My Moms Easy Soba Broth & Kakiage (Vegetable, Shrimp) Tempura Soba

My Moms Easy Soba Broth & Kakiage (Vegetable, Shrimp) Tempura Soba

It’s been one of those (two and a half) weeks for us at home. Two weeks ago Bebe was ill with bronchitis and last week, yours truly caught the dreaded illness from Bebe. It’s probably not the kind of blog post you want to continue to read when the opener includes “bronchitis”, but that’s just how real life is sometimes. I’m finally functional and regaining my energy but Bebe and I are both still coughing. Not...

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2014 Happy Chinese New Year!

2014 Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi! For those of you who visited my blog recently and had difficulty with some of the links on my blog, I sincerely apologize! Most all of the links are fixed but I thank you for your patience while we work out all of the issues. Please don’t hesitate to browse the “Recipes” page for any dishes you might be interested in while we continue to work out the kinks. I had hoped to post this last...

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Chicken and Vegetable Chow Mein & Crafts for Chinese New Year

Chicken and Vegetable Chow Mein & Crafts for Chinese New Year

It seems that on a sunny, crisp day like today, I might feel better off spending some time outdoors, but yesterday’s three-mile walk has once again left my knee in a slightly uncomfortable state, and I’m slightly more comfortable relaxing quietly indoors. Fortunately, my laptop is now fully functional and I’m happy to report that Mac and I are friends again since I am finally able to access some of the photos that were...

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White Lasagna with Mushrooms, Spinach and Turkey

White Lasagna with Mushrooms, Spinach and Turkey

Comfort. That’s probably one of the first things that come to mind when I think of my childhood besties. When we get together, I am comforted and happy. They are my family. Our get togethers are at least 30 strong (and still growing I’m happy to report), with 10 girlfriends, their mates and a minimum of 10 kids running around. It’s quite an affair, so you can only imagine the amount of food that is often served at our...

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Chicken Soup & CBS Gig

Chicken Soup & CBS Gig

  We’re sick again. At the beginning of last week I felt as though I was coming down with a cold. My throat was feeling slightly uncomfortable and my body felt heavy. After three days of eating chicken soup and taking it easy, I felt that I succeeded in fending off a full-blown cold. Yesterday morning I was nuzzling Bebe E when I noticed her neck was just a little warmer than normal. A quick check of her temperature indicated only a...

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Karashi Mentaiko Spaghetti (Spicy Cod Roe Pasta)

Karashi Mentaiko Spaghetti (Spicy Cod Roe Pasta)

  While at first we might think of spaghetti as uniquely Italian, my instant go-to-kid-friendly spaghetti with meat sauce is, by my standards, American-faire, not Italian. Then there is pasta as it relates to Japanese cuisine. There are Japanese pasta dishes that are definitely not what I consider Italian cuisine, but it is uniquely Japanese and… I absolutely love it! As a child and throughout my teens, my Mom often took me to visit our...

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Natto (Fermented Soybeans) with Somen Noodles

Natto (Fermented Soybeans) with Somen Noodles

  Great news! Bebe E graduated from “Tadpole” to “Guppy” at her swim school! (In other words, from beginner to intermediate.) Hurray for Bebe E! OK… I admit that I am an overly proud parent who is using this blog to boast about her child’s accomplishment, but seriously, can you blame this first-time parent?!? Rather than continue to gloat about Bebe E’s achievement, I will share with you the school...

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Spaghetti with Clams (Spaghetti con Vongole)

Spaghetti with Clams (Spaghetti con Vongole)

  More clams?!? I just posted hamaguri no saka mushi or Japanese sake steamed clams, and here we are yet again with another clam dish. However, I cheated on the seafood with this dish and there was one short-cut that I regret… More on this later. Spaghetti with clams, or spaghetti con vongole, is one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes. In a former life when I dined out frequently each week, spaghetti con vongole made a regular...

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