Frying Fish and Eating in Little Tokyo

So, I haven't been just making and eating bundts this month! :) The other day, JustJenn, her kids and I went to Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles for lunch at Frying Fish Sushi.

Frying Fish is one of the oldest places in the Japanese Village Plaza (between 1st and 2nd Streets). Two sushi chefs are in the center and a rotating stream of sushi goes round and round.


The prices are based on the color of the dish, and you just pile them up at your seat and they count them up.

You can grab anything off the conveyor belt, or ask for items from the sushi chefs. I ordered a tamago (egg) and the kids got their favorite tempura shrimp roll and just plain tempura shrimp. Kids, like adults, love fried food.


Here is Chef Kenny Yamada and a few of the plates we ate. I took the chef's photo and he gave me his card. Not everyday you get your sushi prepared by someone who's also a member of the Screen Actors Guild SAG. (Well, perhaps you just might in LA!)


The sushi isn't gourmet or rivals R23, but it's a fun time. Kids just love the conveyor belt and sitting at the bar. Lots of people in the restaurant were accompanied by children! Discover Nikkei interviewed the owner and has a set of photos.


After Frying Fish, we walked next door to Mikawaya for some mochi, mochi ice cream, and sorbet. They have it all. Mikawaya invented mochi ice cream! Opened in 1910, this place is a Los Angeles institution. I love all things mochi and always visit either Mikawaya or Fugetsudo for mochi while downtown.


Of course, we stopped at the Mitsuru Cafe in the same Japanese Village Plaza for Imagawayaki. These are pancakes filled with sweetened red beans. They are made in front of a window so people are always watching...you can find the place by the crowd. I can eat these everyday and never leave Little Tokyo without a visit. When warm, they are so delicious!


Our last stop was the Hello Kitty store and the trinket/J-Pop culture store where I found the perfect winter hat! Kawaii!

Japanese Village Plaza
Between 1st and 2nd Streets at Central, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

Blackberry Buttermilk Bundt - Day #28 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Blackberry Buttermilk Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #28

We're almost to the day! National Bundt Day! Woo Hoo! We're on Day #28 of I Like Big Bundts 3...bringing you 30 bundts in 30 days.

Today's bundt is a yummy Blackberry Buttermilk Bundt from Bill Yosses' book, The Perfect Finish. This is a really lovely book (wonderful photos) with lots of bookmarked recipes. Check it out here on Amazon or see if your local library has it!

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

Bill's recipe calls for a heated glaze to be poured over the bundt. I didn't do that and just made it quick orange juice and powdered sugar glaze. Um, that was my creative decision...yeah, right. It has nothing to do with me not reading the directions completely. Nah... ;)

Grab some blackberries and make a bundt! Hope you are baking up your Bundt to celebrate National Bundt Day soon! :) Have a great one today! - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
Day #24: Broken Glass Jello Bundt
Day #25: ApplePearSauce Bundt
Day #26: Vegan Beet Bundt
Day #27: Chocolate Crown Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe
Adapted from The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses (page 128)

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan
Bundt Pan: Smaller 6-cup Bundt Pan (the traditional bundt pan is 12-cups) (I made 1/2 the recipe and used this 6-cup Bundt pan)

Chocolate Crown Bundt Cake - Day #27 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Chocolate Crown Bundt Cake

I Like Big Bundts - Day #27

We are almost there! National Bundt Day is Tuesday! I hope you are planning to make an awesome bundt to celebrate. I can't wait to do the round-up of Bundts you make!

We're on Day #27 of I Like Big Bundts...my marathon of 30 Bundts in 30 Days. I'm in the last stretch and see the finish line!

Today, it's one of those "back of the package" recipes. This recipe was on the packaging that came with the Nordic Ware 6-cup Bundt pan. I have two 6-cup Bundt pans. I really like my new "Platinum Collection" pan (Amazon) - the curves are sharper and it's heavier than the other one (both made by Nordic Ware)

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

This recipe is very easy to make...it's a vanilla batter with a bit taken out and chocolate syrup added to make a chocolate batter. Although the chocolate batter goes on the bottom of the pan, it ended up on the top of the pan (which, when inverted, is the bottom of the cake).

