Goings on at Casa De Top Gun

These pictures go along with part of the craziness at Casa De Top Gun. Read on to find out how they fit into this mess!

*The Nigiri Sushi we ordered* I recognized three types of fish here. The rest I did not touch. Mr. Top Gun's tummy later paid a price for eating the 'unknowns.'

*Sea Urchin* Not cool with me. Not eating this.
*Horse Meat?* Yes, they had RAW HORSE MEAT on a sushi menu!!

This week has been absolutely hellacious for me, and I am relishing in the fact that I have a dinner date with Mr. Top Gun tonight (NO FELLOW FLYBOY FRIENDS TAGGING ALONG,) and I shall be imbibing in some fun and fruity island drinks! Luckily for us, all of our fave restaurants and bars are within a stones throw from our home, so no worries about the drinking and driving issue. Oh, and in case y'all didn't know the legal BAC limit here in Japan is... wait for it... .03! Yes, that means that if I even smell a freakin alcoholic beverage let alone have a sip of one, I am legally drunk and can be arrested by the Japanese Police or Security Forces! Nice. I was also informed during a random conversation with Mr. Top Gun, that due to some weird chemical reaction that occurs in our bodies when we drink milk, that if you are given a breathalyzer it will show that you are drunk. So now I have to be afraid that my morning cereal and milk or my afternoon or evening glass of milk may very well be my ticket to jail time! (Ok, so I'm told there are formalities with this, but I still find it to be completely ludicrous.)

In other news, my HOUSEHOLD GOODS are here!!!! We received an e-mail late Thursday evening informing us of the arrival, so they are scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. The weekend kinda screwed up an earlier delivery, and they require a full days notice to come and pick up the loaner furniture... gay. So, Mr. Top Gun and I shall be sleeping on the air mattress Tuesday evening, which should be a total blast *sarcasm* I am just so happy to finally be able to decorate my big old house with all of my gorgeous furniture and furnishings! Oh, and possibly needing to purchase some more new curtains and storage units for the bathrooms- this house has TONS of windows, but the bathrooms in Japan don't have cabinets or vanity type sinks, so I must figure out a way to store our towels and toiletry items. The other news in the household has been Keely and her throwing up... It seems that a few days ago while I was walking her, she decided to start chowing down on the grass in the dog park. No biggie right? Dogs eat grass when their tummies are bothering them and then usually they throw up whatever was bothering them- nope, not Keely. She ATE A FREAKIN BEE! Apparently when she ate the grass, she also ate the little bee and so when we came home Mr. Top Gun notices a few minutes later that her upper lip is swollen- not a biggie right? Well wrong again.

I suppose the bee sting and all the grass and whatever else she had in her stomach decided to turn into three days of her constantly retching and throwing up, and in turn had me running up and down the stairs to the laundry with her soiled blanket. And all of this happens on the one day that Mr. Top Gun doesn't come home until way late in the evening, so of course by this time I am bitchy and tired from cleaning up puke and washing laundry all day! Keely is finally feeling better today, and she is back to eating her Science Diet kibble like normal now. And last but not least, Mr. Top Gun and I had our first experience at an authentic Japanese Sushi Bar last night. When I say authentic, I mean like a hole in the wall place where no Americans are eating, nothing but older Japanese people, no english menus and nobody speaks english... fun night!! We proceeded to sit down on the tatami mats and begin ordering, and then I notice this on the menu: HORSE MEAT SASHIMI... I immediately lose my appetite and tap Mr. Top Gun on his side to show him. He responds with: "Awesome. Are you gonna order it?" I just wanted to leave, but we were eating with friends so I sucked it up and ordered a tuna roll. It was good, but I think it was "too Japanese" for our tastes... I think the fish had literally just been killed and then sliced and put into my roll within seconds! Mr. Top Gun ordered a sampler, and when his came out it looked like the ocean had been slaughtered on his plate. He had salmon, tuna, eel, shrimp, octopus, scallops, squid, red snapper and some other fish which NONE of us could identify. We left full of fish, and only paid 26.00$ for the meal- which was very authentic, but I think we realized that we prefer the sushi bars here where the Japanese chefs are used to the American style of sushi, and still put their own twist on it. We both came home with bellies that later felt a little sick and urpy, so I don't think our stomachs are quite used to the water around here yet! Needless to say, a return trip is not in our foreseeable future. (No offense to the chef or the Japanese, but horse meat is not cool!) That is all for now. I'm sure I'll have a boatload of crap to blog about next week, so be ready to listen to me bitch, rant, complain, and generally let y'all know what is going on. Oh, and decorating means pictures of my house for y'all to see!! I know you are all so excited :)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Enchiladas, and some shenanigans

