For the past couple of months, Koa has been rehearsing (as a percussionist) with the Austin Youth Orchestra every week, and today they had their Spring concert. It was really fun to listen to the music today because most of the time, Koa doesn’t perform with strings. It’s a really nice change of pace!
There were three orchestras playing today, and Koa is listed as a member of the top group, but he was asked to play in the middle group as well. He said he had to do a lot of sight reading today since he didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for the middle band. But to me, he sounded great. I’m so proud of him!
Percussion is a fun discipline in the band/orchestra because they have to learn many different instruments, such as marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, bells, triangle, cymbals, snare drum, and timpani. Then there are a few other specialty instruments like the rain stick. And today, Koa said he had to switch between bass drum, snare, and cymbals in one of the pieces. Some pieces, he’s very active, and some pieces he doesn’t even have a part in. It’s very interesting.
Anyway, it was great to listen to the Austin Youth Orchestra. All the kids work so hard, and it’s impressive to hear the fruits of their labor come to life in a live concert.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/75 sec, ISO3200 “Burger and Chips” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Although this meal prep is probably typical of American households, I thought I’d write about how we do a hamburger dinner at our house. Who knows, someone might find this post 50 years from now, and it will be a fascinating read! 😄
For the hamburger patties, we’ll go for and 80-20 mix of ground chuck, and I’ll sometimes mix in some seasonings, for instance, tonight I put in some Japanese Worchestershire and Dijon mustard. Some burger purists would say you should just go with salt and pepper (which I usually do), but my family really likes the extra flavor so I went with the sauce and mustard.
These days I will make a total of six patties, at 1/3-lb. per patty. One burger each for Mariko and I, then two each for the kids. Since Mariko has the food scale handy for her baking, I can measure out exact amounts. I’ve come to rely more on measurement tools rather than eyeballing everything!
To cook, we’ll put them on the outside grill (I used the gas grill for convenience last night) seasoning each side with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder. When the juices start to form on top of the patty (usually around the four-minute mark), I’ll flip them over and season the other side.
Instead of relying on time or firmness to indicate when the burgers are at our preferred medium-rare, I’ll use an instant-read food thermometer to make sure I pull the burgers off the grill at 145° F. It’s often dark outside at the time I grill and hard to tell visually if the burgers are done, so the thermometer is great.
We love our burgers with cheese but I don’t put the cheese onto the patty while it’s on the grill. Instead, I will put the patties straight from the grill into a warm casserole dish, then put the cheese on and cover the dish with foil to let the burgers rest and the cheese melt. This is great because the grill doesn’t get all cheesy and messy.
Speaking of cheese, the kids prefer American cheese, I would go for cheddar, and Mariko likes anything except American. On this evening, the kids and I all went for double American cheese and Mariko went with shredded Mozzarella. Yum!!!
For condiments, we like the basic lettuce (Iceberg or Romaine), tomato, onion, and pickles (I never liked pickles on my burgers until a couple of years ago). Not as common are jalapeños, but I will always add them if I have them on hand. And lastly, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and sometimes samourai sauce to round it all out.
All of this is assembled onto buns, which are frequently homemade since Mariko is an amazing baker. Just look!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/90 sec, ISO6400 “Homemade Buns” Cedar Park, 2019
For sides, we’ll at least have potato chips (plain salted is the best) but potato or macaroni salad would be a definite upgrade. Sometimes we’ll have oven fries, but that’s very rare.
Anyway, that’s our typical burger evening. 🍔
I hope you had a nice day!
またね～
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/50 sec, ISO3200 “Burger Dinner” Cedar Park, 2019
Do you know that period of time when you are about 30 and many of your friends around you are getting married? Well, that was 20 years for us, and since then we haven’t gone to many weddings. However, just within the past half year, we’ve gone to three! And the ages of the couples has varied quite a bit. First, my brother (six years my elder) got married, then some friends (10 years younger than me) got married, and lastly, my nephew (23 years younger) got married.
And the types of weddings were also quite different. California beachside with Mexican food, Hill Country with Texas barbecue, and historic San Antonio with chicken, steak, etc. None of these were at a church and thinking about it, I guess church weddings aren’t as popular as the used to be. But one thing is always the same: weddings are perhaps the most emotional occasion for the newlyweds, so it is an honor to be part of them. And they are always fun!
This latest wedding for my nephew was great. The food was excellent, with a nice bar (Suntory Toki whiskey!). There were oysters on the half-shell, shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, Beef Wellington, and jalapeño poppers. And those were just the appetizers! It was also really nice to see my extended family, some of whom I only see at family reunions. I have to say that family weddings are the best since we get to welcome new members into our crazy Leesang/Fujimoto clans.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/90 sec, ISO6400 “Valentine’s Snoopy” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today’s photos are of the gifts that Mariko bought for the boys today for Valentine’s Day. Bay received the sloth, and Koa received the Snoopy. I’m not sure the origin, but Bay’s favorite animal, or at least the one associated with him, is the sloth. But it suits him because he tends to sleep a lot. And Koa has had a few Snoopys over the years, including t-shirts and other stuffed animals. I think they both liked their gifts since after dinner, they took them up to their rooms. 😄
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO6400 “Valentine’s Sloth” Cedar Park, 2019
This year, I bought Mariko a box of Godiva chocolates, which is pretty much what I do every year. Godiva is the one brand readily available here in the States that I know she likes. Although she said we have too much chocolate in the house (we do have a lot!), her and Bay spent some time choosing which candy from the box to eat tonight.
As for myself, well… no gifts, but that’s okay. I think I have everything I need. ☺
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec, ISO6400 “Cozy Together” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
This weekend, my Mom stayed with us and we all enjoyed having her for the visit. Especially Lani (our dog), Yuzu, and Anko (our cats). After only a couple barks, Lani was good friends with my Mom, and of course, the cats loved her.
Tomorrow she returns back to California, and it will be back to work/school for us. But it was great to see her and have a special weekend together.
I hope you had a nice Sunday!
またね〜
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