Oshogatsu: Japanese American New Year's Day

For Japanese Americans, New Year's Day is a big holiday, one of the biggest of the year.

I remember the special day when I was a little girl--the family getting together at Bachan's house, my mom, aunties and grandmother bustling in the kitchen while my cousins and I ran around having fun together. When our close family friends would stop by for a visit, we would try to be on our best behavior and most often that would be the time Uncle Mas or Uncle Shig would give one of my older cousins money to walk us all down the street to go candy shopping a few doors down at the liquor store.

Such nice memories.

For the past several years, my sister-in-law Reiko has been in charge of the Fujimoto Oshogatsu. She's from Japan and knows what's proper for each layer of the jubako--the fancy Japanese lacquered three tiered boxes the traditional Osechi Ryori (New Year's food) is served in--but this year Reiko was on a long overdue visit with her mother in Japan so my mother-in-law took over.



O-Baachan made a jubako filled with traditional foods.

When I was little, I remember my aunties telling me the meanings of certain foods and why it was important to eat them on New Year's Day. I was told the kuromame (black beans) are "good luck beans" and every year I would eat just a few. Now I like them and eat a spoonful.

The small fish are tazukuri--they're small dried sardines seasoned with shoyu, sugar and mirin. I don't remember why we eat them, but when asked, improvised and said that, 'tazukuri travel in schools so we eat them so we all stay together'.

Kurikinton is a sweet yam and chestnut paste, kamaboko is the red, white & green sliced fishcake and tamagoyaki is yellow sweet egg.

The second layer has (from upper left) kinpira gobo (burdock root)--it's a long root and the meaning to us is it's eaten to keep family roots deep.  Next to it is octopus, below that is kazunoko, or herring eggs, which stand for fertility. To the left of the kazunoko is renkon which is lotus root--you eat that to help you see the future.

Top right, the small satoimo, or taro potatoes, stand for prosperity, they're one of my favorites. O-Baachan makes a flavored, spongy tofu, which is a favorite of mine also--I call them cosmetic sponges--and I'm sorry to say I don't know what the proper name is. Takenoko (bamboo shoots) is to their left and above that are the diplomas. I think a lot of Japanese-Americans call the rolled kombu 'diplomas'--we eat them for happiness because kombu is similar to the Japanese word yorokobi.

 

You can also buy trays of traditional Japanese New Year's food from Marukai or Nijiya markets--my parents brought over this tray.

They also brought over this tray of assorted sashimi.

 

Mom made Spinach with Tofu & Sesame Seeds with some julienne cooked carrots added.

Cucumber Salad with Saifun, which my mom always makes and is popular in my family.

 She also made teriyaki chicken.

There's lots of other foods, too, way too much--everyone makes their specialty. I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of everyone's dishes, I only got pictures of what was there at the beginning--we had an eclectic array of foods. Warren made nori maki and inari zushi, Penny made her California roll with fresh crab and Twice Baked Potatoes. Lorraine and Penny made tamales (yum!), Eugene made ozoni (mochi soup) and Nancy made Oven Baked Pork Ribs. Glen brought oden (a winter stew), Connie made Cabbage Ramen Salad, Karen made Spinach Dip and I made Green Chile Posole  and Nishime.

Mom made apple strudel for dessert too!
(I get it from my mom...)

There was lots and lots and lots of good food--but the best part of the celebration is not the food.

The best part of New Year's Day is family. This year both sides of my family were here all day--it's so nice to simply be together. We reminisce about the old days when our extended family got together at Bachan's house and plan what's happening with all of us for the coming new year. It's fun getting to know in-laws better as well as visiting brothers from Chicago, nephew's girlfriends, and everyone wants to hold 8 month old E.J.

Our family is just like all others--we have our squabbles, things are said and family members get their feelings hurt. What's really nice is we give our family the benefit-of-the-doubt and trust one another that the continuation of having a close family has priority over egos. You have to keep coming, because the family will go on without you. What happens is that when everyone continues to come to family gatherings, pages and pages can be added to the book of Our Family, and more often than not, the difficult times become an excerpt and get buried beneath good memories and laughter.

***

A few photos from the day...

 

O-Jiichan and O-Baachan.

Rick and Jessica.

 

E.J. and his mother, Maria--if you've been following along you might remember the Grilled Chicken in Citrus Marinade that caught on fire that I made to 'help' Maria by making her dinner.

Wes.

 Nancy.

 Karen and Mitchell.

Beeto during New Year's Eve's game night.
There may come a day when Beeto would rather spend New Year's Eve with her friends, but we are so happy she comes to spend the night with us!

 

Sue and Rick. 

