Japanese Buffet Suggested by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Japanese Buffet Suggested by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

There is much more to Japanese cuisine than sushi.

People are most familiar with Japanese cuisine among the Asian cuisines and often pride themselves on making it.

However for an evening or afternoon of political discussions about business opportunities in Japan and Japan’s international relations with other countries, hosts might consider catering the following buffet:

Japanese Buffet Items:

-chicken teriyaki

-shrimp tempura

-gyoza dumpling

-various vegetable tempura offerings

-tsukemono, sunemono, or omebosi pickles

-beef teriyaki

-rice

Suggested Cookbooks for Reference:

It helps to know what you are ordering, so you are not “ripped off” when putting in catering orders.  People do take shortcuts. 

Make sure the sauces are the real thing and other ethnic condiments.  Things like pickles and chopped nori seaweed garnish are not really expensive; you can negotiate prices on these items.

Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji

Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen by Elizabeth Andoh

Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook by Mark Robinson

Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu

The Japanese Grill:  From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables by Tadashi Ono

Effortless Bento: 300 Japanese Box Lunch Recipes by Shufu-no-Tomo

Japanese Cooking: The Traditions, Techniques, Ingredients, and Recipes by Emi Kazuoko

The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go by Makko Hoh

Asian Pickles: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Cured, and Fermented Preserves from Korea, Japan, China, India, and Beyond by Karen Solomon

Authentic Japanese Cuisine for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Sabi Shinojima

The Joy of Japanese Cooking by Kuwako Takahashi

By Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Thai Buffet Suggested by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Thai Buffet Suggested by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget 

When we lived in Stuttgart (Germany) for several years, we went to the Auchan hypermarket outside Strasbourg about once a month.  The newest food trend at the time (2014) in France was Thai food.

I have tried several Thai dishes at Baan Thai Restaurant in Seaside (California).  My favorite dish in the restaurant is panang curry, which is a red curry made of what seems to be a red curry sauce and something flavored like mango over jasmine rice.

I always get this dish now, but in order to expand my horizons a bit, I purchased a copy of Lonely Planet’s cookbook entitled Thailand: From the Source – Authentic Recipes from the People that Know them Best by Austin Bush and Mark Wiens.

This cookbook divides its recipes into four main culinary regions:

-central Thailand and Bangkok

-northern Thailand

-northeastern Thailand

-southern Thailand

I read through the recipes and thought the following dishes might make a nice Thai sampler buffet along with jasmine rice and Thai iced tea:

-deep-fried catfish and green mango salad

-chicken green curry

-red curry with pineapple and prawns

-slow-cooked beef in herbs

-chicken braised in rice with turmeric and spices

-Thai-Muslim-style salad with potato and tofu

Thai curries are related to Indian curries.  Indian curries use dry spices whereas Thai curries use stewed chile peppers than can be mild or spicy in their curries.

Most of these dishes can be made ahead of time and served warm in chafing dishes.

This might not be traditional, but a coconut flan would be a great finish to this buffet along with a Vietnamese iced coffee.

By Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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American Bar Buffet Food Suggested by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

American Bar Buffet Food Suggested by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

You can buy all the following ingredients at Costco and probably at Sam’s Club for a nice bar tray dinner on football nights or for other sporting events:

-varied salami package

-homemade cheddar cheese cubes from Tillahook cheese

-apple slices

-toast squares with garlic butter

or

-lightly salted tortilla chips with salsa

Set up your bar tray in the following manner:

-place 8 – 10 different salami slices on a small plate

-cut a slice of cheese from a block of Tillahook cheese.  Sprinkle cheese cubes with paprika, if you like for extra flavor.  Place the cheese cubes in a small bowl.

-melt butter in the microwave and add dry garlic when it is done.  Toast bread and cut it into squares.  Spread the garlic-butter mixture on the toast.  Place the toast squares in a bowl.

-or

-serve lightly, salted tortilla chips with salsa

Arrange these items on a tray and refrigerate until ready to serve.

My favorite American beers are Firestone Walker from California and Blue Moon from Georgia and Kriek and Geuze from Belgium.

During weekdays when families do not always eat together, it is nice to have this tray available.  2 – 3 people can usually eat what is on this tray in one setting.

By Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Barbizon Rallye - 4 -: Learning to Draw Pastoral Scenes by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Barbizon Painting Rallye: Learning to Draw Pastoral Scenes Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

A nice activity for a mixed-ages party is practicing how to draw.  Once rallye guests have looked through the Barbizon School paintings by Rousseau, Millet, and Daubigny, people can learn to draw or practice what they already know drawing books.

(Note: people become expert at drawing by mastering what is in one book and going on to another one.  Public libraries usually have several drawing books on hand that patrons can work from.)

