ごぼ and TEMPURA and family in Montana!

Taka and I went to Montana, and my little brother Carl with his still- kind of new- wife Laurie.

It felt like our week there almost revolved around the dinners we eventually would have...

...maybe it's just me. Making dinner feels like such a biggie!

The night Taka and I made dinner, well, really it was just Taka doing most all the work for TEMPURA. But we went digging up ごぼ ... "gobo"=BURDOCK  to use in the tempura too. Burdock is growing all around Mom's and Frank's, in both Montana, but also Pennsylvania. It's kind of funny!

Digging up the burdock isn't easy. We always end up not able to dig down far enough and it breaks off about halfway.

Scrapping off the skin with a good knife (not using a peeler) is the way I learned to do it in Japan.

Then slicing it in slivers, and leaving it to soak in water for at least ten minutes.

Here's how Taka's tempura can look!!! He's getting better and better. 

I love that he cares so much to cook too!!!

There are SHISHITO in there, and kabocha squash, and the bunches of onions with burdock (GOBO), and carrots fried together, called KAKIAGE is SO gooooooood!!!

Well, you can see why our meals with Mom and Frank are so looked forward to! What a lovely setting we get to eat in! (Although one night was so cold... and this porch isn't meant to be dined in in the cold! There are no closing windows!)

I wanted to share this window shot which I took while standing in the guest house shower. While showering this is what we get to look out! 

It reminds me of another window shot I took from our house in Corralitos. This scenery below is what men, who are using our toilet, can stand and look out at! Nice, huh?!

Anyway, back in Montana, we stopped at this market when we first drove into Big Timber. It's a big souvenir shop, but also... a gun shop. I had to ask the cashier if they were really real. Mind blowing.

And the last night! MORE amazing food! We got to hang out with my old neighborhood buddy David Wiehler, who works for the restaurant called The Mint, right around the corner from Bozeman Airport. "Born to Cook" is how I would say David is! The foods were so excellent. I'm only sorry I'm not a good food photo taker!!!