by Jeanne Katsuro, Vice President

The Nisei Ski Club Pickleball event was a huge success!

We had 24 participants with 4 people on the waiting list.

For future events with limited participation, please sign up early!

Intermediate Pickleball players were so lucky!

We had 2 excellent Pickleball coaches, Quynh and Monica for 9 intermediate players for 2 hours of lessons. One of the coaches, Quynh competes on the National Pickleball Level. Yahoo! What a deal and incredible coaching!

The 15 beginners worked with Coach Yvonne. They were lucky in another way because Yvonne was able to spread them out, playing on 3 courts instead of the 2 designated courts.

The coaching by Saratoga Country Club was excellent and benefited us all.

After the 2-hour session, 13 Pickleball players and 2 additional Nisei Members met for dinner at Golden Palace in Cupertino.

Stan Chan, one of our Pickleball participants knew the owner of the restaurant and ordered special dishes for us. We had a fabulous dinner for a cost of $28 including tax and tip!

I loved the Special Chicken Sticky Rice, a dish that needs to be ordered the day before.

I wish more of you could join us!

Stay tune for more Nisei Social Events!

Take care!

Jeanne 

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Here’s a link to the 2022-2023 FWSA Skiers Guide. This is the 35th issue and one of the best ones produced. Lots of information about Far West and all the trips, events, and the work they do for promoting skiing. NSC is mentioned in several areas and you can find Nisei Ski Club

“El Presidente” Armand on page 21. (Still without a helmet) WHY ARE YOU NOT WEARING ONE??

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/farwestskiersguide/2022-23/index.php

You can also find this link at https://www.skibac.org/

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

During the pandemic, I baked and tested a lot of recipes to consume or give to friends. This is an easy recipe to make.  Small enough for 2 people with leftovers for the next day.

You can use your hand mixer to whip this out quickly.
With chunks of sweet apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, this French apple cake is the essence of simplicity. So good for an afternoon coffee or tea break.

I suggest using a spring foam pan, add extra powder sugar on top and don’t skip the rum.

Julia Child approves…Happy Baking

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo shares the same birthday.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes (I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith) (3½ – 4 cups chopped)
• Confectioners’ sugar (optional), for decorating cake

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don’t worry if the batter looks grainy at this point; that’s okay. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack in the pan. Once cool, run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. If using a springform pan, remove the sides. If using a regular cake pan, carefully invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, then gently flip the cake over and place right-side-up on a platter. Using a fine sieve, dust with confectioners’ sugar (if using). Cake can be served warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
5. Freezer Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
6. https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/french-apple-cake.html

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

After being back in New York for 3 1/2 months, I still feel like an adventurous tourist. My guard is up and my Spidey senses are in full alert. There are so many things to do here that you can easily spend a whole week here. I had to acquaint myself with the New York subway system.  Am I standing at the right side of the platform? Is this train heading North or South? Slowly, its coming back to me.

NSC member Annette Li came out to New York on her own for a solo vacation. The weather in September was beautiful. The temperature was warm, so we were able to walk around in our tees and shorts.

I met with Annette at her hotel and we started our tour. We checked out the Vessel at Hudson Yards, walked the Highline, visited Little Island, ate lunch at Chelsea Market and visited Greenwich Village.

Two days later, I met up with Annette again and we took the train to visit Little Italy, NY Chinatown, City Hall and we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Can you believe that this is my first-time walking across the Brooklyn Bridge? So, I was really looking forward to doing this.

We had brick oven pizza at Juliana’s Pizza and then it was time for me to head home. We did take a lot of pictures along the way.

A month later, my brother Mickey and Curtis O. came to New York on the same week for a visit. My brother stayed home with mom and Curtis and I hit the town. We waited an hour at TKTS and brought 50% discounted tickets to see Beetlejuice on Broadway. A big savings for seats in the orchestra, 13^th row, center.

After purchasing our tickets, we walked south to the Vessel at Hudson Yards (Again). During our visit, the first level of the Vessel was opened to the public and we were able to go inside. Usually the Vessel is opened so you can walk around the inside and climb to the top. Unfortunately, there’s been a high incident of suicidal jumpers that force the closure on the upper levels. 