We were sorry to miss Sue's granddaughter's 1st birthday party on New Year's Day, but were happy to see them the night before!

Rick.
His family and the Fujimotos were friends in since junior high.

And their son, Bryan--the evening got a little late for Bryan.

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Meatball Sandwiches

Happy New Year!

The last few months have been filled with a hectic craft show schedule, lots of traveling up and down California's Interstate 5, holiday visitors, family parties and the flu--but now we are back to cooking!

The other day my nephew Colin came over to make Meatball Sandwiches--we took a little detour to the Antojito Taco Truck--then got back to cooking.

I'm so happy that Colin has an interest in cooking with me and made time on his break from college to make a dish and share it on FOODjimoto.com.

This recipe makes a lot, enough for 6 meatball sandwiches with plenty of leftovers for us and a good care package for Colin to take home--so if you're not feeding a crowd, you may want to cut down the recipe to fit your needs. We also made a quick marinara-type sauce.

Ingredients:

marinara sauce

2-24 oz. cans plum tomatoes

2-24 oz. can tomato puree

3 slices bacon, thinly sliced and cooked until crisp

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup red wine

1 large sweet onion, chopped

oregano

meatballs

1  lbs. each ground turkey, ground beef & sausage

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

about 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper

sandwiches

mozzarella or provolone slices

french rolls

sliced peppers and onions, sauteed in olive oil and 1 teaspoon minced garlic

To make the quick marinara sauce, Colin thinly sliced 3 strips of bacon. 

He then minced 2 cloves of garlic. 

And chopped the onion--I was impressed with his knife skills--he's a natural at cooking. He cooked the bacon over medium heat until crisp, removed the fat, added 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 1/2 cups chopped onion which were sauteed until soft. 1/2 cup red wine was stirred into the mixture.

Then he added the canned tomatoes and added a generous pinch of dried oregano. 

 

Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer the marinara while you're making the meatballs.

Colin's gotten so tall the vent for the stove acts almost like a sneeze guard!

For the meatballs, crush about 1 1/2 cups of dried bread crumbs--you could use fresh breadcrumbs instead of dried. Moisten the breadcrumbs with a little (1/4 cup or so) milk or water. The more breadcrumbs--or filler, as my mom used to say--the softer the meatballs will be without having to simmer them a long time, which you'll have to do to make them soft if they're meatier.

Chop the parsley.

Starting at the top: 1 cup chopped parsley, 1 lb. ground sausage, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cup crushed breadcrumbs, 1 1/2 cups chopped onions, 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 lb. ground beef, 2 eggs, dried oregano and a generous drizzle of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix well.

It's easiest to use your hands to mix the meatballs.

Now for the rolling--have a  bowl of water nearby to dip your hands in. This will keep the fat from the meat from sticking to your hands and make the rolling easier.

Colin used an ice cream scoop to make the meatballs and they were all uniform size.

Next, fry the meatballs in about 2 tablespoons oil until browned, then put them into the marinara sauce to simmer and finish cooking.

The meatballs don't have to be perfectly round, they may be many-sided.

 

When the meatballs are simmering in the marinara sauce, preheat the oven to 350ºF, then saute the peppers, onions and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft.

To build the sandwiches, slice the french rolls in half, add a little marinara sauce, then the meatballs.

Then add a scoop of the sauteed peppers and onions.

Then some cheese slices and bake about 5 minutes or until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted.

I am thoroughly impressed with Colin's cooking skills!

That looks delicious, doesn't it!

Itadakimasu!

Colin only ate 1 meatball sandwich since he had eaten 4 tacos at the taco truck a couple of hours earlier!

Dipping the sandwich in some marinara sauce adds tastiness!

When we suggested he get on the road to beat the bulk of the traffic on the freeway on his 30 mile drive back to Tustin, he said,

"Just as soon as I clean up the kitchen."

Love you, CO!

***

This is Colin and I when he was just a few days old--Gary's sister and her family lived in Wisconsin then, and we all traveled out there to welcome Colin and help Nancy. Colin is a self-proclaimed Cheesehead. 

This is Colin and I a few years later. They had since moved back to Southern California. 

Boy, were all the Fujimotos happy!

 This photo was taken a couple of years ago at a baseball game.
I love that Colin makes his family a priority and is willing to give his Auntie a day of his vacation for cooking.

It's been a joy and a pleasure to watch this young man grow up, he makes us all proud!

 Thank you, Colin!

***

Ingredients:

marinara sauce: 2-24 oz. cans plum tomatoes,  2-24 oz. can tomato puree, 3 slices bacon, thinly sliced and cooked until crisp, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/3 cup red wine, 1 large sweet onion, chopped, oregano. 