I have divided drawing books related to the Frencg Barbizon School of Painting into these categories:

-elementary drawing lessons

-landscape drawing

-drawing trees, forests, flowers, and animals

-landscape techniques

-industry applications

Elementary Drawing Lessons

-Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark Willenbrink

-How to Draw for Kids and Beginners Step by Step: How to Draw Nature for Kids, Beaches, Mountains, and Many More by Water Studios

-The Artist’s Complete Book of Drawing Projects: Step-by-Step by Barrington Barber

-Drawing: Beginner’s Guide to How to Draw, Sketching Landscapes, and Portraits by Eliza McAdams

-Start Sketching and Drawing Now: Simple Techniques for Drawing by Grant Fuller

-Step-by-Step Studio: Drawing Lifelike Subjects: A Complete Guide to Rendering Flowers, Landscapes, and Animals by Diane Cardacci, Nolan Stacey, and Linda Weil

-Just for Fun: More than 100 Fun and Simple Step-by-Step Projects for Learning the Art of Basic Drawing by Lise Herzog

-Drawing for Older Children and Teens by Mona Brooks

-How to Draw: A Comprehensive Drawing Course: Still Life, Landscapes, Buildings, People, and Portraits by Ian Sidaway and Susie Hodge

-The Big Book of Drawing: An Introduction to Essential Materials and Techniques by Watson-Guptill

Landscape Drawing

-Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes by Jack Hamm

-Drawing Nature for the Absolute Beginner: A Clear and Easy Guide to Drawing Landscapes and Nature by Mark Willenbrook and Mary Willenbrook

-Landscape Drawing in Pencil by Frank M. Rines

-Essential Techniques of Landscape Drawing by Suzanne Brooker

-The Fundamentals of Drawing Landscapes by Barrington Barber

-Landscape Drawing: Step by Step by Wendon Blake

-Drawing Landscapes for the Beginning Artist by David Sanmiguel

-How to Sketch Landscapes: Beginner’s Drawing Tip and Quick Landscape Sketching Exercises by Lron Yanconsky

-Drawing and Painting the Landscape: A Course of 50 Lessons by Philip Tyler

-Drawing Scenery: Landscapes, Seascapes, and Buildings by Giovanni Civardi

-A Masterclass in Drawing and Painting Landscapes: Learn to Produce Beautiful Compositions in Oils, Acrylics, Gouache, Waterpaints, Pencils, and Charcoal by Sarah Hoggett and Abigail Edgar

-Drawing Landscapes with Gene Franks by Gene Franks

-Sketching the Countryside: How to Draw the Vanishing Rural Landscape by Frank J. Lohan

-Drawing Masterclass: Landscapes by Margaret Eggleton

-Drawing Landscapes by Melvyn Patterson

-Landscape Drawing and Painting by Patricia Monahan

-Sketching Landscapes in Pen and Pencil by Joyce Percival

-Drawing Master 12, Landscape Drawing by Sarah Bowles

-Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson

-Landscape Drawing by Michael Woods

-Archisketcher: Drawing Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes by Simone Ridyard

-Art Handbooks: Drawing Landscapes by Ronald Swanwick

-Painting Pastel Landscapes by Jeremy Ford

-Drawing Landscapes in Ten Easy Lessons by Phillip W. Metzger

-How to Draw Plants, Landscapes, and Other Things – In Simple Steps for Kids by Edwin George Lutz

Tree, Flower, and Forest Drawing

-Drawing Trees by Victor Perard

-How to Draw Modern Florals: An Introduction to the Art of Flowers, Cacti, and More by Alli Koch and Paige Tate

-Drawing Trees with William F. Powell by William Powell

-Drawing Masterclass: Trees by Denis John Naylor

-Birds (Drawing in Color) by Lee Hammond

-Botany for the Artist: An Inspirational Guide to Drawing Plants by Sarah Simblet

-Drawing and Painting Trees in the Landscape by Claudia Nice

Technical Aspects of Landscape Painting

-Landscape Graphics: Plan, Section, and Perspective Drawing of Landscape Spaces by Grant Reid

-Rendering in Pen and Ink by Arthur L. Guptill

-Color Drawing Technique: Design Drawing Skills and Techniques for Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interiors by Michael E. Doyle

-The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing on Location around the World by Gabriel Campanario

-Drawing Basic Textures in Pencil: A Beginner’s Guide to Realistic Textures in Graphite by William Foster Creative Team

-Drawing for the Beginning Artist: Practical Techniques for Mastering Light and Shadow in Graphite and Charcoal by Gabriel Martin

-Lee Hammond’s Big Book of Acrylic Painting: Fast, Easy Techniques for Painting your Favorite Subjects by Lee Hammond

Industrial Applications of Landscape Drawing and Painting

-Drawing for Landscape Architects: Construction and Design Manual by Sabrina Wilk

-Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture by Bradley Cantrell

-Dream, Draw, Design My Garden: A Sketchbook for Landscape Lovers by James Hobbs

-Design Readiness for Landscape Architects: Drawing Exercises that Generate Ideas by Les H. Smith

Lagniappe: Look up the village of Barbizon online

Try to draw and color some of the village scenes that are pictured on their website.

Have fun!!!

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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