We continued walking the Highline (Again), visited Little Island (Again),stopped by Chelsea Market. Truely, I never get tired of the walk or the views. We stopped for lunch at Piccola Cucina Estatorio in the Village. We treated ourselves with an afternnoon snack at Domnique Ansel Bakery . Picked up an Original Cronut  – What’s a cronut? “half-croissant, half doughnut” pastry creation.  

We finally made it to the renovated South Street Seaport, where we rested and enjoyed the view of the Brooklyn Bridge. I was pooped. We clocked in 27,000 steps, about 7 miles that day. Pretty soon it was time to go back uptown via Subway to Times Square to see Beetlejuice that evening at 7:00pm

Two days later, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge (again).  I can now say I walked it twice in my lifetime. We ended up on the Brooklyn side called DUMBO where we had real NY Pizza. (Not deep dish or brick oven) We walked along the waterfront where you can see the view of New York City skyline.

We ended the day by taking a ride on Jane’s Carousel, A restored carousel from 1922. Cost of the ride – $2.00 What a bargain and a fantastic view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_2rwvdjp2o

One of the highlight of Curtis’s visit beside visiting me of course is checking out to New York’s newest cultural experience called the Summit. You’ll read all about that in the next article.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

One of New York’s newest attraction is called the Summit at One Vanderbilt on 42 Street.

It consists of 3 levels of mind-bending, multisensory experience with views of New York and New Jersey. You can experience this in the daytime or at night. We opted for the daytime experience.

Unlike the Empire State Building, the concept of this experience is taking an observation deck and taking it up a notch to a level with multiple rooms and installations.

AIR An immersive art experience mixing transparency and reflective to create an illusion of boundless space. The experience being in a room with silver balloons and another room as if you are flying in the clouds.

LEVITATION Imagine stepping into a transparent glass-enclosed skybox extending over 1,000 ft above Madison Avenue. You have 90 seconds to take your pictures.

RELECT is a room of visual immersion art installation by artist Yayoi Kusama, 93-year-old Japanese Artist

ASCENT a sensory defying all-glass elevator reaching SUMMIT’s highest elevation (1,210 ft) above Midtown. This was no big whoop. We could had saved some money if we skipped this.

Lucky for us we had a clear, sunny, blue-sky day. The view was breathtaking and overall, it was a cool New York experience. We spent 3 hours there, taking loads of pictures.

For $75.00 per person, it includes our 18 digital photos. I guess the cost has to paid for the attendants who is walking around continuously Swiffering and wiping the glass floors and mirrors. We don’t want fingerprints in our Instagram photos.

Warning if you are afraid of heights, I would not recommend going there.

After we were done, we went to the famous Katz’s Deli, New York’s oldest deli for their delicious Pastrami Sandwich and where Harry Met Sally.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

There’s something magical about Christmas in New York. The electricity, the colorful lights, the bumper-to-bumper traffic, the cars honking and the hordes of maskless tourists. I was in the city after the Thanksgiving rush. Traffic and the Christmas holiday crowd was still light. It was nice to walk along 5^th Ave to see the holiday windows. In a few weeks, it will be impossible to walk on the sidewalks.

Unfortunately, the Rockefeller Christmas tree was not lit up when I was there.

On behalf of the NSC board, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year in 2023

Here is the famous window display at Saks 5^th Ave with my favorite singer Elton John.

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

One enduring legacy of Chinese Americans is their longstanding service to our country. In fact, Chinese in America have served in the U.S. military since the Civil War. More than 20,000 served in World War II. 

Join our distinguished panel as we talk about some of the Chinese American men and women who have served our nation and their great American stories.

The Chinese American Museum DC (CAMDC) hosted a webinar with a distinguished panel who talked about some of the Chinese American men and women who have served our nation and their great American stories.

