Christmas time in Japan

Christmas here was...different.  Briefly entertained the idea of going home for the holidays.  After looking into airfare prices and collecting out jaws from the floor where they had fallen, we concluded that Christmas in Japan would not be so bad after all. Despite the lack of snow. 

We received many a lovely package from home.  The gifts ranged from pepperoni links and cheese (you have no idea how exciting this was), taco kits, socks, candy, and a Nintendo Wii, to simple, lovely, Christmas cards. It was a perfectly lovely Christmas!

This is the scene from our little Christmas Eve celebration.  We ate a salmon potato chowder that I threw together while drinking a Spumante from Spain and watching "It's A Wonderful Life." It was a charming evening.

Oh yes...there were Christmas cookies too.  :)

Salmon Potato Chowder

Sautee a chopped onion, a half a cup of thinly sliced celery, and some minced garlic in a tad of olive oil. Throw in some salt and pepper.  Let that go till the onion is nice and tender.

Next, pour in 4 cups of whole milk. I added a can of evaporated milk too, for good measure. Season with 1 t. of dill weed. (I used dill seed, which also worked splendidly.) Throw in extra S&P to taste. I like freshly ground pepper, myself. It adds an extra something.

Stir in a chopped baking potato. Bring this to a boil on medium heat. Cream based soups are astonishingly easy to burn. Stir constantly to prevent this.

Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 min.

Next, fold in your chopped salmon fillet. I used three medium fillets. I also added a bag or frozen corn and about a cup of grated cheddar cheese at this point. Simmer this for about five more minutes or until the salmon flakes easily.

Fry up some bacon and crumble. Use as a delicious garnish.

Enjoy!