I love Spring! Flowers are in bloom, birds are singing in the morning, days are longer, air is warmer…AND the Lakers are in the Playoffs. Spring absolutely rocks when the Lakers are on the road to the Championships! Born and raised in Los Angeles, I am a hard-core Laker fan. Always have been, always will be. Lakers play a huge role in the social events of my family and friends. When all of my friends lived nearby, Laker...
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I’m wondering how everyone enjoyed Cindo de Mayo… margaritas and good mexican food with friends and family? Some of you may have read that Bebe E and I spent May the 5th at bachan and jichan’s house (grandma and grandpa) to celebrate Japanese Children’s Day, but I didn’t forget about Cinco de Mayo! :) However, before we get to May the 5th, I’m wondering how everyone enjoyed “Star Wars...
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Blueberry cheesecake cups were my favorite childhood dessert. It seems like my mom made this regularly for us, and when I asked her about this, she said it was because she made this often for parties, as well as refreshments for a number of activities: basketball, church, poker night, Japanese school, boy scouts, girl scouts, her flower arrangement group, chorus, so on and so forth! Am I ever glad my mom had all these activities to make...
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Oyakodon is a common donburi dish often found at Japanese restaurants or the deli section of Japanese supermarkets. It’s chicken, delicately cooked egg, and thin slices of onion all resting over a bed of rice, and covered with a delicate sweet and savory sauce. Long ago, my Mom taught me why oyakodon is called “oyakodon” and tanindon (beef and egg donburi) is called “tanindon”. Oyako in Japanese means...
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Sauteed Chinese baby bok choy is another quick and easy veggie that I make regularly for dinner. It goes really well with the ready-made char siu that I buy at the 99 Ranch Market deli, and makes for a REALLY quick dinner on days when there’s too much going on and I don’t have a lot of time. Until I met bebe dada, I only bought baby bok choy when I made chow mein (a recipe for a future post). He taught me how to prepare this...
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Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki One of my favorite Japanese foods is okonomiyaki. “Okonomi” means, “what you prefer or like”, and okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake made with only those ingredients that you like. Both my parents have roots in Hiroshima, Japan so it’s no wonder I grew up eating Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. This is where all of the ingredients are cooked in layers. Okonomiyaki differs based...
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Cheesy garlic bread is a favorite in our family on spaghetti night. Not too long ago I made spaghetti with meat sauce and I ALMOST forgot to post spaghetti’s best friend – that’s right, easy cheesy garlic bread you can make at home. OK, I did forget but I remembered… 2 weeks later. That’s just how my life is – or ,maybe that’s just how my scatter-brained memory is. :) Oh, and Bebe Dada...
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My mom’s chawan mushi is absolutely my favorite Japanese dish. While I was pregnant last year, every time I visited my parents my Mom would ask me if I wanted her to make something to eat, and I would say, “CHAWAN MUSHI!” Towards the end of my pregnancy my Dad refused to eat chawan mushi even though my Mom served it for dinner, and even Bebe Dada declined when I would bring home leftovers (I always asked my mom to make me...
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