The panel consisted of Montgomery “Monty” Hom (Founder and Executive Producer of the Chinese American GI Project), Connie Yu (CHCP Advisory Board Member/Historian), and Wilem Wong (retired New York City Police Sergeant with over 34 years of service in the United States Army Reserve). 

by Armand Gutierrez, President

It’s November and the main attraction will be Thanksgiving. Yup, this is when we all gather around the feasting table and forget about diets, counting calories, and enjoy a bountiful meal with family. For those of you that dream about skiing in November, and before Thanksgiving, here are some important resort opening dates:

• Mammoth – 11 November
• Northstar – 18 November
• Heavenly – 18 November
• Alpine/Palisades – 22 November
• Kirkwood – 2 December

Palisades is opening the Base-to-Base Gondola this winter that will take you from Palisades to Alpine Meadows (and return). This has been in the works for many, many years and is now a reality.

SkiFest (formerly known as SkiBomb)

The SkiFest ski shows are back again, but only in Sacramento and Marin. This is another year they skipped San Jose, and this year the San Francisco venue has been moved to Marin. BAC will have a booth at both venues and will be promoting the local bay area ski clubs (including NSC). The dates/times are as follows:

• Sacramento – Cal Expo Center – Nov 18-20, 2022
• Marin – Marin Civic Center – Dec 2-4, 2022

Sports Basement SnowFest

Sports Basement is bringing back their biggest, most exciting, most snow-tastic event of the year – SnowFest (presented by Palisades Tahoe). This year they’ve taken it up a notch – and the epic celebration of all things snow will take place at all twelve of their stores, including their newest store in Orange County! RSVP now for a SnowFest near you and get stoked to hang out with all your favorite vendors, score raffle prizes, nab promo codes from our favorite resort, Palisades Tahoe, and enjoy some tasty local brews for a good cause while you shop. Don’t miss out – select your local Sports Basement SnowFest at https://shop.sportsbasement.com/pages/snowfest and grab your free ticket today!

Name This Resort

OK, this is for the seasoned ski-junkies that have been around the block (or slopes, if you will) and think they know their ski resorts. If you can name this resort, and ski run, then send me an email (president@niseiskiclub.org). Wild guesses are welcome as well. I know, you’re probably expecting a prize for the correct answer. But alas, poor Yorick, the only prize will be bragging-rights that you know your ski resorts, and it’s pretty safe to say that many of you have skied here.

2023 NSC Ski Week in Breckenridge

The Breckenridge trip is less than three months away and Breckenridge has started to receive snow. Their projected opening date is November 11^th, but I can wait until January when there is better coverage and all lifts are open.

2023 FWSA Ski Week in Zermatt, Switzerland

This trip is almost sold out so if you’re interested in going then please contact me directly (president@niseiskiclub.org).

This trip is from 25 Feb – 4 Mar, with an extension week to Costa del Sol (Spain) and Mallorca. Zermatt is on the IKON pass for five days of skiing. The IKON pass is not good for skiing Cervinia, Italy and an International Ski Pass can be purchased if you want to venture over to Cervinia for a day of skiing.

QotM: Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining – Teddy Roosevelt

by Tina Woo, Membership

San Jose Taiko’s highly-acclaimed Swingposium combines taiko, jazz, swing dance, and immersive theatre to tell a hidden history of one way Japanese Americans maintained morale in WWII Incarceration Camps — through swing dances with live big band music. An immersive environment surrounds the audience with the sights and sounds of “camp,” their active participation pulls them deeply into the emotional trajectory of the story: the fear and loss of being sent to an Incarceration Camp, the struggle to maintain dignity and hope, and the ultimate victory of the human spirit.

• Created and produced by San Jose Taiko
• Featuring San Jose Taiko, Stanford Jazz Orchestra, Asian America Theater Project, Swingtime, and  Stanford Taiko

Admission information —Tickets are now on sale at Stanford Ticket Office! Seating will be limited to 100 attendees for each show due to staging requirements.

Date and Time

7:30 pm Saturday November 5th, 2022
2:30pm – Sunday November 6th, 2022

Location:

Stanford University Dinkelspiel Auditorium
471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford, CA 94305

Admission information —ticket on-sale date TBA

• ADVANCE TICKETS: General $18 | Senior (65+) $13 | *Non-Stanford Student $13
• DAY-OF TICKETS: General $23 | Senior (65+) $18 | *Non-Stanford Students $18
• Free Stanford student tickets available one hour before curtain —  information TBA
• Stanford University guidelines now state that masks are no longer required, but are strongly recommended. We encourage you to continue wearing masks for the comfort of our patrons, staff, and artists. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test will no longer be required.

