cucu pudding candy

I bought this Jiyugaoka pudding candy from the Japanese UHA Mikakuto company.



I think this is possily the best hard candy I've had for a long time. It's even possible that thi is the best hard candy EVER.

What's not to like... It's from Mikakuto, it mentioned Jiyugaoka, and its flavor is "Japanese pudding". Mmmmm.

Mikakuto uses Sanonto (a special sugar that dedicated bakers like to use in Japan) for the caramel part of the candy, and delicious egg custard for the rest.



So tasty!

shrimp sheller

My sister got me a shrimp sheller (from Sur La Table.) She said she thought of me when she saw this little tool. I wonder why.

Anyhow, I tested it out, and it worked very well!



It didn't quite work as well on shrimp for me, however, even though it was a "shrimp" sheller... I guess the shrimp I had were too small for me to fully utilize the sheller. I used it on shelling crab legs and I could very easily pick the meat up with a fork afterwards.

So I have the shrimp sheller in my bag (almost) all the time now. (!) You never know when you need to shell a shrimp or a crab leg, or any shellfish.

striped kalles

I love the little food and snack martket inside IKEA. Every time we go out there I'd manage to pick up a couple fun Swedish foods.

A while ago I bought a tube of Kalles spread, and I liked it. It was a bit salty for my taste, but with crackers it was pretty awesome.

This time I saw a new Kalles spread. It's spriped! It has its original smoked roe, and cream cheese.



The striped spread doesn't taste as salty as the original one, and is tasty on crackers. I'm loving the Ritz roasted vegetable crackers these days.


Yumminess.

Thank goodness for IKEA!

give me some pressure

John got me a Cusinart Electric Pressure Cooker this past weekend!

He tested it out by making a Guiness beef stew.


Very simple and easy to use.


It only took about 20 minutes of cooking time for the stew.


Delicious!

Very impressive and convenient cooker! I think I'll be pressure cooking a lot.

mascara

I usually don't wear mascara because I used to smudge it too much back the days... OK I admit I like to touch around my eyes...

But then I keep seeing how people have cute eye lashes and I thought I'd give it another try.

I bought Rimmel Eye Magnifier Exact Definition based on EC's recommendation. Apparently Rimmel's mascaras are sort of like a famous Japanese brand that she loves, and it works very well.



I don't know if I'd get the "magnified eyes" look the product proclaims, but I'm going to give it a try and see if I can get cute eye lashes sometimes. ;)

KitchenAid

I've been wanting a KitchenAid mixer for a while... but every time I bring it up to John, he'd comment that I don't bake much, and says that if I ever decide to really start baking he'd get me one.

I always say, "I can be doing more baking and making yummy goodies if I have a cool KitchenAid mixer." um...

Anyhow, with the caffe being remodeled gradually I think it'll be a great idea for me to start making treats to sell instead of getting them from other places... hence the idea of getting a KitchenAid is popping up again.

I'm eyeing the special model KitchenAid from Costco... it's a 5-quart 475-watt all metal gear super machine.


(photo from Costco web site)
I'm still doing researches, but this one looks really good.

lotte koala's march

I've always loved the yummy Japanese treats from Lotte, and among them the "Koala's March" line of chocolate (and other flavors) filled koala bear cookies have not only been with me all through my childhood, but also been some of my favorite treats as an adult. *blush*

Anyhow, Lotte continues to come up with different flavors for the inside of the cookies, as well as different "looks" on the Koala bears. A couple weeks ago I found some limited edition "British" koalas with chestnut filling, and they were so good!

And EC brought me these cute little "baby"(?) ones where the koala bear is 1) growing a flower, 2) climbing a tree, and 3) brushing his teeth. On the other side of the packages there were the continuation of these activities. CUTE.

st. ives makeup remover & facial cleanser

Another great product from St. Ives that I absolutely love is the Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser.


(photo from st.ives web site)

This product is supposed to remove the heaviest makeup, but since I've always only wear light makeup, I wouldn't know its true potential, but I'm happy with its cleansing power every time.

And since it removes makeup and cleans at the same time, I save time using it every night. Yay!

st. ives apricot scrub

I was just talking with a friend and we both agreed that the Apricot Scrub from St. Ives is the best scrub in the market! I later found out that most Americans thought so, too.


(photo from St. Ives site)

I just really love the tiny walnut skin pieces rubbing on my face! haha

OSAKA: best lip balm ever

The first year we went to Osaka I forgot to bring my lip balm, and everyone knows I can't do without my lip balm, so I went to drugstores and othe shops wanting to find a basic and good Japanese lip balm.

And there were so many of them! Then I saw this "Omi Brotherhood Menturm Medicated Stick with Menthol". It was made in Japan, and on the package it said it was for "dried, chapped and cracked lip". I had to give it a try.



I had been buying some and bring them back to the U.S. every year since then. It's "thick" and larger in diameter than standard stick lip balms, not too hard or soft, and it moisturizes and "stays" on your lips very well!

Oh, and it doesn't get all melty in my pocket! That's always a bonus.

silicone brush

I've seen these silicone brushes in the stores and wondered who would buy them... they just don't look like they'd be better than traditional pasty or oil brushes. Then I read from a couple bakers talk about how wonderful these silicone brushes are. Some bakers like to use them when brushing egg yorks, oils, or butter on pastries, and no bristles will stick onto the surfaces of the pastires. I guess since there's no bristles there won't be any sticking on anything. They are also great for glazing, odor-free, and very easy to clean.


I really like the wood handles on these.

I decided to buy a couple today... just to test it out. I haven't been making breads or pastries for a while, but I guess I'll have to make something that requires some butter brushing or glazing.