Kinkan No Kanroni (金柑の甘露煮)

We are reaching the end of prime citrus season, and I feel myself trying to make it last. Growing up on an citrus orchard in Southern California, citrus are my favorite fruits. The color, the smell, the tang, everything about it is simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. I favor the sour citrus over the overtly sweet, and kumquats have been a favorite since I was a child.

My parents have two dwarf kumquat trees, and I remember going to the Fullerton arboretum to pick out the second one, so small they pulled me around in a wagon. Kumquats are tiny citrus, about the size of a big grape, with a sweet thin edible skin and a pucker-inducing sour middle. Their only downside in my opinion is that the seeds inside can get rather large. The small seeds are edible, in fact you won't even notice them, but the big seeds are larger than orange seeds and are not very tasty.

You can leave the seeds in, and just remove them when you use the kumquats. That will save a lot of labor upfront, but I deseeded mine because I wanted to be able to just pop the candied kumquats whole in my mouth without worry.

This recipe will yield a fresher kumquat and a lighter syrup than some candied kumquat recipes. If you want a heavier syrup and a more candied kumquat, feel free to reduce it farther, but you may not have enough syrup then to properly cover the kumquats for safe shelf-stable preserving. In that case, simply refrigerate. I like to preserving mine lighter like this, and I can reduce the syrup down later with more sugar if necessary.

Strawberry Shiso Citrus Water

If you're on pinterest, you've probably seen these detox water recipes floating around. Water infused with fruit and veggies, they are purportedly calorie-free with lots of health benefits. I'm not too sure about the detoxification claims, because infusing overnight might not cause any of the beneficial nutrients to make their way into the water compared to actually ingesting them, but plain water is important to the body to flush out toxins and promote healthy internal organ function so it's not 100% baloney.

Whatever the magical health claims, I looked at it as an excellent alternative to zero-calorie overly sweet abominations like diet sodas or drinks. I definitely need to drink more water, but somehow I find water to be too boring. I know I'm not alone even though that sounds crazy.

I had this idea in the back of my mind, but didn't act on it until tragedy struck. My poor little shiso sprouts got pounded in a freak hailstorm. Seriously, thundering hail in Southern California in the middle of March?! I didn't know if my shiso would survive, so I decided to make some tasty infused water with the more beaten-down sprouts, using the shiso instead of the more traditional mint for a nice Hapa version.

Rosemary Apricot and Pecan Brie En Croute

If you're a working girl like me, eventually you will be drawn into the world of potlucks and B.Y.O.B. get-togethers. I especially love these bonding times with my coworkers, they are all brilliant girls that look even more beautiful outside of scrub tops. After all, it's hard to look your best when you have an unruly puppy in a headlock. It's hard to get us all together without grumbling, because it seems we live at work, but it's still fun nonetheless.

Usually I bring some Spam musubi, they are easy to make and everyone love them. I have a very picky coworker, and she carefully dissects them to avoid the seaweed, but she still told me "I love the SPAM!"

The problem with Spam musubi is that you need to have rice, and time to fry up the Spam. I know you can make them in advance and nuke them in the microwave just prior (Mr. Mochi loves when I give him refrigerated leftover musubi for his work lunch) but it's just not the same. The nori gets soggy and the Spam loses its crispness. And I never seem to have the wherewithal to make rice ahead of time, so lots of times I am standing over my rice cooker grinding my teeth waiting for the rice to be done.

Enter brie en croute. Fast, easy, and impressive looking. You can even make it ahead, and cook it just prior to jumping in your car. Since it's baked, you can run around putting on your makeup or feeding the dog while it's cooking. The best part is you're supposed to wait at least 30 minutes before cutting into it, so it seems to be designed to take in the car!

Sake Ochazuke (鮭 お茶漬け)

Sometimes you just want to stay in and curl up with a good book and something tasty, preferably a hot comfort food.

Ochazuke (お茶漬け), or chazuke, is really quite simple; it is green tea poured over rice, like milk over cereal. What really brings this dish to life is the toppings that go along with it. Umeboshi (pickled plums), shiozake (salted salmon), wasabi, kakimochi (rice crackers), nori, and fresh herbs like mitsuba are all usual suspects. Some variants of ochazuke use dashi or plain water, but I like the flavor green tea adds.

There are commercial packets you can buy, and then all you need is rice and hot water. These are very convenient for a packed lunch for work, I can run out the door with a bowl of leftover rice and all I need is some hot water to make a nice lunch at work of hot ochazuke.

However, I have a recipe here for when you want a homemade ochazuke, and I think you will enjoy the hearty amount of salmon and the ability to salt to your taste since the commercial packets can be quite salty.

Mugicha (麦茶)

Sometimes we need a break from sugary drinks, especially in this heat wave. I know that I, for one, could always work on reducing my caloric intake and it's amazing how many calories we consume in the form of drinks. I'm also wary of diet sodas, not to mention that most artificial sweeteners are an acquired taste. I don't particularly like soda anyways, it's not thirst-quenching enough for me, but water can get boring. My western go-to drink is unsweetened iced tea or what's called an Arnold Palmer: iced tea and lemonade mixed together.

I love tea, but sometimes you need some variety, and sometimes you don't need to stay awake all night because you chugged a liter at dinner. That's where Mugicha comes in!