Ghostly Lasagna

Ghostly Lasagna

  There’s nothing like a plain ol’ log of fresh mozzarella cheese to liven up an old favorite recipe for Halloween! Given it finally seems like Fall and the weather has turned “cooler” in only a way that it can in SoCal, I’ve been having more cravings for heartier and richer foods. My craving for lasagna was a good opportunity to add a little Halloween spookiness to our meal. Fortunately for me, it seems as...

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Mummy Dogs; Halloween Here We Come!

Mummy Dogs; Halloween Here We Come!

BOO! Every year around this time, I profess my love for the Halloween holiday and this year is no different. Until I had the little one, Halloween was fun, but now that she’s getting older and Halloween is filled with crafts, decorations, costumes, and of course, candy and treats, it’s even MORE fun. For starters, there’s the costume (hers I mean). This whole year has been all about The Little Mermaid, so not surprisingly, she...

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Gumbo

Gumbo

Yesterday was the first day in a very long time where Bebe and I didn’t have plans and we quietly enjoyed our solitude at home. After a very busy weekend and another broken household item, the slower pace was welcoming. Unfortunately, I’ve been on a bad luck streak and I’ve broken several things over the last week, including today. Has this ever happened to you? I first broke our vacuum cleaner. Usually hubs is the one who...

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Japanese Teppanyaki

Japanese Teppanyaki

Have you ever gone grocery shopping and lost a bag of groceries? If not, welcome to my world! I can laugh about it now, but there was a moment of confusion (sadly this confusion struck three hours after I returned from the market and not as I was putting groceries away) when I couldn’t find the cantaloupe that Bebe picked out for us. I thought that it might have rolled out of the bag in the trunk of our car… but alas that...

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Tonjiru (Traditional Japanese Pork Soup)

Tonjiru (Traditional Japanese Pork Soup)

  At times I get homesick for my Mom’s cooking. Despite our recent warmer weather, we had a slight cooling trend with a touch of June gloom which prompted a craving for tonjiru, or traditional Japanese pork soup. It’s a miso based soup and the ingredients might vary just slightly from one family to the next, but ours consistently includes carrots, onions, gobo (burdock root), konyaku (devil’s tongue root), and pork. Usually,...

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Red Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad

Red Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad

In my culture, there are certain Asian-fusion dishes that usually make an appearance at potlucks. One such dish is the ramen salad. If you didn’t grow-up going to Japanese-American boy scout jamborees and Eagle Scout ceremonies, or Japanese-Hawaiian family potlucks where there are always jello cheesecake squares (recipe available here) and soy sauce chicken (recipe available here) next to the ramen salad, it wouldn’t be uncommon...

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Slow Cooker Shoyu Chicken

Slow Cooker Shoyu Chicken

Pre-school is winding down for us this week, although we still have a little time before Nene’s high school lets out. Our plans for the summer are still up in the air and aside from swimming and play dates I’m not quite sure what activities Bebe will be involved with during the warmer months. The last month or so she’s been quick to let me know that she wasn’t interested in going to school although she always comes home...

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Chicken Tsukune (meatballs) for Shabu Shabu (Hot Pot)

Chicken Tsukune (meatballs) for Shabu Shabu (Hot Pot)

I’m not sure how many months have gone by since I posted anything on my blog. Ok, maybe it’s only been a few weeks and/or approaching one month since my absence, but it certainly seems longer. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I used to post at least three new posts per week. I look back now and think I was crazy. :) Either that, or I was getting much less sleep than I’m getting now. Nothing special has happened over the...

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