This was my absolutely delicious and sinful lunch today! They are called Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Enchiladas, and are filled with all white meat chicken and cheese, then topped with the to die for boom boom sauce. I'm glad we made the looooong drive to see family and to eat these mouth watering beauties.

BOOM BOOM SAUCE

3-4 jalapeño* peppers seeded

1 c. sour cream

1 c. cream cheese

1/2 bunch cilantro or to taste

garlic granular to taste

heavy cream to thin or thicken- as needed

Salt to taste

Preheat the broiler or grill. Place seeded whole jalapeño peppers on a baking sheet lined with foil and broil them, turning peppers often until skins are charred or blackened.

Cool peppers in brown bag 20 minutes then remove skin ñ stem. Cut up and place in blender. Place all ingredients in blender adding heavy cream in small amounts as needed for desired texture or thickness. Taste, then adjust the seasoning to your liking. .

Chill before serving or if using for on top of enchiladas, chicken or meat - place a little on top at the very last to heat through just before serving.

Note~ You can add a squeeze of lime or lemon over top when serving or have fresh cilantro chopped on top.

************** Shenanigans, anyone?*************

Alright, I admit it. My family loves to have a good time, and with my Uncle the good time always involves a beer or martini or 6 of them, and my Dad likes to join in this good ol time as well! Surprisingly enough, I didn't even have a sip of anything and I stuck to my trusty and refreshing unsweetened iced tea. Mr. Top Gun did have a Corona though- WOW! Right? My Dad had two really kick yo' butt margaritas, so it was a good thing we all ordered rather filling plates and had more than enough time to sit an enjoy conversing with one another while waiting for our table. Side note- My Aunt D. looked absolutely stunning today in one of her many custom styled wigs. Heck, if I didn't know her I would never have suspected her hair not being real. Now, to the shenanigans... We all finish up our lunches and head outside to say our goodbyes (the part which I had been dreading all day long.) My Aunt D. and I start hugging and crying, and I am ready to just fall apart on the Texas river rocks underneath my feet, when I realize I don't know where my Nana is.

I look over towards our car, my parents car and Aunt D's car and I happen to see my Nana standing waaaaaay over on the other side of the parking lot... Hmmm... perhaps she was wanting to get out of the heat, so she decided to take a little stroll by herself without letting anyone know she was leaving. Here is the deal with Nana: She is a healthy, 70 year old, fiesty, blonde haired, little tiny 4 foot 11 feet tall powerhouse- but, she is known to FALL DOWN- A LOT. As I yell out her name, I see her take a step back on the rocks and then it happens. She falls down onto the rocks and grassy area, kinda rolling on her side! Cue the crazy yelling coming from the mouths of my Mom, Aunt D, Me, Mr. Top Gun and Grandpa... "Oh my God, Nana fell!" "Shit!" Grandpa laughed at her, because he is so used to her little tumbles. It would have been fine, but my family is uber loud. I'm talking really, really loud- loud enough to make everyone around us look at Nana and us. AWESOME.

Thankfully, her fall was cushioned a bit by the grass and there happened to be some girls walking by when she fell, so they helped her right up. In the end, she was more embarrassed than anything and had a little bruise on her leg, but she is fine. I swear, the day something doesn't go wrong with my family will be the day penguins fly. We are a crazy, loud and insane bunch but we love each other, and I can't imagine not seeing them for 3 years. Thank goodness for yearly flights back to the states though! Yeah, Air Force :)