Videos and more info at Swingposium: Immersive Music, Theater, and Dance

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Are you feeling stressed out from work, family, friends and the upcoming holidays?

Center of Health Living / Kaiser Permanente is offering a series of free 60 minute workshop to help manage stress.

Please follow the link and sign up for these free webinars Stress Manaagement Webinars

Healthy Celebrations / Available On Demand

Give Yourself The Gift of A Good Night’s Sleep / Monday, November 14, 2022, 6:00 PM PST

Find Your Joy / Monday, December 12, 2022, 6:00 PM PST

Be calm, relax, turn up the volume and breathe……Ahhh…

Can you guess who the artist is?

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Remember March 2020?  The U.S. shut down its economy, shuttering businesses and telling all nonessential workers to stay at home in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

We stayed home and watched Netflix, made hundreds of masks, video zoom meetings with family and friends and waited on line at the supermarkets. We went outdoors, skied, hiked, played golf and cleaned out our closets. What at freaking year.

HEY WE SURVIVED!!!!

I sheltered in place attending Zoom classes for Zumba, 24 hours fitness workouts in my garage and trying out new recipes. The Institute of Culinary Education in New York offered free virtual cooking classes taught from a professional chef instructor.

One of my favorite recipes from the class was the Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

I made it often and it was an easy recipe. Sure, you can follow a regular Nestle Toll House cookie recipe but I found any excuse to use my stainless-steel cookie dough scooper.

I don’t like my cookies super sweet so I just used 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips and I added a cup of oatmeal.

This recipe makes 24 cookies and you can freeze the pre measured cookie dough for future use.

If you’re ever in the mood for a quick snack, you can pop one or two in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

SEA SALT CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Makes 24 cookies

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups a mix of white, dark, and milk chocolate, chopped

chopped Coarse Sea salt, as desired for sprinkling on top cookies

SIDE NOTE:

I reduced the sweetness and used 1 ½ cup of chocolate chips

Plus, I added 1 cup of oatmeal.

ELECTRIC MIXER PROCESS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

3. With a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. You want to mix on medium speed until the butter is fluffy. This will take about 3-6 minutes, depending on the temperature of the butter.

4. Once the butter and sugar is creamed, turn speed to low. Crack your eggs into container, and add your eggs and vanilla. Mix for about 30 seconds, just until combined. 5. Turn the mixer off and add your dry ingredients. Combine on slow speed until about ¾ of the way combined. Turn off and add chopped chocolate, and mix on slow speed until the mixture just comes together.

6. Divide the dough into 24 equal balls, pressing the palm of your hand against the scoop for a flat surface. Place cookie dough balls on a full sheet tray that has been lined with parchment paper and allow the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes. I like to flatten it out with my hands

7. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of coarse sea salt.

8. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from sheet tray.

PROCESS FOR MIXING BY HAND:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Melt butter over low heat.

3. Place flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Whisk until the butter is well combined.

5. Crack your eggs into container, and add your eggs and vanilla into the butter and sugar. Whisk for about 30 seconds, just until combined.

6. Fold in your dry ingredients and mix until about ¾ of the way combined. Add chopped chocolate, and mix until the mixture just comes together.

7. Divide the dough into 24 equal balls, pressing the palm of your hand against the scoop for a flat surface. Place cookie dough balls on a full sheet tray that has been lined with parchment paper and allow the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes.

8. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of coarse sea salt.

9. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from sheet tray.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo shares the same birthday.

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

If you need some new ski apparel, here’s a sale not to be missed. Marmot / ExOfficio warehouse sale is happening on November 17 to November 19 in Santa Rosa. Get there early for some great styles.

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Nisei Ski Club member and Dynamo Ski Instructor at Palisades Tahoe, Randy Hirai is selling 2 pairs of skis.
If you’re interested, please email me at tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org

2019/20 Volkl Kendos,  170cm long by 88mm wide.

