Not Quite a Manapua, But Still Delicious

My husband loves Manapuas, the steamed buns filled with pork. While eating one the other day, he noticed on the packet that the company also sells them filled with chicken and mushroom or a sweet potato variety. We thought those varieties sounded delicious but we'd never seen them where we lived. A quick call to the company confirmed what often happens in our area - they don't sell them here.

We couldn't get the thought of bread filled with chicken and mushroom out of our minds, so we decided to make a version of them. I made a batch of french bread dough and rolled out small circles.

Combining mushroom soup, cooked chicken, and veggies in a bowl, we used a cookie dough scooper to put small amounts into the circles of dough.
We carefully folded the balls up, making sure the filling was securely inside and left them to rise for thirty minutes. The recipe made about 25 balls of dough, but I only took a photo of one tray.
After twenty minutes in the oven at 400 degrees, they came out looking and smelling delicious.
And voila, chicken and veggies in mushroom sauce, inside a ball of french bread.
It was a nice meal for the hubby and I to make together as we usually don't cook at the same time. The only downside to this creation was that the bread rolls were too good. So good that we kept eating and only when we realized we had eaten nearly a whole batch of french bread that usually lasts us several days, we were already beyond stuffed.

Japanese Food

I'm headed to Japan next month *insert squee!* and I'm very excited for several reasons, one of them being the food. It's no surprise that I love Japanese food and I am so grateful to my friend Alisha for pointing out places to see in Tokyo and great delicacies to try.

This will be my first trip to Japan and I've purposely budgeted on hotels so that we could spend money on food. I often choose Japanese food over any other type of food and on our trip to Hilo last year, I was delighted with our find of Miyos - a fantastic Japanese restaurant overlooking the water.

I chose the dinner special of Shrimp and Veggie Tempura, Sesame Chicken, Agedashi Tofu, and Sashimi
And the hubby had the Chicken Terriaki Don Buri.
Both dishes were excellent!

Just thinking of the meal makes me excited for my trip to Japan. I already know there will be lots of pictures and lots of stories. The only thing I hesitate about trying is blowfish (Fugu). I really want to try it, but if it's not prepared right, it can cause death. A little scary but supposedly it's really delicious. Rather a tough decision. Hmm... I guess I'll let you guys know in March if I actually tried it!

Lime Curd Crepe with Raspberry

The picture above captures the perfect finale to an awesome evening. Three friends from college, tons of sushi and wine, and a lot of laughter, topped off by a trip to the local creperie, Cafe Des Amis. We thought the evening couldn't get any better, but there on the little white chalkboard was the daily special - crepes filled with lime curd and raspberry. *falls over*

I don't think I have ever tasted such a delectable treat. A soft crepe filled with tangy yet sweet lime curd and topped with a thick raspberry sauce. The flavor combination was absolutely divine and even now my mouth is watering as I type this.

Although we were full from dinner, together we finished off four crepes, leaving not even the slightest remnant at the end. Wait, there were only three girls and you ordered four crepes? My friends and I love to eat and we can truly appreciate a great dessert, especially one as amazing as this. :)