i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
Sometimes I fall down the rabbit hole of making things traditionally in order to experience and understand the work and history that goes into food (and subsequently culture.) Mei gan cai kou rou (梅乾菜燜肉) is a dish my mom and grandma used to make–soft fatty …
It’s kind of hard to explain the flavor of indian aster, Kalimeris indica, also known as Ma Lan Tou (馬蘭頭), herby and little cooling on the tongue, a hint of bitterness that you’re almost not quite certain is there, but refreshing and somewhat addictive. Most …
Chicken nanban is a popular dish with a tasty tartar sauce from the Kyushu Island. It’s a relatively easy recipe with lots of things that I usually have ready in my pantry and freezer. The tartar sauce to me is almost like deviled eggs in …
My sister came over today much to everyone’s (especially the kids’ who are obsessed with her) delight and of course, being two foodies who love to cook (and one an actual chef), we got to working on shucking a baker’s dozen (plus an extra one) …
It’s spring and one of the first things to pop up in my garden is garlic chives—different than onion chives, the leaves are flat and the flavor similar to ramps but less intense. It’s a popular Asian vegetable and dead easy to grow. With my …
This is it. The trip we’ve been waiting for! (This week needs to go by faster.) The kids are finally old enough to go (and have had both their Covid vaccines) and I’ve been bubbling with excitement! It’s not just for a (much needed) vacation …
Thursday, September 2nd, 2021: I’ve been doing trial runs of the AirBnB and decided I really, really enjoy it. Most of my guests have been very private so I’ve left them alone and in general they’ve been pretty good. However, a big project that I’ve …
The garden portion of my plan will actually be done in October, when I can get clearance fruit tree as from my local plant nurseries. First thing is that the ground needs to be turned over and then the holes have to be dug. I …
As my garden wakes up this spring, I thought about how it will be the last season I’ll be able to enjoy it (hello ramps, good morning asparagus!) Having fed my family for years from painstakingly building it from a sandy, sterile lawn using purely …
Akebia is such an interesting plant, and for those who like bitter gourd (which I really hated as a child but has since begun to miss in my old age), the thick rind is like a perennial version of it. It’s tender and juicy, despite …