Really versatile all mountain ski, 3D side cut makes nice short turns and long fast turns. Nice in the bumps. Mounted with Marker Griffon 13 bindings. (binding sells for $270)

Very good condition. Asking $300.00 (NewGriffon 13 bindings included )

2019/20 Nordica Enforcer 110.  177cm long by 110mm wide.

Great big mountain/powder ski. Mounted with Salomon Warden 13 bindings. (binding sells for $280)

Practically new, used 2 days. Asking $400.00 (Salomon Warden 13 bindings included)

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

A cute video to put a smile on your face. Just skip the ads…

https://youtu.be/ba62uuv-5Dc

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Did you ever hear a familiar tune on the radio or TV and you start singing along or start tapping your feet?

As we are all getting older in the coming years. We need to start moving. Walking, Zumba, Skiing Anything to get the heartbeat going.

This is from 1969. How many TV shows looks familiar to you?

Check this out.

Lets Dance Now.

by Hoyt Nelson, Board Member

Welcome to Hoyt Nelson’s Google Drive:

Here a few links for you to access my up-to-date information on various topics like new restaurants I’ve eaten at, interesting hikes or trips I have been on, some of my favorite recipes and a few puzzles I find interesting.   You got these links because I thought you might be interested in one or more of my categories.  You should be able to download anything, but you won’t be able to edit anything.  I encourage you to leave comments however, especially about your restaurant finds.  I limited my travel notes to the more recent trips that are better documented and I left out info about lots of shorter trips.  If you want info on the rest of the 50+ countries we have visited a while back, I will be happy to send info on them.   For the most part, I concentrate info to outside the USA.  If you are interested in the USA, I can provide you with more information on most states.  Keep these links for future use.  You will get the latest versions whenever you access them.  You don’t have to have Google Drive on your machine (although you do need to have a Google account to create a free Google Drive account for yourself).  

Link for my puzzles:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jVQbVCFyZqw2-YL9r7R74CErwuiYQJK1

Link for my SF Bay area restaurant list:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QHKrCBvjzMxdo7DcAoEPAr_lo1bXw1gD

Link for my travel:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JapkS4zzfzr7qAfeHSU1ryQhgNSrJGju

Link for my CA hikes:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ShYZRGXm24zcfFBFNFxyzKgu-88V2wcK

Link for recipes I’ve developed or modified over the years:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/122YDkHJTNB31sAMZB0utsqFVLM55qJj-

Link to amazing stairs around the world:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hsGIkHGRLz_z4SZ4kZOFPuE9TolwIK3T

When you get there, you can see my doc about the 3 tiled stairs in San Francisco, but when you click the big blue W for other doc about stairs around the world. Google will “gag”.  When Google stops complaining, just click the blue “Download” when and then click “Open” at the bottom of the screen to read the doc.

by Armand Gutierrez, President

Sometime during a moonless night and in the wee hours of the morning when all was calm and quiet our neighborhood was the scene of new, albeit strange, neighbors that moved in and established their paradoxical presence. My initial thoughts were that they looked friendly and not much different from the rest of us on the block. Well, maybe there were a few differences, but certainly not enough to be overly concerned. I know people are leaving California for greener pastures, less taxes, and affordable homes. But these folks must have decided that this is where they want to make a home. Let me know if you see any strangers in your neighborhood.

La Niña – Friend or Foe?

I’ve been asked by my non-skiing buddies whether there will be snow this year, and my reply is: “Yes, there will be snow, but maybe not as much as I’d like.”  The fact is there will always be snow in the Tahoe region, but let’s face it – some years are better than others. This winter we’re getting La Niña for the third season in a row, not quite a rarity but it does happen. La Nina is not our friend. It will force the jet stream a little farther north of us and inundate Canada, Washington and then drop down over Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. The Tahoe region will get snow, but perhaps not as much as we’d like. Heck, it has to snow because my Epic Pass arrived in the mail this week.

NSC Pickleball Event – Saturday, 29 October

Jeanne Katsuro is hosting the Pickleball event and is encouraging all beginner and intermediate players to take part in a one-hour instruction period, followed by one-hour of free playtime. Jeanne has secured four private courts at the Saratoga County Club just for NSC members and friends. Following the Pickleball event everyone is invited to the Golden Dragon restaurant for dinner.

