My Friend Friday Guest today is one of my dear friends, Sumiko Monson!! If you talk to anyone about this dear friend, they will all tell you that “Sumiko, is the sweetest! I love her!” She has the most sweet, pure heart and is a great example of Christ-like service. She and her family have been dear friends of ours for about 17 years and we LOVE the Monson family!! Sumiko is such an amazing little chef and each time we eat a meal in her home, we come away lifted up in spirit and our bellies are full with the most delicious Japanese food. She is seriously a gem!

Just look at this awesome family! Sumiko is sharing with us today a couple of recipes that are some of our favs!  Here’s Sumiko…….

My name is Sumiko Monson.  I grew up in Japan and moved to Hawaii to attend Brigham Young University Hawaii, and met my husband while working at the Polynesian cultural center where we worked as Japanese tour guides.  He is a blessing from Heavenly Father and I love him dearly!!  We lived in Oahu and Maui for 16 years and Tokyo for 4 years before moving to St. George, Utah.  For the first 18 years of my life, I lived to play sports, namely basketball, tennis, track and swimming.  But marathon is whole another level of intense dedication and endurance.  I have much respect for Peggy and her fellow runners!

My husband and I have 5 grown children and the first 3 are married to amazing spouses, the other two are in college.  We have 7 precious grandchildren who melt our hearts.  Going on vacation with them is my favorite thing to do.

I first met Peggy in our church nursery room where her Caden and my Casey attended 15 plus years ago.  And when she told me that her husband served his LDS mission in Japan, they took special place in my heart J.  She is a super lady who can do anything and everything but is still humble and sweet.  I am blessed to have her as my friend!

The Chicken Katsu and Butter Mochi recipes I posted here are my children’s all time favorites!  They are Japanese influenced and very popular in Hawaii.

Chicken Katsu

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts-slice in half horizontally

½ cup flour

2 eggs, beaten, mix with half an egg shell water

2 cups panko

salad oil for frying

Pat chicken with paper towel. Dredge thin sliced chicken in flour, dip in eggs, and coat with panko. In electric skillet, heat oil to 375F. Fry chicken until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Cut into 1 inch strips. Serve with Katsu Sauce. Makes 6 servings.

* I slice chicken in half, horizontally, to make each piece thin.

Katsu Sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash of pepper
Combine all ingredients. Makes about 1 cup
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Butter Mochi

1 lb mochiko
2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup butter, melted
1 can coconut milk
1 cup milk (I used 1% milk)
5 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine mochiko, sugar, and baking powder. Add remaining ingredients to mochiko mixture and mix well. Pour into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Bake for 1 hour; cool. I cut mine into 1 x 2 inch small rectangle pieces.