Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Our family likes to have a family dinner on Sundays, and Ryan and I are normally in charge of desserts. A few weeks ago, we made a carrot cake. Ryan and I subscribe to a local CSA (community-supported agriculture) box from Cooper’s Farm. Through the winter we kept getting carrots. Massive carrots! This cake calls […]

Real Japanese Food

There are dozens upon dozens of sushi restaurants in Toronto, so naturally people think Japanese food = sushi. Not so! That’s like saying American food = hot dogs, or German food = sausages. Yes, those cuisines include those foods, but they are just one type of dish. Likewise, sushi is only one type of dish. […]

Oden – Japanese Stew

Oden - Japanese Stew

Back in 2010, Tomiko and I spent all of April visiting our high school friend in Tokyo. Her mom had just left a day before we arrived, and she had prepared oden, a Japanese stew, for our first dinner. Oden is a stew that consists of a dashi-based broth and contains a variety of ingredients, such […]

Gobo to Ninjin no Kimpira – Burdock and Carrot Kimpira

Gobo to Ninjin no Kimpira - Burdock and Carrot Kimpira

At this time of year in 2010, Tomiko and I flew to Tokyo and spent a month staying with our friend for hanami – cherry blossom viewing. Tomiko and I got gobo to ninjin no kimpira – burdock and carrot kimpira – from the supermarkets in Tokyo and ate it on fresh, white rice for breakfast […]