One Pot French Onion Pasta Bake

It doesn't look like much, but this is a super yummy pasta bake with a nice balance of flavours.  I prepoed the recipe half way and refrigerated the onion and mushroom mixture.  All it took was 30 minutes to finished it off for a weekday dinner.

I made a half recipe and substituted a few ingredients to make 2 to 3 Serves.

Slice then sautee two brown onions in 2 tablespoons of butter and half a tablespoon of brown sugar. Use a pot that will be able to go under the grill if you want to save washing up.  Cook at medium high for about 8 minutes or until onions are softened.  Add a bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, half a tablespoon of Worchestershire sauce and half a cup of white wine.    Cook until liquid is evaporated.  Add 200g of sliced button mushrooms and one crushed clove of garlic and cook for 3 minutes (until mushroom are soft).  At this point you can let the mixture cool and refrigerate until you are ready to finish the dish off.

To finish off the dish I added 2 cups of chicken stock and 230g of short pasta.  Mix well and bring to boil.  Allow to simmer for 8 minutes or until pasta is al dente.  Add half a cup of cream, a pinch of cayenne pepper (so good!) and three quarters of a cup of grated lactose free cheese.  Heat and stir until combined then add another half cup of grated cheese to the top and grill to melt.  You could probably top with parsley so it doesn't look so monotone, but I'm not a fan of parsley.

Original Recipe Here

Winter dessert Poached Pears

Pears poached in white wine

Simple but warm and delicious!

Also makes the house smell amazing!

Peel your Buerre Bosch pear and but in half. Poach in a small saucepan with lid on; in 2 cups of white wine, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste and a quill of cinnamon for about 20 minutes.

Killing time at Kansai Airport

Y'all know I love to eat. Staying over night at the airport was actually a good move! There's a huge range of food places open 24 hr and they accept credit card. Oh and there's free wifi.

Soba noodles with beef

Ube ice cream (purple yam) Yum!!

Free sample of Starbucks Creamy Vanilla with Lemon Swirl (vanilla milkshake, cream and lemon crunchy topping)

I can't remember the last time I had a donut. But I needed something to go with my Honey Latte.

Lol what the?! 

Genius! Strawberry Kit Kat 

The Japanese sure love vending machines !

Cigarettes!!!

Anime themed machines 

P asked for a water but got a bonus toy prize instead in this gold coke can

Beer!!

Note to self don't remove the coffee cup until the countdown completes! And of it's a red button you will get a warm drink eg a warm tropical juice!!

Japanese Mcdonalds

No international holiday would be complete without a trip to the local McDonald's. 

This is a Japanese McDonald's meal during Sakura season.

Sakura burger has a pink bun and salty sweet flavour ( yay! ). Pink mayonnaise with pink pickles in it and a pork patty and fried egg. 

Salad with gomu (sesame soy) dressing FTW!

I also ordered the new cherry soft drink. I like it!!!

International breakfast buffet and more Japanese snacks

Top left clockwise: croissant, fish, fish cake, sausage. Scrambled eggs, pasta, pasta salad, congee with crueller and pickles, fermented soybean, whiting, grated radish. Jellyfish salad, beans, tofu, potato, sweet potato. Dimsum, omelette, tempura. I didn't eat it all but I did taste everything.

This is natto: fermented soybean.

Doesn't taste of anything but has the aroma of smelly feet. Not for me!

Japanese paella 

A sorbet type dessertade of potato with kiwi fruit coulis

Japanese sweet prior to green tea ceremony

Thin Green Tea

Bird shaped cake (thanks Y or C I forget)

Salted cherry blossoms (thanks H). I was tricked into trying this! We thought it was covered in sugar!!

Mochi

Breakfast green tea bun, sausage, bacon, French toast, omelett, Japanese

Potato salad (yum!) and spaghetti salad

Japanese meals and snacks

Japanese set lunch. Sweet miso mackerel, miso soup, rice and cold tofu

Lunch set is fried chicken in sauce, bamboo rice. Pickles and miso soup.

Green tea, chocolate and vanilla ice cream at Pinafore Maid Cafe

Giant rainbow Pocky (thanks A) in grape flavour 

Grape soft serve

Japanese breakfast with porridge

Sweetened mackerel jerky

Sweetened Wasabi rice cracker

Green tea kit Kat (thanks other A)

Hakone hot spring boiled egg (makes you live 7 years longer)

 

Dark chocolate kit Kat (thanks again other A)

Looks like a turd but it's a sweet potato pudding in cake. 

Green tea muffin with creme patisserie and red bean. Yay fusion