I'm back... and making croquettes.

After a year and a half in Japan for research, I'm finally back home. I learned some good lessons, not only about my work but also I think about myself. I'm so glad to be home, and right now I feel like I'm happier and in a better place than I've been for years.
I don't know how regular I'll be with this blog, but when I'm at home I enjoy cooking for my husband, so I hope to be more regular with it again.

I've started enjoying cooking again as well. One of the things I had in Japan that I loved was a delicious kabocha (pumpkin) croquette. I couldn't resist trying to recreate the dish for my husband. I think I put too much potato in (although maybe the kabocha available in the States just aren't as flavorful as their Japanese counterparts).

Anyway, here's the finished croquette. I had some trouble getting the shape right, but it looked OK:



It was pretty good, despite its appearance. I used kabocha and azuki beans. The pumpkin was harder shape than potato... but it was good.



Since I was making the kabocha croquettes, I figured it would just be mean of me not to make some regular croquettes as well, considering they are my husband's favorite.



I used a mixture of pork, beef, and lamb, which was nice--but then I decided to add just a hint of Gruyere to boost the flavor. That was a smart move--he loved these, and even though I cooked them myself, I have to say they were really great. My flavors were great, now I just need to work on my shapes...