2017年9月8日金曜日

2017年9月8日金曜日 -

Jason: Chocolate Chip Cookies

  When I was a kid, one of the highlights of the holiday season for me was when my mother made chocolate chip cookies. She would makes dozens and dozens of them, and I would eat almost as many!
       Now I can make them for myself here in Japan with my oven. The ingredients are commonly available in supermarkets, though the chocolate chips will most likely need to be bought in an import supermarket.

Ingredients :
2 cups chocolate chips
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions :
1. Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine flour and baking soda, and then set aside.













3. In another large bowl combine sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and butter, mixing thoroughly.











4. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly.
5. Add flour and baking soda from the other large bowl, small amounts at a time, mixing completely.
6. Mix chocolate chips into the cookie dough.











7. Spoon about one tablespoon of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet or pan (I usually have space for a dozen)
.












8. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

9. After baking, allow cookies to cool for a few minutes, and then transfer to wax paper or aluminium foil to cool completely.
















10. Enjoy!

  Over the past two years I’ve baked many batches of chocolate chip cookies during the holiday season to give to my friends here in Japan. It’s a holiday tradition I enjoy very much!

highlights:最も興味のあること
dozens and dozens:何ダースも
ingredients:材料
commonly:一般的に
all-purpose flour:中力粉
baking soda:重曹
vanilla extract:バニラエッセンス
directions:作り方
pre-heat:あらかじめ温めておく
combine:合わせる
set aside:おいておく
thoroughly:徹底的に
at a time:~ずつ、一度に
dough:生地
many batches:何回も


2017年9月1日金曜日

2017年9月1日金曜日 -

Tony:That Other Amusement Park

Wiki
  When I first began living and teaching in Osaka, Universal Studios Japan had been open for a month.  Spring 2001. I remember the whole city was buzzing with excitement. Finally Kansai had an amusement park worthy of comparison with Tokyo Disneyland. Eleven million people visited USJ that year, and I'd bet a healthy chunk of that number was young locals with season passes going every weekend.  It was a big deal. I admit, I succumbed to the fever. People's enthusiasm was 
contagious and I went that first summer. And … it was okay. I'm pretty typical in that I don't like lining up, I don't like crowds, I don't like being outside in 35 degree heat. I don't like overpriced amusement park food and drinks. Who does? But … the park was fresh and new and everybody was super happy to be there, to work there, etc.  So, things balanced out and it was okay. The rides were fine. It was okay. Once was enough though and I never planned to go back.
      Flash forward to July 2017. My son is five and both he and my wife decide this is the year. The Minion Plaza opened this year and Minions are huge in my house. We are going to USJ. I don't fight it.  I'm 46. It's summer in Osaka. I'm nervous.
      It was AWESOME! We got our face painted, and saw dinosaurs in Jurassic park, and ate lots of ice cream. We're parents in our forties so we understand the importance of taking lots of breaks and applying sunscreen every ninety minutes. No sunburns for us. I might have even lost my tan. The Minion ride was too cool. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was very well done and although I don't regret not buying a wand, I do regret buying Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Rotten egg jelly beans are not good. Not good at all. Neither are dirt. Dirt jelly beans are nasty.  Nasty.
      My wife got her picture taken with Snoopy. I got a crazy cool Jurassic Park coffee mug. It's black and has a T. Rex skull embossed on it. If you're not jealous of that, something is wrong.
      So… it was great. We're going back for my birthday. Next month. Yahoo!


buzzing:ざわめく
worthy:ふさわしい
comparison:匹敵
chunk:かたまり
big deal:大騒ぎ
succumbed:屈服した
contagious:伝染しやすい
lining up:列に並ぶこと
Flash forward:未来に飛ぶ
tan:日焼け
wand:魔法の杖
nasty:不快な

embossed:浮き彫りになっている