柑橘類 (kankitsurui): citrus fruit When I go grocery shopping, I always check the discounted produce cart for deals. Sometimes the fruit there is overripe or about to expire; sometimes it’s just a bit bruised. Last week, I found a few bags of 小夏 (konatsu; literally little summer) that seemed to be in great shape but just…
Category: Recipes
The Apple Chronicles, Part 3: Very Lemony Apple Jam
手作り (tezukuri): homemade I was a bit wary of posting my jam recipes, because I don’t feel like I’ve perfected the jam-making process. This jam, adapted from Food in Jars‘ “Honey Lemon Apple Jam,” tastes amazing, and I think the recipe is fairly solid. That said, I’m not an expert on making preserves in Japan,…
Stuffed Zucchini
日常的な食物（nichijôtekina shokumotsu): commonly eaten food I grew up in southern Ohio, and like most Midwesterners, summer was a time of ridiculous amounts of zucchini. By the end of season, everyone had so much zucchini that you would practically pay people to take it off your hands (or just give it out for free at work)….
Spring is Here: Na no Hana (Brassica napus)
緑黄色野菜 (ryokuôshoku yasai): leafy greens, yellow-green vegetables high in beta-carotene After a cold winter that was only matched in length by the irritatingly hot summer that preceded it, spring has finally come to Hokuriku. The supermarket is filled with spring vegetables, but the easiest and perhaps most inoffensive one (least bitter) to prepare is na…
The Apple Chronicles, Part 2: Kabocha-Apple Whole-Wheat Turnovers
One recipe I had wanted to make for a while was “Squash-Apple Turnovers” from Cooking Light, but I was deterred by the use of canned biscuit dough. Not only is that not in the spirit of this blog, but you simply can’t buy that kind of thing in my neck of rural Japan. (I suspect…
The Apple Chronicles, Part 1: Applesauce
「しゃきっとみずみずしい果肉をしている」(shakitto mizumizushii kaniku wo shiteiru): to have a crispy and juicy flesh (of fruit)（alc.co.jp) One of my favorite apples grown in Japan is the Jonagold. The flesh is crisp and sweet, and the skin is a gorgeous gradation of reds and yellows. This week, however, I have been pushed to the culinary limit by my…
Fiddleheads
深緑 (shinryoku): deep green Springtime is prime season for going to the grocery store and having no idea what on earth is on the displays in the produce section. One item I did recognize was kogomi (こごみ) or kakuma (かくま), fiddlehead ferns, but only because I tried them last spring in a soba shop in…
My Tribute to Michigan: Cherry Salsa
Some people say that they’ve left their hearts in their hometowns, but with the amount I’ve moved in the last 8 years, I’m starting to feel like Voldemort with his horcruxes. The piece of my heart (or horcrux, or whatever) that represents my time in Michigan is housed firmly in Cherry Republic, Glen Arbor, MI….
やっぱりアメリカ人: Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chip Brownies
「アメリカの料理は？」<What about American food?> 「やっぱりピーナッツ・バター！ピーナッツバターが懐かしい。」 <Definitely peanut butter! I miss peanut butter. > 「甘い。。。」<But it’s sweet…> It’s the nature of an expat to be perpetually food-frustrated–if I’m in Japan, I want turkey and fancy cheese; if I’m in America, I want bamboo shoots and yuba. The ultimate American comfort food for me is peanut butter….
Healthy Comfort Food: Whole-Wheat Strawberry-Orange Muffins
しっとりした (shittori shita): moist (food) It’s been a rough couple of weeks here in Japan, and even though my region is perfectly fine and safe, the mental strain of having to reassure people that we are not being irradiated is starting to wear on us. The latest (actual) issue with the Fukushima plants has been…
Open Sesame! Sesame-Roasted Kabocha
開けゴマ (hirake goma): open sesame! Sesame oil is my new favorite cooking oil. It’s high in antioxidants and, as a result, has a long shelf life. As friend once said, the flavor of Japan is sesame oil, and I use it whenever I’m going for Asian-inspired flavors rather than European (olive oil) or neutral (grapeseed…
When Simple is Best: Komatsuna and Chicken Stir-Fry
乙な味 (otsuna aji)- strange taste; spicy taste I often don’t have a lot of time to cook dinner in the evenings after work. The quickest thing to make on busy days when I haven’t cooked ahead for the week is stir-fry, and this is one of the easiest ones I’ve made. Komatsuna (小松菜), “Japanese Mustard…
I'll Make It Myself! 
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