Cook bacon and drain fat. Add garlic and onion, cook until soft. Add tomatoes and red wine, bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

meatballs: 1  lbs. each ground turkey, ground beef & sausage, 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 cup chopped Italian parsley, 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (moistened with about 1/4 cup milk or water),  2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, generous pinch of dried oregano and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients well and form into meatballs. Fry in about 2 tablespoons oil until browned, then transfer the meatballs to the marinara sauce. Simmer together gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

sandwiches: mozzarella or provolone slices, french rolls, and sliced peppers and onions, sauteed in olive oil with 1 teaspoon minced garlic.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Build the sandwiches by slicing the french bread, spreading a little marinara sauce on the rolls and adding meatballs. Then add a scoop of sauteed peppers and onions, and cheese slices. Bake for about 5 minutes or until bread is crusty and cheese is melted.

Guest Blogger: Mitchell's Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Happy New Year everyone!

Today, while we are busy in the kitchen with mochi and nishime for New Year's Day, we have a Guest Blogger!

Mitchell's Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole!


***

Being my first Christmas away from the Spearrin ranch in Florida, the Fujimotos happily welcomed a few Spearrin-family Christmas traditions to help make me feel at home.

A pillar of the Spearrin-family Christmas is a brunch on Christmas morning, where family members each bring a signature dish.

My signature dish is the Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole, so this year I made it at the Fujimotos on Christmas eve, as the name suggests, and we cooked it on Christmas morning.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6)

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage (Jimmy Dean or similar)
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)
1 1/2 cups Milk
6 slices Bread
6 Eggs (large)
1 tsp. Dry Mustard (optional)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare, but less time if you have helpers. Gary and Karolyn helped me so the prep was only about 20 minutes.

Start by lightly greasing a casserole dish (9" x 13" is ideal) with Crisco or butter. Then cube the bread and spread it evenly in the bottom of the dish.

Pan-fry the sausage to a nice brown. The sausage can be slightly under-cooked since it will cook again in the oven. Gary handled this step.

Drain the fat from the sausage and then empty the pan onto a plate with a few paper-towels. The paper-towels will soak up more of the grease.

Add the eggs, milk, and dry mustard to a mixing bowl.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Beat/whisk well like scrambled eggs.

Now everything is ready to be combined. It goes quickly from here.

Take the crumbled sausage and spread evenly over the bread in the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage.

I like to go heavy on the cheese, maybe an extra 1/4 cup.

Now just pour the egg mix evenly over the cheese and sausage.

And you're done.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to eat, place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

_______________________________

Karolyn seems to think that every recipe/dish comes with a story, and this is no exception.

I can't take credit for the breakfast casserole recipe. It comes from one of my favorite grade-school teachers, Mary Jane Cushman. She's in the red shirt below with a few of my 7th grade classmates (Justin, Joey, Tres, and Laura).

She taught my social studies/history classes from 6th-12th grade. In middle school, I always had Mrs. Cushman for 1st period, so on the last day of classes before Christmas break, she would bring in a breakfast for the students, and this dish way my favorite.

I asked Mrs. Cushman for the recipe after I left middle school and started making it for my family Christmas morning, so I guess that means I've been making it about 12 years now.

Mrs. Cushman passed away last February. She will be remembered by her students for the kindness, patience, and joy she brought to the classroom. She also let us get to know her outside of the classroom.

Each summer, Mrs. Cushman hosted a beach/pool party at her home in Fernandina Beach, FL. I think the photo above is from 6th grade (my mom dug it out of an album).

Since she worked in the gifted program and taught only a small number of students in this program all the way through middle and high school, we came to think of her as much a friend and mentor as a teacher. She is missed by many. I always think of her when I make this dish.

***

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6)

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage (Jimmy Dean or similar)

1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)

1 1/2 cup Milk

6 slices Bread

6 Eggs (large)

1 tsp. Dry Mustard (optional)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare, but less time if you have helpers. Gary and Karolyn helped me so the prep was only about 20 minutes.

Start by lightly greasing a casserole dish (9" x 13" is ideal) with Crisco or butter. Then cube the bread and spread it evenly in the bottom of the dish.

Pan-fry the sausage to a nice brown. The sausage can be slightly under-cooked since it will cook again in the oven. Drain the fat from the sausage and then empty the pan onto a plate with a few paper-towels. The paper-towels will soak up more of the grease.

Add the eggs, milk, and dry mustard to a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Beat/whisk well like scrambled eggs.

Take the crumbled sausage and spread evenly over the bread in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage. pour the egg mix evenly over the cheese and sausage.

Cover the dish will plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to eat, place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.