Have a great Saturday! We should have some rain here in Los Angeles...perfect time to make a Bundt! :)

See you tomorrow for another bundt! - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
Day #24: Broken Glass Jello Bundt
Day #25: ApplePearSauce Bundt
Day #26: Vegan Beet Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe
From the Nordic Ware 6-Cup Bundt Pan package (a "back of the can" recipe!)

Bundt Pan: Smaller 6-cup Bundt Pan (the traditional bundt pan is 12-cups)

Vegan Beet Bundt - Day #26 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Vegan Beet Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #26

It's Day #26 of I Like Big Bundts!! Only 4 more days until National Bundt Day! I hope you have are planning your bundt making adventures! :)

It's 11-11-11! I just love that! I'm donating blood today at 10 am, then heading out for sushi at 11 am. I donate blood every 56 days (8 weeks) and during the last appointment, the nurse told me my next eligible date was 11-11-11. She added, "But the 11 am appointment is already taken!" I hope you do something fun today at 11 am!

My UCLA roommate from back in the day, Diane sent me this recipe to try out last year. I missed it last year so I made sure to test it for this round-up. The cake has beets and melted chocolate - the color is a very natural "red velvet".

This recipe uses pureed cooked beets. When I make this again, I will cook the beets a longer to get a nice smooth puree. I found these dairy, nut and soy free chocolate chips at Target.

Because my beet puree wasn't smooth (I don't like to eat overcooked veggies...but in this case, I should have steamed them a longer), I don't think my cake came out as planned. I like the idea of using beets for natural color and some sweetness so I'll have to try again!

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

Happy Veterans Day too! Thanks Vets for your service - including my Dad who served in the Air Force! See you tomorrow for another Bundt - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
Day #24: Broken Glass Jello Bundt
Day #25: ApplePearSauce Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe from Epicurious (From The Vegan Table)
I made half the recipe and baked it in the 6-cup pan

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan (full recipe)
Bundt Pan: Smaller 6-cup Bundt Pan (the traditional bundt pan is 12-cups)

ApplePearSauce Bundt Cake - Day #25 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

ApplePearSauce Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #25

It's Thursday and I have Friday off because it's Veterans Day! Thank you Veterans for your service!

Today is Day #25 of I Like Big Bundts 3! Woo hoo! We have a fall bundt today - the ApplePearSauce Bundt made with homemade ApplePearSauce.

OMG. Why hasn't anyone ever told me how easy homemade applesauce is to make? In less than an hour I can go from apples to delicious applesauce? Shut up! This is fantastic. I used apple and pears and just added a tiny bit of brown sugar. I didn't add cinnamon because I was going to use it in the cake...but added cinnamon to the leftovers! YUM!

Have you figured out what you are going to do for National Bundt Day next Tuesday? Last year, fine group of Canadian Information Professionals (Heather, Joanne, Genevieve and Shane) had a Bundt Coffee Break Party! Heck yay...information professional know how to rock Bundt Day! While enjoying four different Bundts, they used the white board to come up with these Bundt-appropriate movie names. I got the list and they're hilarious!

Bundtback Mountain
Fistful of Bundts
Bundt Hard
Bundt Hard with a Vengeance
A Bundt Named Desire
Bundt for Red October
The Deer Bundter
Fear and Bundting in Las Vegas
Good Will Bundting
The Incredibundts
The Bundtfather
Bond classics (Bundt.... James Bundt): Goldenbundt, Thunderbundt, Octobundty...
Grumpy Old Bundts
Dances With Bundts (or Bundts With Wolves)
Mutiny on the Bundty
Bundt Trek : The Undiscovered Country
Beauty and the Bundt
Adventures in BabyBundting
Seven Bundts in Tibet

I think my favorite is Bundt Hard! :) I know this little project is crazy and you probably think I'm zany, but my one wish is that you bake something and share it. Nothing like flour, butter and sugar to bring peeps together. I LOVE that my twitter feed has comments like "I bought my Bundt pan today!" or "I'm making a Bundt cake right now!" because I know you are probably not going to eat it by yourself (although you totally can, no judgement here), but that you will probably share this with someone and take time out of our crazy days to enjoy each other's company. Sweet.

