One of the things about Mondays that I just can’t seem to shake is that I often feel as though I’m recovering from the weekend. While that statement might have had a different meaning in my twenties where I was often recovering from late nights dancing and clubbing with my besties, today, it means something entirely different. It means that we spent some time on Saturday in the hot sun at Nene’s (Bebe’s big sis)...

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It only feels like summer once Obon season starts. And, it’s started! This year, all of the obon festivals are being held earlier than usual, but we’re not complaining. We already went to our first obon for the season at the Orange County Buddhist Temple, even before the end of June, and that almost never happens. Usually, July is when obon season is in full swing. Read more about the obon festival in my 2012  and...

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I still make oatmeal about twice a week on mornings I don’t make a green smoothie. Lately we’ve moved on from toppings such as caramelized bananas (recipe available here) to homemade granola (recipe available here), berries, fresh apples and fresh white nectarine slices. However, I recently remembered a dessert that my Auntie Sumiko made and I was inspired to try something new with oatmeal. The idea to top my oatmeal with soy...

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For a year in college, I had a roommate from Hawaii. She was impressionable in that she was truly the only one in our town house at the time that could actually cook something other than fried rice, curry or spaghetti. It’s been over, uh let’s just say, at least a decade, since  I learned how to make two of her dishes but I still make them. The first is corn chowder, which I modified slightly by substituting portuguese sausage...

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Happy 4th of July! Every year we enjoy a potluck dinner, swimming, and fireworks with family. A few days ago I saw a cute red, white and blue dessert on Pinterest with strawberries, blueberries and a white gelatin. As soon as I saw the picture, I thought I could easily make a similar dessert, but using a family almond jello recipe (available here). The strawberries and blueberries are slightly tossed with sugar and then served with little...

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I’m not sure what it is about chocolate cookies and vanilla cream, but my obsession with these cookies haven’t waned since I was at least six years old. There’s just something so divine about the crunchiness of the chocolate cookie and the dreamy, sugary-sweetness of the thin layer of cream sandwiched between those two chocolate cookies. What is it about these packaged and processed cookies that I love so much? I truly have NO...

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Bebe recently had her first dance recital. She looked as though she was having so much fun on the big stage with her beaming smile. She did a fabulous job remembering her routine to “Big Rock Candy Mountain” and we really loved the big kisses she blew to all of us at the end of her performance. Even though she couldn’t see us in the darkened audience, she knew we were watching her and cheering her on. We’re so proud of...

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  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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