What was better than a Beard Papa's cream puff?

No offense Beard Papa, because I can buy yours and have at the same place I bought this one. Yours are good but...

I don't know what kind of reputation An Xuyen Bakery has. My experiences are limited to what I can buy at Uwajimaya. (which isn't saying a whole lot since they sometimes do not have things one wishes they could get) I've tried cookies which were okay. Bread was better. It wasn't until I tried their little loaf of chocolate cake that I was on to something.

Not going to go on but this cream puff? It was one of the best I have had. I've made cream puffs so I have a clue what goes into putting together something tasty. This one had it. The chocolate on top was not hard but also not runny. Inside was a lightly chocolate whipped filling.

Yes, I will be looking for another one next time I go back.

Julie Dreams of Sushi

Yes I know that isn't sushi but it is unagi on rice. Better known as an unagi don. Which I would have never tried if it wasn't for knowing a super good sushi chef by the name of Aki.

Aki retired not long after I moved out of the area. Which makes me a little less sad for moving because I miss the good places I use to eat at. But at least I know unagi now and have an idea on how to cook it.

I finally watched "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" last night. I've known about this movie for a while and about Jiro's sushi restaurant. But to watch the movie is more than just about a restaurant with good sushi.

It's actually about just trying to do your best at whatever you are doing. While I doubt I will ever reach my best at anything, nor will I ever just want to do one thing, I do think the idea of trying to do well at what you do is not a bad one. Even if it's just sweeping the floor. Doesn't mean you have to dedicate your life to it, just if you work on doing your best you may feel better about what you are doing and try to do even more.

Well, I have been not posting blogs or many of my photos of the last year. Even if things aren't great, I am going to work on this. Will see how it goes.

Just to note, I don't dream of sushi but I do love it. Maybe I should start a "Julie Loves Sushi" project of some kind? I'm also open to invitations to Jiro's....

A few from some recent walks

It's rather cold so I haven't been out much. But I still have a lot of photos. For now, a few that are interesting to me.



I don't know what kind of berries these are, but I thought their red color combined with the yellow of what may be lichen was striking.



Taken at the beginning of the month at Tualatin Hills Nature Park. The berries were just opposite of this.



While the pond there had ice on the surface. I would guess now it's pretty much covered completely.



At a different place on a different day. A bit of rain and cold made me think twice about walking on a few trails at Cooper Mountain Nature Park. But it was perfect weather for this guy.



He's a Rough Skinned Newt and not one to be touched without being very careful. There are toxins on his skin. But I preferred just taking photos of him.



It was nice to have a subject stay so perfectly still.

Last meal of last year

While I didn't make the noodles or naruto kamaboko, I did make my first egg sheet and also the tsuyu broth for this Toshikoshi soba. My guest enjoyed it so I think I did alright.

Oh I forgot to mention that I used the ratios for the soup stock that were noted in Maki's Just Hungry post. Maki's blogs are so full of information that I am glad they are available. I also need to mention I was able to find organic soba noodles which were very good. I don't have the name of the brand though.

End of the year at Vista Bridge

One of the last photos on the last day of last year. It was very cold and tiny flakes of snow were falling. So the photo of Vista Bridge in Portland Oregon was rushed.