So, plan a bundt party and celebrate the bundt...and come up with other Bundty puns. I'm always looking for more bundt humor.

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

See you tomorrow for...wait for it...yes, another bundt!  - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt
Day #24: Broken Glass Jello Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe
Inspired by Martha Stewart's Applesauce Cake

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

Broken Glass Jello Bundt - Day #24 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

 Broken Glass Jello Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #24

It's the last Wednesday of the Bundt adventure! Welcome to Day #24 of I Like Big Bundts...only 6 more days until National Bundt Day on November 15th.

Today, I bring you the Broken Glass Jello Bundt. Um, this is the easiest bundt I've ever made and I had people in the library jumping up and down. This is a winner!


Let me stress this again. Broken Glass Jello is the easiest thing to make…and it gets the biggest “wows”! Everyone thought it took a long time to make…but it really only takes MINUTES. Some recipes require a ton of elements (cake, filling, frosting, etc) but this? Forgetaboutit. It just takes a day to plan it out.


What are you going to make for National Bundt Day?!?

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!


I made the same Broken Glass Jello recipe except I added an extra package of Knox to the “milk” mixture. I knew this bundt would stand taller than my normal 9 x 13 pan of broken glass jello so the extra gelatin gave it a little more firmness.

I made the 4 colors in the morning (about 10 minutes of work to dissolve packaged Jello in water) and popped it into the refrigerator. When I got home from work, I dissolved the unflavored gelatin in cold water, added boiling water to dissolve and then poured in a can of condensed milk. Yes, my kitchen tools were a bowl, spoon and can opener. Easy Peasy. While I was cooking dinner, I let the mixture cool off (don’t pour hot milk mixture on the colored jello or you’ll get a crazy hot melted mixture). Then I cut the colored jello into blocks – uneven blocks are totally fine! Grease the Bundt pan with a little canola oil then wipe out most of it…just want to give it a little lubricant to get out of the pan later. The blocks go into the bowl in a colorful manner…it’s like playing with stained glass jello pieces! The milk mixture follows and you are done. If I were making the 9 x 13 broken glass jello, I would carefully remove the bubbles on top for a nicer finish…however, the beauty of the bundt is that it gets inverted! Whoo hoo. Just cover with some plastic wrap, put it in the refrig and watch your DVR while things firm up in the fridge overnight! J

Remember, you can change up the Jello colors to fit the seasons, party or game. I've made Christmas Jello and Lakers Jello... next up blue and gold UCLA Bruin Jello! :)

See you tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt
Day #23: Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe (for the basic Broken Glass). 
This bundt used 3 envelopes of Knox gelatin instead of 2 envelopes.

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt - Day #23 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt

I Like Big Bundts - Day #23

It's Day #23 of I Like Big Bundts...bringing you 30 bundts in 30 days! I allow myself a few repeats each year and today it's my favorite and easiest bundt - the Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt!

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!


I got my delivery of JustJENN Designs buttons in the mail! So excited. You can see that they are small enough to fit in a Tablespoon! :)


This cake is mega moist and delicious! You don't need a KitchenAid or anything fancy. I have step-by-step photos here. You can use Hershey's chocolate or Dutch processed. Totally easy peasy. And don't you need easy peasy these days?! I think so!


Thanks for visiting! See you tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake
Day #19: Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Strawberries
Day #20: Chocolate & Zucchini Bundt
Day #21: Rice Krispies Bundt
Day #22: Tomato Soup Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe (for a full size recipe)
I baked half a recipe in a 6-cup bundt, and the full recipe is for a 10-cup or 12-cup bundt pan.

Bundt Pan option: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan
Bundt Pan option: Smaller 6-cup Bundt Pan (the traditional bundt pan is 12-cups)