2023 NSC Ski Week to Breckenridge

The Breckenridge trip is full. Well, not exactly. There are airline seats and condos available; however, I’m going to hold off on accepting additional people unless a condo unit can be filled with four people. So, if you haven’t signed up for this trip then now is the time to fill out the application and get your checkbook out as well. Also, the final payment is due 10 October.

QotM:  To grow a beautiful rose you must shovel a lot of manure – Max Klinger

by Curtis Otaguro, Rick Dumlao, Board Members

Last Saturday on September 24^th, eight NSCers and friends (Rick, Merton, Frank, Greg, Gary, Jim, Jeff, and myself) enjoyed a beautiful day, riding the Peninsula section of the San Francisco Bay Trail starting from Shoreline Park in Mountain View.  A mainstay of NSC summer events, the annual bike ride not only keeps us in shape during the off season, but also gives us the opportunity to stay connected with our members. 

I led the group with Rick as sweeper to make sure we didn’t lose anyone.  We began at a leisurely pace from Shoreline Park under clear skies heading north towards the Palo Alto Bayland Nature Preserve.  We admired the panoramic views of the Bay as we rode along the shore on a wide packed gravel trail.  As the trail turned inland, we passed a pole field (designed to be reminiscent of pier pilings) on our left at Byxbee Park.  Then we passed the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Center along the way to the Palo Alto Airport.  As we rode past the runway, we saw some clearly dubious landings (2-point!).  We rode on through East Palo Alto, along a paved bike trail until we reached a short, narrow gravel section.  This led to the entrance road to Cooling Landing Park, our first rest stop.

Cooley Landing Park, named after Lester Cooley, who purchased the land in 1868, is the site of the original Town of Ravenswood, which back in the 1800’s was a bustling port shipping bricks to build homes everywhere in the Bay Area.  For a time, it was the only port between San Jose and San Francisco.  In later years, it was a county dump with the landfill creating the peninsula which forms the landing.   From this viewpoint, there were excellent views of the Dumbarton Bridge and the old Dumbarton Rail Bridge.  Did you know that the Dumbarton Rail Bridge built in 1910 was the first bridge crossing in the Bay Area?

After taking advantage of the scenic setting for a photo op, we headed back south on an alternate inland route which was much appreciated by the road bikers as this was all paved trail.  One of the highlights was a photo op at “Bliss in the Moment”, a stainless-steel cycling sculpture dedicated to former Bay Trail Board member and bicycle activist, Bill Bliss near the Palo Alto Baylands.  He advocated for the scenic, 500-mile San Francisco Bay Trail that is planned to encircle the San Francisco and San Pablo bays. So far, 310 miles of the route have been completed.

The return route was more expeditious, but not as scenic as we rode alongside the Bayshore Freeway.  We continued, making a left on the Adobe Creek Loop Trail towards the Bay, and returned to Shoreline Park, completing the first 13 miles of the ride.  It was getting close to lunch time, but 7 of us opted to continue south to the Stevens Creek Trail for a longer ride.  Many agreed that if we had taken a lunch break then, we would have been done riding as it would have been too difficult to get started again.

After riding a little over a mile south, we turned right onto the Stevens Creek Trail.  The Stevens Creek Trail is a short 4.8-mile feeder trail that begins near the Mountain View – Sunnyvale border at the intersection of Dale Avenue and Heatherstone Way.  This trail runs parallel to Highway 85, including an 1100-foot pedestrian bridge crossing over Evelyn Ave, Central Expressway, Caltrain and VTA tracks.  As hunger and fatigue slowly started to creep in, we decided to turn around at the pedestrian bridge and head back.

On the way, we discovered the reason for the constant buzzing of helicopters flying near the Google campus at the NASA Ames Research Center (we observed this throughout our ride).  A pair of helicopters were flying back and forth, bringing supplies and equipment to the high voltage transmission towers crossing the bay.  We spotted crews perched high up on 2 towers working with them.

