If you’ve been reading my blog the past few weeks, the good news is that my ‘foodie funk’ got a good kick in the tush this past week. The bad news is that even though I’m back to cooking more than just tacos, the more dishes I cook, the further behind I’ll be on my food posts and I’m already quite behind. I know what you’re all thinking… My problem could easily be solved if I just posted more...

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I hope everyone’s weekend is getting off to a great start. I can’t believe it’s already Friday night… And here I am updating my blog. Such is the life of a Bebe Mama with a little one tucked away in her crib. It seems Bebe Dada left the room and the movie he was watching ended. Now I’m sitting in the dark with my laptop and I hear something very scary on TV and I’m afraid to turn around and see what’s...

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  I really wanted to entitle this post, “Good Job, Auntie!” I somehow managed to refrain, although I am definitely patting myself on the back right now, despite a few “hiccups”. My 22 month old nephew came over this morning for just a few hours since he needed someone to look after him and I didn’t call in the cavalry (a.k.a. Aya-chan) to see if she was available to help, and I didn’t have Big Onechan to...

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  It feels like it’s been a long time since I traded weekend brunches and lazy lunches with girlfriends for soccer games, swim meets, little kiddie birthday parties, and mommy & me class. Of course, I say this lovingly, as I adore spending time with my family, but as I reflect upon the past 10 years of my life, in many ways its changed so very dramatically, but definitely for the better. This morning, as I sit in front of my computer...

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  As a Japanese-American child growing-up in Los Angeles, I was fortunate to be a part of a local Japanese community which provided the opportunity to experience a number of wonderful cultural traditions. My favorite summer-time tradition was, and still is, attending Obon. Long ago when I asked my mom about the meaning of Obon, she told me that it was a time during which we remembered and honored our family members that have passed on. In our...

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Lately, I’ve been making dishes at home that I’ve enjoyed at some of my favorite restaurants, and nasu miso is no different. One of my favorite dishes at Fukada, a Japanese restaurant near the Irvine Spectrum in Orange County, serves a delicious side dish, nasu miso. It’s pan-fried eggplant dressed with a savory-sweet miso glaze. Some of you might be familiar with this dish as it is commonly found on Japaneseizakaya restaurant...

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Did you know that in Japanese, ice cream is known as “ice cream” or more accurately, “aisukurimu”? It’s ice cream pronounced with a Japanese accent, “eye-sue-coo-reem-mu”. Does this mean that black sesame ice cream in Japanese could potentially be, “boo-lack-oo say-sah-me eye-sue-coo-reem-mu”? At this point, I’m fairly certain my bilingual English-Japanese friends who are reading this...

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I’m the only one at home that likes cauliflower.  Why is that?  Is cauliflower THAT unpopular? Growing up, I ate this regularly, probably as often as I ate broccoli, green beans, snow peas, eggplant, corn, asparagus, artichoke and all kinds of other vegetables.  My mom was great at making sure we had plenty of veggies at dinner. Maybe I was just a weird kid because I loved so many vegetables?   Bebe Dada and Big Onechan no longer...

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