クリスマス クッキー （日本語は後に続く）I started my Christmas cooking early this year in that I already made cookies and we already ate them! I kept them somewhat healthful in that instead of using icing, I kneaded matcha powder into some…

オープンサンド A fancy looking but actually easy lunch to make is an open faced sandwich. For this one, I cooked thinly sliced beef and a whole packet of maiteke mushroom with a sprinkle of salt and added mirin, soysauce and a drizzle of k…

rice omelette (日本語は後に続く）This is just a regular rice omlette for lunch with plenty of onion and sausage. It is sprinkled with parsely. Of course, the main seasonings are ketchup, pepper and garlic powder, but the secret seasonings …

(日本語は後に続く）These days I have been lucky to experience Sokuyu therapy because my husband has been studying it with a very good teacher. I am glad that my husband practices on me! He uses his feet to massage my whole body. My shoulde…

オーブン料理 （日本語は後に続く）One indication of Autumn, is that I have been enjoying cooking things in our big old gas oven again! In this picture is a simple dish of egg plant mixed with meat sauce seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg an…

Lily/ユリ (日本語は後に続く）We don't own a car, but my husband belongs to a car share program, so once a month he rents a car and we go on an outing. I always enjoy it even if it is just to get groceries and eat our favorite ramen. The ot…

小松菜/mustard greens (日本語は後に続く）One of this evening’s side dishes was komatsuna (mustard greens) with Japanese age (fried age) and American peanut butter and Japanese soysauce. Today, August 6, is a day to remember the sadness tha…

Salad to go with our toast/トーストに添えるサラダ （日本語は後に続く）Many years ago, when I used to greet my dad with, "Good morning!"he would often respond with,"It is a good morning, now that you mention it." That helped me to realize t…

朝のサラダ (日本語は後に続く）To go with our morning toast, I prepared a green salad and yogurt. I tried to make the salad look like a morning sun, but I am afraid it looks more like a wagon wheel! I used baby leaves and broccoli sprouts w…

マッシュポテト (日本語は後に続く）As part of our breakfast to go with toast, I made an ordinary green salad (cabbage and sprouts) with a little salad dressing and topped it with a little bit of tuna salad, mashed potato and a dab of sauerk…

タロット、ペンタクルのエース (日本語は後に続く）Today, I was looking at the Ace of Pentacles. As with all the suits in the Minor Arcana of Tarot Cards, the Ace means new beginnings。The Pentacles represents wealth, finances etc. I feel tha…

基本的な焼きそば (日本語は後に続く）I have been in Japan for so long that one of my comfort foods is actually local"B gourmet" ...yakisoba (stir fried noodles)! It is nostalgic, familiar and easy to make. I usually buy the kind that alread…

シンプルな和食 (日本語は後に続く）People often ask me what kinds of meals I cook. Actually, I often cook simple and traditional Japanese meals. They are nutricious and delicious! One thing I like at mealtimes is the custom of putting my ha…

カジキ swordfish (和訳はあとに続く）The other day, I sauted swordfish in butter with a tiny sprinkle of salt and plenty of oregano and white pepper. I served it with asparagus as well as sauted zucchini seasoned with roasted garlic, ketchu…

冷やし中華 (日本語は後に続く）The other day I made the first cold noodles of the season. Tonight my husband and I were talking about seasons and I was remembering how much I used to dislike summer because the heat would always cause me to …

Hydrangea (日本語は後に続く）Yesterday, I took a walk even though it was raining. This hydrangea in the rain caught my eye. It wasn't a vivid blue. It wasn't a rare kind. It wasn't in a spectacular setting. It was just along an ordinary ci…

My New Hit Song （日本語は後に続く）For this entry in my bilingual blog about my daily life, I have something special to talk about. My new single "My New Hit Song,"will be on sale from I-Tunes June 10th! It is something happy for me, and …

お散歩道 （日本語は後に続く）In this bilingual blog about my daily life, I often talk about meals, however, there are other things I do to take care of myself as well. One of them is walking. I really like walking around my neighborhood an…

ドリア/Rice Gratin （日本語は後に続く）The star of today's bilingual blog about my daily life is Doria! Doria is a kind of gratin that has rice as a base. It is named after the Doria family of Genoa (Genova,Italy). This was really easy to …

ハッシュ ポテト The other day, I wanted to make something that would be easy for breakfast, but something that would give us a happy feeling, so I just drew happy faces on hash browns with ketchup. Ketchup is so convenient for decorating! …

French Toast （日本語はこの後）I had milk and eggs and was in the mood for French toast so....I made it! Actually, was out of maple syrup so I sprinkled it with cinnamon, sugur, and a tiny bit of nutmeg. A yummy breakfast helps to power th…

Garlic Rice （日本語は後に続く)In this photo is fried garlic rice. The ingredients in the order I put them in the frying pan are are olive oil, garlic, chikuwa (fish paste pre-cooked into a bamboo shape) ,cooked rice and a little salt. Tha…

株主優待券 A little while ago, I was glad to get these shareholder coupons from Aeon. I can use them until June of next year. These give me a ￥100 discount for every ￥1,000 I spend at Aeon. I don't have a lot of stock, but when I get div…

朝食の時間 Recently, breakfast time is my favorite time of day. I like that time for setting my goals for the day and for setting up my frame of mind. Seasonal items,such as the roses in this photo, remind me to be thankful for the gift of…

asparagus rolls For a simple supper, I boiled asparagus slightly and rolled it in pork that was sprinkled lightly with salt and pepper and then cooked it in a frying pan. Once the pork was nicely browned I dolloped it with sauce that was j…

爽やかな朝ごはん This morning for a refreshing spring breakfast, we had granola topped with yogurt, kiwi and strawberry gelatin. The cute two tone gelatin was easy to make. I just followed the instructions on the instant gelatin box, but i…

和え物 This is a vegitarian side dish I made. First I boiled carrot and shimeji mushrooms and then added spinach last to the boiling water. I squickly squeezed out the extra liguid using a strainer and then mixed it quickly in a bowl with …

Chicken Rice Now that I am staying at home and cooking three meals a day, it is important for me that cooking stays stress free. This chicken rice for lunch was delicious and easy to make. After sauteing the onions, chicken and then green …

Sustainable Sandwich I have been social distancing which means I am making meals at home to share with my husband three times a day❣ The meals have to be creative so that we don't get bored, have enough variety so that we get proper nutrit…

Happy World/Rabbits Spring! These year's spring is kind of strange and sad because of the Corona virus pandemic. But still, in nature it is spring. A time for fresh starts...new beginings. So, what kind of new beginnings will we have? What…