A dish that goes perfectly with rice is Japanese tsukemono. Growing up my grandmother would make a simple pickled cabbage which she would refer to as, "koko." I remember at dinner time, my grandmother would take out a glass jar of "koko" along side miso soup, ochazuke, and many other ono dishes. I would fill my bowl with plenty of rice and "koko" and enjoy the sweet and salty flavors along with its crunchy texture. Click here to watch my mom and I make "koko" and chicken adobo here! https://youtu.be/9PyNizIjgB0?si=VOXzhItBa0zmnPUF Equipment used to film this video: (Amazon Affiliate Links) Ca ..read more

Recently, I've been looking through my grandma's old recipe box and and stumbled across this very simple chicken adobo recipe. As many of you know, my grandparents grew up in Laupahoehoe on the Big Island of Hawaii so much of their cooking influence and dishes come from the people in that area and their upbringing. Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines and comes from the word, "adobar" which means "marinade," "sauce," or "seasoning." From the earliest days, the Malay voyagers would use salt and vinegar to extend the life of their proteins. And to this day, much of the foundation of F ..read more

Traveling with a baby and/or toddler can be tough. This year, my family and I took international, domestic, and inter island trips with our 15 month old toddler. We have made wonderful memories together and also learned a lot along the way. Since we are done traveling for the year, I wanted to reflect on my experiences and share with you what I've learned. If you are planning on traveling with your little one, I hope this blog can help a little! To give context to our experiences, our daughter Ellie went on her first airplane ride at 9 months to the Big Island of Hawaii. This was a 40 minute ..read more

Growing up on the plantation in Papaaloa on the Big Island of Hawaii, Uncle Owen recalls his dad, my grandpa Haru making Pork Guisantes for lunches and dinners. He shared with me that grandpa would make this savory tomato pork stew dish and pack them in "Kau Kau tins" to take to school. Similar to bento boxes, "Kau Kau tins" are what the plantation workers would take to work. They usually had a wooden or metal handle and two compartments stacked upon each other; one for rice and one for the main dish. Modern-style bento box (similar look to the Kau Kau tin) Pork Guisantes is the perfect dish ..read more

Mom describes this dish simply as "a treat." On the plantation, fried chicken was saved for special family picnics or beach days with the family. Grandpa Haru and grandma Itsue would wake up at 5:30 am to cook rice, make musubis, fry chicken, make shoyu hot dog, and rolled egg. A day at the beach would be more than complete. Grandma's fried chicken was actually very simple. Not much more than salt, pepper and a really good frying technique. My mom on the other hand added a couple more spices to this recipe but also kept it quite simple. In helping her to fry this chicken, I believe that good ..read more

Occasionally, Reid and I enjoy playing "tourist" and visiting sights around Oahu. Recently, we did a drive around the island and visited Queen Emma Summer Palace, Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, and Byodo-In Temple at the Valley of the Temples. Unlike the Pali Lookout and the Byodo-In Temple which we both visited many years ago separately, we both have never visited Queen Emma Summer Palace before so it was definitely exciting to learn new things about Hawaii's history and the land that we grew up on. Our first stop was Queen Emma Summer Palace, which is tucked away in the lush green trees of Nu'uanu ..read more

If you are expecting and are eagerly preparing for baby, congratulations! Motherhood has been a wonderful blessing in my life and everyday I feel so grateful to be a mom to my beautiful baby girl. I remember vividly trying to put together my registry when I was 6 or 7 months pregnant with Ellie and not knowing what I would actually need. Of course every family is different and every baby is different so some of these items that worked for our family may or may not work for you. Here are the essentials that we used! 1. Diapers- https://amzn.to/3Uk2wRz Ellie used the newborn size for the first ..read more

On July 24th, Reid and I welcomed our baby girl Ellie, into the world. For months prior to her arrival, we were going through name after name unable to pick one that we both liked. One sunny day in June on a drive to the North Shore of Oahu, the name Ellie popped in my head. Reid's late grandmother's name was Eleanore but many knew her as Ellie for short. We both liked the idea of naming her after our grandparents (Ellie has my grandpa Haru's name in her middle name) to keep her connected to her past and to appreciate the loved ones who came before her. The name "Ellie" which means light or b ..read more

Growing up, I loved eating my mom's miso soup! Nothing beat a hot bowl of miso soup with tofu, onion, wakame, and rice! Sometime I also love to add a scrambled egg in my soup as well! I can say without a doubt that this recipe is one of my all time favorite soups and overall dishes! It's nostalgic, timeless, and not to mention, very simple to make! Please enjoy this recipe! Watch me make miso soup here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyy9zRgA4z0&t=12s Equipment used to film this video: (Amazon Affiliate Links) Camera: https://amzn.to/3csp7aW Mic: https://amzn.to/3g2WHqd Iphone Mount: htt ..read more

Prepping for labor for the first time feels like walking into the abyss alone in many ways. Up to this point, I've learned that every woman has a unique experience. Some women have positive and quick deliveries while others have traumatic and painful birth memories. I've read books about women having at home birth deliveries and about women having hospital medicated births. From all the experiences that I've heard and read, I realize that no matter how a baby gets into this world, a woman's strength is so powerful and special and that I too will soon be writing my own birth story of how our b ..read more