Not a lot of photos to share just yet. We spent the first day pretty much on the airplane, missed our connecting flight and ended up in a Tokyo hotel with bidets, sushi and beer vending machines…I can think of worse places to be!
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Archive for July, 2009
South Korea Trip – Day 1 – Stuck in Tokyo!!
On July - 22 - 2009
We’re off! Oh wait, 1 1/2 hour delay (couldn’t get mom out of Walmart)(no, really, our place was late) before we left Minneapolis and since we had 1 1/2 hour layover in Tokyo we were already concerned that we would not get to see Takayla and Jacob. And, we were right.
So, here we sit in the Tokyo hotel, Hotel Nikko Narita, courtesy of North Western (Delta) Airlines! Which, aside from not seeing the kids it quite alright because we got a stamp in our passport books! We want to get maximum use out of those expensive things!!
Not a bad experience other than it’s too late to see anything in Tokyo and were not really close enough to go see anything. So, we’ll speak to some of the hotel highlights.
I gotta say I like the bidet, not a bad idea.
We got a couple free meals and I actually gave sushi another try. I had shrimp, squid, salmon, tuna and flat sushi. I am still not sold. It wasn’t bad but other than the texture my palet may not be refined enough to carve out the differences. The flat fish definitely was a bit more “fishy” than the tuna and salmon.
Now, here is a winner in my book and quite possibly the sole reason for returning to Tokyo someday…BEER IN VENDING MACHINES = Awesomeness!
PS: Takayla, we won’t be there today.
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Stone City’s General Store Pub – Reviewed
On July - 15 - 2009
We had the pleasure of visiting Stone City, IA last weekend and it was suggested that we visit the Old General Store Pub for a meal. The Old General Store Pub is just across the bridge in town and has a nice little deck off the back that overlooks the Wapsipinicon River. The restaurant is built out of stone from the local quarry which really ads to the experience. We really couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. It was nice and warm but not humid at all, perfect for sitting on their deck.
The General Store is a pretty typical rural pub/restaurant but their menu really got us fired up. We stepped into the place knowing what we were going to have, their pork tenderloin sandwich! This would be my first! I was not disappointed, this thing was as big as a dinner plate! Portions aside, it was tender, juicy, and the breading was a perfect crispy texture. I layered on the mustard and pickles and went to work. To Sarah’s amazement, I ate the whole thing. What can I say, it was my first and I sure wasn’t going to let any go to waste.
“The General Store Pub, An Iowa Gem”
The sandwich came with a side of waffle fries, normally one of my favorites but I have to admit they should have cooked these a little longer and maybe a little more seasoning. A side of chipotle sour cream would have went nice as well.
We didn’t ride our motorcycles because, well, we don’t have any but there were several riders stopping so I assume it was a nice stopping point for local ride. The area was beautiful so I am sure there are plenty of sites to see on a bike ride.
It’s a bit remote but the Old General Store is certainly a little Iowa gem!
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South Korea!
On July - 4 - 2009
This post may be a little premature but I wanted to set up a table of contents if you will for my upcoming trip to South Korea. I really hope to post while in country but we’ll see how much grief I get for trying that!
For those of you who haven’t heard yet, Sarah, my mother, and I will be traveling to South Korea July 21st to see my sister and Jacob. We’ll be there for about 7-8 days so I hope the post on all our adventures, sites seen, and maybe even some of our popular reviews of local eateries and food!
I will definitely increase my photo gallery so everyone can see the beauty that South Korea has to offer.
Check back starting the 22nd as I hope to be reporting from South Korea by then!
7-21-2009 – HERE WE GO! We head out at 3:30 and almost made it….Day 1 of travel! Photos
7-23-2009 — Yeah, we lost a day, wtf. Started the day at 5:30a.m., Sarah couldn’t sleep…Day 2 Morning. Photos
7-23-2009 — We arrive in South Korea!!! Finally, we get to see Takayla and have a great Korean meal. Photos
7-24-2009 — Sarah and I maintain our status of being different, we have a huge meal with family, and we hit a local pub…Photos
7-25-2009 — Admirals, Octopus, Busan Tower and a whole lots of socks…read more…Photos
7-26-2009 — A visit to the beautiful Temple by the Sea…Photos
7-27-2009 — Haeundae Beach, a walk along the sea front and a visit to Busan Apec and stood where 21 world leaders stood…Photos
7-28-2009 — Gyeongju National Park, baby chicken soup and lotus flowers…Photos
7-29-2009 — Off to Seoul and the War Museum…Photos
7-30-2009 — I become a captain in the Emperor’s Army…Photos
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Potato Pancakes from Leftover Mashed Potatoes
On July - 4 - 2009
4th of July Potato Pancakes
What better day than the 4th of July to try a new pancake! Since pancakes are one of the best things ever invented it was time to make use of our leftover mashed potatoes. As usual we didn’t use one potato pancake recipe in particular but took queues from a few different recipes on the Internet, including some ingredients from Paula Deen. Since this was our first try we were worried how they would turn out, but since I make the world’s best pancakes they were delicious!
Potato Pancake Recipe
We started with our leftover mashed red potatoes which were made with plenty of real butter, McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning, milk and crushed garlic. I took about 2 cups of these left-over potatoes and added 1 egg, 1/2 diced medium onion, a good handful of shredded cheese (I had a 4 cheese blend), a good sprinkling of cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and a little milk then mixed it together in a medium mixing bowl.
I then melted some REAL butter in my electric skillet, enough to cover the bottom of the skillet well. Right before it would have started to smoke, I took heaping tablespoons of potato pancake “batter” and made them into 3/4 inch thick patties and placed them into the skillet. As soon as they were nice and golden brown I flipped them and browned the other side.
Greg, Sarah and I had never had potato pancakes so we aren’t sure what they “should” taste like but these were excellent! I was definitely happy we included onions and cheese. We served them with steak and eggs, easy over. I apologize that I don’t have pictures of the end result (I hate recipes without pictures). So the next time I make them I will be sure to snap a picture and add it to this post.
Would love to see some additional recipes added and comments!!
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