After we rolled into Shoreline Park, our final distance totaled ~19 miles.  We then had a well-deserved relaxing time in the shade relishing our lunch and beverages.    While we were reveling in the day’s ride, we already started kicking around ideas for the next bike trip.  Angel Island? Golden Gate Bridge? East Bay? South Bay?  Your suggestions are welcome!  Happy riding!

by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

If you ever gone on a Nisei Ski Club weekend / weeklong ski trip, I’m always thinking what to make for breakfast and dinner. What are we going to eat is always the topic of conversation. A lot of thought goes into the planning. The recipes has to be easy so it does not take up my time in the kitchen.  I have to give thanks to my condo roommates who ultimately becomes my Sous Chefs and dishwashers. An extra thank you to Amy Tsuhako who has been my collaborator, co tour leader and past condo mate.  

Remember, I’m on vacation too and I don’t want to spend the entire hours cooking in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I love to get creative and cook, something that is easy and delicious and does not take too much time. Starting this month, I’m going to start sharing some my favorite recipes that I had used during the pandemic.

When I go to a Japanese restaurant, one of my favorite dishes to order is the Hamachi Kama, Beef Sukiyaki, Bento boxes and the Pork Donburi. The pork is crispy, a combination of onions and eggs over rice. It’s so filling and delicious. It’s the best comfort food

The good thing about this recipe is that there is no frying. I DO NOT deep fry in my house. Cleaning the oil spattering all over the place and stinking up my place is a sore subject. I just don’t go there.

This month, we’re going to make Bake Katsudon. This dish is simple and so good.

Crispy pork cutlet without deep frying and simmered in runny egg with a dashi broth, and served over hot steamed rice. Then you use one skillet to make the rest of the sauce which consist of the onions and eggs.

It’s going to be your new favorite weeknight meal.

Servings – 2

Preparation for the Bake Pork Katsu

1 cup Panko (Japanese Breadcrumbs)

1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

2 pieces boneless pork loin chops – 1/2” thick

1 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1-2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)

1 large egg

For the Katsudon

½ Onion

2 large eggs

2 Serving cooked Japanese short grain rice

2 Tbsp chopped green onions

For the Sauce

2 cup Dashi – Japanese soup stock

2 Tbsp sake

2 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1-Gather all the ingredients. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with an oven-safe wire rack or line it with parchment paper. I prefer to use a wire rack as it allows hot air to circulate around the cutlets and prevents the panko underneath from getting crushed.

To Toast the Panko

1 – Combine the panko and oil in a frying pan. Toast the panko over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Transfer the toasted panko into a shallow dish and allow to cool.

To Prepare the Pork

1-Cut off the extra fat from the pork. Make several slits on the connective tissue between the meat and remaining fat. Tip: Red meat and fat have different elasticities, and they will shrink and expand at different rates when they are cooked. Making a few slits will allow the tonkatsu to stay nice and flat and prevent the cutlets from curling up.

2-To tenderize the meat, pound both sides of the cutlets with a meat pounder; if you don’t have one, then use the back of the knife. Mold the flattened meat back into the original shape with your hands.

3-Sprinkle the cutlets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4-Dredge each pork piece in the flour to coat completely. Pat off the excess flour.

5-Next, beat one egg in a bowl. Then, dip the pork into the beaten egg and coat with the toasted panko. Press on the panko flakes to make sure they adhere to the pork.

To Bake

1-Cut off the extra fat from the pork. Make several slits on the connective tissue between the meat and remaining fat. Tip: Red meat and fat have different elasticities, and they will shrink and expand at different rates when they are cooked. Making a few slits will allow the tonkatsu to stay nice and flat and prevent the cutlets from curling up.

2-Remove the tonkatsu from the oven and cut into 1-inch pieces (so you can eat them with chopsticks). Press the knife directly down into the cutlets, instead of sawing back and forth. This way, the panko crust will stay on the meat. Set aside for now.

To Prepare the Katsudon Ingredients

1-Cut the onions into thin slices.

2-Combine the sauce ingredients in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. This amount could be more than you need, depending on the frying pan size you use. You can store the extra in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. In a separate small bowl, beat one egg.

