*I teamed up with On The Umami to bring you this post and recipe for Tomato Shio Ramen. The past few months have been, well, insane.  Between the normal life stuff like being mom and trying to keep up with laundry, I was finishing up my first semester of teaching at Utah Valley University, recovering from gall bladder surgery and the accompanying allergic reaction to antibiotics, then following that up with the knee surgery that my gall bladder postponed, starting a new job at the university as the deputy director of a center, and then topping it all off with website and email problems ..read more

*I teamed up with doTERRA to bring you this post. I’m a huge scone fan, but all too often scones are dense and dry.  I like my scones to be rich and flaky, like a good biscuit, not cakey.  These lavender biscuits fit the bill and make a delicious addition to a picnic or an afternoon tea party.  I love the flavor of lavender, but if you use dried lavender flowers, it’s all too easy to get an unpleasant soapy flavor.  My favorite way to get the flavor I love, without the soapy addition, is to use doTERRA Lavender Essential Oil.  A little bit goes a long way!&n ..read more

*I teamed up with doTERRA to bring you this post. It’s spring!!!!!  Who else loves spring?  I love the sounds of birds, the appearance of blossoms and bright green leaves on previously bare branches, and the return of warmer temperatures.  All of these things have me wanting to be outside more and signal the return of picnic and grilling weather!  One of my favorite outdoor foods that seem to go well in any picnic meal is a good dip.  Dips can accompany cut vegetables, chips, and crackers, making a fantastic side dish or snack.  Today I am sharing a rec ..read more

  Spring is here, but it’s still chilly in northern Utah, which means I’m still in the mood for more wintery comfort foods.  One of my favorite genres of food is nabemono/nabe–Japanese hot pot dishes.  I recently whipped up one of my favorites–kinoko nabe, or mushroom hot pot–and thought I would share it with you. It’s really quite simple to make and so delicious.  You can make it in a donabe, or Japanese clay pot, or in a large saute pan.  I used 3 different types of mushrooms to make this particular nabe–dried shiitake mushrooms (both to make the stock, and then as ..read more

*I teamed up with doTERRA to bring you this post. I know we technically have 9 more days until Spring officially makes her debut, but we have recently had some warm days here in northern Utah that have me thinking that Spring is trying to pull a fast one on Mother Nature.  It has me a springy mood, wanting to pull out lighter clothing and make things like lemonade. One of my favorite ways to make homemade lemonade is to dress it up with an herby simple syrup, especially a rosemary simple syrup.  Rosemary and lemonade were made to go together–whether it’s in savory dishes o ..read more

*I teamed up with doTERRA to bring you this post. Valentine’s Day is almost here and I’ve got a brownie recipe that is perfect to help you celebrate.  “A brownie recipe?” you might say.  “Aren’t there already 30 bazillion brownie recipes out there?  Why do we need another one?”  Well, you don’t have this one!  Several things make it special: It’s free of gluten, eggs, and dairy, and can be easily made soy-free as well.  But wait! These brownies are still rich and decadent and do not taste gluten-free.  No weird textures here!  Oat flour ..read more

Post brought to you in partnership with Kokoro Care Packages. I have a special place in my heart for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan (the prefecture located just south of Tokyo), so when Kokoro Care Packages reached out to me to see if I would be interested in partnering with them to highlight their November 2020 Nourishing Essentials Care Package, featuring products from Kanagawa Prefecture, I said yes immediately.  (Though let’s be honest, any time Kokoro Care Packages comes knocking, I say yes, because they are an amazing company.) When Mr. Fuji and I first moved to Japan in the fall of ..read more

Post brought to you in partnership with Kokoro Cares. I have a special place in my heart for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan (the prefecture located just south of Tokyo), so when Kokoro Cares reached out to me to see if I would be interested in partnering with them to highlight their November 2020 Nourishing Essentials Care Package, featuring products from Kanagawa Prefecture, I said yes immediately.  (Though let’s be honest, any time Kokoro Cares comes knocking, I say yes, because they are an amazing company.) When Mr. Fuji and I first moved to Japan in the fall of 2002, we lived on the ou ..read more

As part of my new podcast, The Onigiri Chronicles, with my friend Noriko, she has been sharing pictures of the lunches that she helps to prepare at the elementary school she works at in Funabashi, Japan.  They are so inspiring.  Though I should warn you, they will make you very jealous because they are so amazing.  The recipes/menu are developed by the school’s nutritionist, Akemi Tsuchiya, who is a genius at finding ways to include lots of vegetables in the dishes, without them seeming like they are out of balance.  Noriko says that her son used to be very picky ..read more

In episode 4 of our new podcast, The Onigiri Chronicles, my best friend Noriko and I discussed all things ume–the sour Japanese fruit that they use in Japan to turn into all sorts of wonderful things, like ume syrup and my favorite, umeboshi (pickled plums).  We talked about making umeboshi gohan (梅干しご飯), or pickled plum rice.  After recording I had to make some, because it is so good and the only remedy for my craving for it after talking about it was making some so I could eat it. Making it is really simple.  You steam Japanese short-grain rice with umeboshi, then toss the s ..read more