...I scrambled and diced them up.

We had leftover rice because for the previous night's supper...

I had made a large batch of rice...

not knowing that my sister had made a large batch of rice earlier in the day.

I poached about a pound and a half of salmon.

I then pan fried some frozen shrimp.

I diced up two batches of green onions

(the leftovers of which I will use for tomorrow's supper of shrimp somen).

I heated up some sesame oil in a large wok.

In the meantime...

I minced the salmon...

and de-tailed and diced the shrimp.

Once the sesame oil had gotten up to temperature...

I stirred in the salmon so it would get infused with the sesame oil.

I then added in the shrimp and eggs.

I then put all of the rice on top.

I added some memmi.

I then folded over the mixture several times every so often

(on medium high).

My younger sister put out some of the pickles and side dishes with which 

 would accompany the meal.

Clockwise from 1 o'clock...

baked and seasoned egg plant...

fresh tofu with soy sauce, dried bonito shavings, and diced green onions...

pickled perilla leaves...

above it is pan fried zucchini, white onion and squash...

at the 8 o'clock position is takuan...

just above it is pickled egg plant...

and the last is kimchi.

The meal was almost ready.

The last thing to do is to top the fried rice with the shredded roasted seasoned seaweed...

and the diced green onions

(once again...do not add the onions while cooking.

They are best fresh...and when it comes to reheating the leftovers...

the onions won't wilt...just put them on fresh). 

My plate.

I like to mix the toppings in thoroughly before eating.

And the leftovers of this night's meal.

I always store leftovers in glass containers.

Especially when oil is used...

plastic retains much of the smell of the previous meals...

even after thorough washing.

Plastic is somewhat porous.

This has a plastic lid...

with a rubber seal.

The lid shouldn't touch the food.

And...every symphony has it's orchestra.

As you can see...

my final song for my sea food symphony was this article's included song.

I have it in this corner...

as the sound really comes alive, as the bass especially...

gets reflected into the kitchen.

As soon as I start cooking...

I have my sister turn off the living room TV

(My sister and my mother go into the master bedroom to watch TV there)...

and the supper symphony begins.

I cook to music...

we eat to music...

and I clean up afterwards...

to music.

Everything is better with music!  :)

The whole process...

even during the clean up...

is enjoyable.

I am singing and dancing the night away as I cook and clean up...

even though I can neither sing nor dance well at all  :)

However...

I've reverted to just singing while washing the dishes...

as I had actually forgotten one time.  

I once had a soaking wet soapy sponge in my hand

when I started air drumming.  

I had sent streams of soapy water flying everywhere before I realized what I had done  :)

Sometimes the music just carries me away  :)

Movie Night / Sukiyaki

Song:  Christofori's Dream

Artist:  David Lanz

Last week...

I made some hot buttered popcorn for my mother to eat for movie night.

My mother loves popcorn...

and watching movies.

My mother regularly eats one whole container for herself...

and I will make another one for myself.

Popcorn has lots of fiber...

and is surprisingly healthful.

We watched 'Back To The Future'.

We had often put on closed captioning, as my mother is hard of hearing...

however, just recently, we got her a hearing aid.

The next day...

my younger sister made Oden (not pictured).

A couple of days later...

she and my mother made sukiyaki.

Both are signature dishes of Japan...

and both are very healthful and delicious meals.

They include a copious amount of various vegetables.

I have just included some photos from the sukiyaki...

as sometime in the future...

I will be making both...

and I will give detailed instructions of how to make them.

As the dishes were cooking...

I had my mother practice the song I wish for us to be able to play together

in the future.

When it had finished cooking...

my mother dished the meal...

and we had plenty to eat over the next couple of days

(they made two pans of sukiyaki).

My mother, of course, loves sukiyaki.

Both are so healthful...

I must dedicate an article to each meal (oden and sukiyaki)...

in the near future.

Japanese Sweet Potato "Chips"

Song:  Cherry Blossom Storm

Soundtrack:  Okami

Japanese Sweet Potatoes are very nutritious...

and delicious.

I usually bake them...

but...

recently...

my mother wanted something to snack on while watching late night movies.

My wife used to occasionally make these for Alex...

so...

I decided to make some for my mother.

Just wash the outsides of the potatoes.

Leave the skin on...

as they contain much of the nutrition and flavor.

I use about 1/2 inch of olive oil...

and the stove is set to medium high.

Each slice is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

You simply put them in for about 5 minutes (golden brown)...

and flip them over for the same amount of time.

While the outsides are slightly crisp...

the insides are light and fluffy.

They should not be oily.

And there it is...

a Japanese Sweet Potato Pyramid  :)

Just sprinkle on salt after each batch is finished.

They keep for many days in the fridge...

and they are just as good cold.

They add a lot of fiber...

and they are a healthful snack.

It is a perfect match for movies...

just in case you get tired of hot buttered popcorn.