To make the Katsudon usuing a Oyaakodon Pan or 8” Skillet

1-For each serving, put half of the onion slices into the pan and pour ½-¾ cup of the sauce on top to cover them. Adjust the amount of sauce based on your frying pan size. Bring the sauce and onions to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion slices until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

2-Carefully place one baked and sliced tonkatsu cutlet on top of the onions in the sauce and turn the heat to medium high. Then, slowly drizzle the beaten egg, evenly distributing it over the tonkatsu and broth. Cover the pan with the lid.

3-When the egg is half cooked, about 30 seconds, turn off the heat. The egg will be just set on the bottom and runny on top.picuer

To Serve

1-Prepare one serving of hot steamed rice in a donburi bowl. Slide the cooked tonkatsu and egg mixture, including the sauce, on top. Sprinkle some green onions and continue cooking and plating the second serving.

Check out video

https://www.justonecookbook.com/baked-katsudon/#wprm-recipe-video-container-62004

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo shares the same birthday.

by Karen Soo, Trip Director

Did you know that Nisei Ski Club is a member of the Bay Area Ski Council?
Here’s a list of the events that you can explore before the ski season.

Ski-Fest:       https://www.sfskifest.com/              

Sacramento – Cal Expo Center – Nov 18-20, 2022

Marin – Marin Civic Center – Dec 24, 2022

Volunteers are needed and welcome.  Maarten will have a group at the Sacramento Show.

FWSA Convention:  June 16-18, 2023, in Boise, Idaho

https://fwsa.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=623165&module_id=334804

FWSA Convention:  June 6-9, 2024 in Reno, Nevada (BAC) requested dates

Travel:  Gail Burns –

Karen Albright returned from BAC’s Bike n Barge at the end of August.  The trip was a success and everyone is enthusiastic about another trip and also loved the e-bikes.

BAC will go to Sun Peaks Feb 12-17, 2023 with 30 spots.  Lodging will be at the Sun Leaks Lodge, which includes breakfast.  Cost will be about $665 with air by Alaska and ground transportation separately.  Deposits are $200 per person, checks payable to Bay Area Council of Ski Clubs.  Send checks now to BAC, and payment will be available on line through SportsAmerica. https://www.skibac.org/

FWSA will go to Zermatt, Switzerland February 24-March 4, with extension to Spain. https://fwsa.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=623165&module_id=531031

FWSA’s Taos NM mini-trip is Feb 27-March 2, 2023.  Information is on the website. https://fwsa.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=623165&module_id=334799

by Hoyt Nelson, Board Member

Welcome to Hoyt Nelson’s Google Drive:

Here a few links for you to access my up-to-date information on various topics like new restaurants I’ve eaten at, interesting hikes or trips I have been on, some of my favorite recipes and a few puzzles I find interesting.   You got these links because I thought you might be interested in one or more of my categories.  You should be able to download anything, but you won’t be able to edit anything.  I encourage you to leave comments however, especially about your restaurant finds.  I limited my travel notes to the more recent trips that are better documented and I left out info about lots of shorter trips.  If you want info on the rest of the 50+ countries we have visited a while back, I will be happy to send info on them.   For the most part, I concentrate info to outside the USA.  If you are interested in the USA, I can provide you with more information on most states.  Keep these links for future use.  You will get the latest versions whenever you access them.  You don’t have to have Google Drive on your machine (although you do need to have a Google account to create a free Google Drive account for yourself).  

Link for my puzzles:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jVQbVCFyZqw2-YL9r7R74CErwuiYQJK1

Link for my SF Bay area restaurant list:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QHKrCBvjzMxdo7DcAoEPAr_lo1bXw1gD

Link for my travel:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JapkS4zzfzr7qAfeHSU1ryQhgNSrJGju

Link for my CA hikes:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ShYZRGXm24zcfFBFNFxyzKgu-88V2wcK

Link for recipes I’ve developed or modified over the years:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/122YDkHJTNB31sAMZB0utsqFVLM55qJj-

Link to amazing stairs around the world:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hsGIkHGRLz_z4SZ4kZOFPuE9TolwIK3T

When you get there, you can see my doc about the 3 tiled stairs in San Francisco, but when you click the big blue W for other doc about stairs around the world. Google will “gag”.  When Google stops complaining, just click the blue “Download” when and then click “Open” at the bottom of the screen to read the doc.