For the past two months I’ve been craving my Mom’s jello cheesecake dessert. St. Patrick’s Day seemed the perfect excuse for Bebe and I to make this together and “greenify” it for a festive March 17th. I changed the original dessert recipe from a walnut crust to that which is made of graham cracker crumbs. We also added several drops of green food coloring to the creamy cheesecake filling. Finally, we chose a...

  Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Each year, for as long as I remember, my Mom made corned beef and cabbage for our family. The tradition continues today, as my Mom is likely boiling her corned beef as I write this post. I too, have kept our March 17th tradition and went out to buy corned beef and cabbage this morning, but unlike my Mom, I like to throw the meat in my slow cooker. In a few hours, I’ll also add the vegetables. Our...

There are three things that I love at The Cheesecake Factory: 1. Vanilla Bean Cheesecake; 2. Mushroom Soup; and 3. Avocado Egg Rolls. Everything else on the menu is good and I have my favorites and not-so-favorites, but the three dishes I listed above are truly what get me through the restaurant’s doors. The first dish, Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, I will never, ever, try to re-create. Ever. It’s just one of those recipes that deserves...

  Each year, during Hinamatsuri, or Girls’ Day, the Japanese markets near our home sell sweets specifically for celebrating this holiday. The most popular is “Hina Arare” or sweet puffed rice. The kids really seem to like this one. This year, we had a nice variety of treats thanks to my brother and my sister-in-law so I thought I’d share a photo of all the sweets we’ve been enjoying since yesterday. My...

Happy Girls’ Day! Today, March 3rd is Hinamatsuri, or Japanese Girls’ Day, and is also known as Girls’ Doll Festival. Dolls are displayed in the family’s home to wish for happiness and good fortune for all the girls in the family. This year, we managed to display our Hinamatsuri Dolls for longer than a few days as we remembered to set them out earlier in February. In years past, we hastily displayed our dolls just a few...

Yaki onigiri is a grilled (yaki) riceball (onigiri) which is often a staple at Japanese izakaya (tapas-style) restaurants both here in Southern California and also in Japan. Warm rice is lightly seasoned with salt and then formed into a ball, or in my case, a triangular-ball. Then, it is grilled over an open flame (yes, like an American-style BBQ grill) or a Japanese-style charcoal pit, or broiler grill. The grill that I use at home is an...

Okaka, is a Japanese seasoning that is often associated with rice. It is a simple mixture of dried shaved bonito flakes gently tossed with soy sauce. The flavor can be as light or salty as you wish by simply adjusting the amount of soy sauce. The best thing about it: it takes less than two (2) minutes to make. Okaka can be used as a seasoning (or topping) for rice, or it can be used as a filling for onigiri (rice balls with salmon filling or...

I’ve been hesitant to post my meal plans in the past. I’m not sure why that it is. Perhaps it’s because I like to plan, but I don’t always stick to the plan. Which is O.K., too. Sometimes meals get pushed a few days or I’ll switch things around depending on my mood and any last minute life things that pop-up. Usually, however, when I stick to my weekly plan, it really makes my life easier. I usually take about 10...