
My oven was delivered and placed in our kitchen, but emotionally I’m not ready to bake with it yet.
It’s always a bit intimidating to use a new appliance.
So, I made a treat by using something that was a little more familiar to me.

When we moved from the U.S., we got rid of a lot of things because we wanted to bring only what we “needed” and “absolutely wanted”.
This probably won’t make it into most people’s suitcases, but it did into mine. 🙂

The traditional filling is sweet Azuki paste.
But this time I wanted something a bit different.
It’s always fun to experiment with new things in the kitchen.


I decided to make earl grey flavored pastry cream.
It smelled so good in the kitchen.

I had to restrain myself from keeping eating after quick tasting.

They are so adorable!

They look so cute from this angle, too.

The spilled-out part is called “Hane”, which literally means “wing” in Japanese, and often times people purposely try to create it.
I like “Hane” too because it’s so crispy and yum.

Do you start with the head?

Or the tail?

When we moved in our new home, we needed a pot and a pan.
After looking at several options, I picked this Fika brand.
I’m so happy with the decision.
It’s a Korean brand, and the quality is superb!
I also love its look including the wood handle.
