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...

Happy Valentine’s Day! Wishing all of those who read and visit my Bebe Love Okazu blog , my family and friends, a heartfelt and happy February 14th! For me, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about sweet nothings for your partner, but about remembering the love and friendship in my life and appreciating what I have. ♥ This morning Bebe woke us up and we wished her a Happy Valentine’s Day. ♥ I missed a phone call from my...

Valentine’s Day is just a week away! At our home, this means that Bebe and I put up various little heart-shaped decorations and start working on Valentine crafts. We also like to pull out our favorite Valentine’s Day children’s books and we start reading them at nap and bed time. It’s definitely a fun holiday that we enjoy. (Photo Credit Above: Hideki Ueha) As for celebrating on the 14th, I usually cook dinner and...

In Japan, Setsubun, marks the beginning of Spring and is celebrated annually on February 3rd. It coincides with the Lunar New Year and is characterized by a traditional bean throwing ceremony. Above: Fuku Mame – Lucky Roasted Soy Beans Setsubun is often celebrated as part of Haru Matsuri (Spring Festival) but growing-up in Los Angeles, it usually meant that my Mom would buy roasted soy beans and allow my brother and I to toss these out...

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...

  For over a month now, the ongoing debate in our home has been whether egg foo young is a Chinese dish or a Japanese dish. I asked my Chinese-American husband if he grew-up eating egg foo young, to which he replied, “No, I’ve never eaten that. I don’t believe that’s a Chinese dish.” I was quite surprised by this, to which I said, “REALLY? Your parents never made egg foo young? Or ordered it at a Chinese...

  Shoyu tamago, or hard boiled eggs steeped in soy sauce is one of the simplest okazu (Japanese dish) that can easily be enjoyed as a meal, especially in a bento lunch, or on it’s own as a mid-day snack or even for breakfast. In my youth, my mom hardly ever made shoyu tamago for us, instead preferring to make tamagoyaki (sweet and savory egg roulade; my recipe available here). I enjoy eating both types of egg, but for lunch when...

I firmly believe there is a Japanese sushi chef somewhere in California that woke-up one morning and decided to mix a few pieces of fresh sashimi-grade fish and abalone with some mayo, throw in some masago (caviar) for good measure, and baked it all together in his little toaster oven. (Photo Credit: Hideki Ueha) This sushi chef, after tasting one bite of his crazy creation yells at the top of lungs, “D-Y-N-A-M-I-T-O-H!!!!!  Kore wa...