It seems wrong to start this post with, “Happy New Year!” as I originally intended, rather than, “Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day!” yet here we are two- going on three- weeks after we celebrated Chinese New Year, wishing all of you a Happy New Rabbit Year. And yes, some of you might be thinking exactly what Bebe Dada voiced. Last night, he bluntly announced that this post is “a little too late, isn’t...
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Goodbye 2010, hello 2011! Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year! The holiday season flew by so quickly, I almost can’t believe the New Year has arrived. Yet here I am once again, asking Bebe Dada if he made any New Year’s resolutions. He told me he did, but this year he is keeping them to himself. While I wouldn’t share them on my blog even if he did tell me what they were, the nosey side of me nagged him for a good...
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Over nine months ago, on March 5, 2010, I posted my very first blog entry. I was extremely nervous before I hit the “Publish” button. It wasn’t even a recipe post, just a simple ‘hello’ to no one in particular, and it read more like a ‘to do’ list. Yet, despite the simplicity of this first post, I was anxious. The thought of having my words float around in cyberspace made me a little giddy, yet also...
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I know I’ve said this quite a few times in recent weeks, but I LOVE this time of the year! Thanksgiving for us is always very busy and sometimes even just a little hectic, but it’s still one of my favorite holidays. In one day, we celebrate with both sides of our family, which means packing (lots of food and baby gear) and driving (across counties, around town, and to the supermarket for forgotten items), but what I always cherish...
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I’m always willing to try shortcuts once. My Mom makes shiratama zenzai from scratch (see Homemade Zenzai recipe here) and will use store-bought fresh made mochi as a short-cut, but she’ll never use canned ogura-an and Mochiko (for instant mochi, although I believe there is also shiratamako which I have not yet come across) to make shiratama zenzai. Although Mom always knows best, I had to see for myself whether I could get...
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I love Fall, not just because of the mild, yet cooler weather (with the exception of the 90 – plus degree temperatures we experienced last week) and the color of the leaves changing (in limited areas of Southern California), but because of all the wonderful festivities that take place in the Fall such as Halloween, family birthdays, and Thanksgiving. By far, Halloween is one of my FAVORITE holidays, but ironically I married Bebe Dada who...
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As a kid, eating spinach at our house meant that my mom made ohitashi. Although she used spinach in dishes such as chawan mushi or shabu-shabu, we never ate sautéed spinach the way Bebe Dada likes to make it (yet another post for the future). Ohitashi is a simple, healthy and refreshing dish. It’s perfect for a hot summer day, and believe me, it has been HOT over the past two weeks in So. Cal, but it definitely seems like it has...
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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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