Author: kaori

Mac Salad

Mac Salad

This is not a regular macaroni salad, it’s a cool macaroni salad! If you look at the recipe, you’d be surprise how simple this salad is. You would also be surprised how tasty it is. Aaaand, you’d be shocked to know how much mayonnaise you’d 

Hawaiian Chow Mein

Hawaiian Chow Mein

This chow mein is EASY, DELICIOUS, and SOULFUL! Hawaiian cuisine is a representation of different cultures, different people, and different ancestors. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, American, Hawaiian..it’s a combination/mixture of uniqueness, and that’s the beauty of it. That’s also the beautiful part of being a human 

Matcha Biscuits

Matcha Biscuits

How was your Memorial day weekend?

Oh! Mine? I thought you’d never ask! Let me tell you, it was wonderful filled with warmth, laughter, love, gratitude…

On Saturday, we went on a hike. It was pretty much rock climbing really. Although it was a lot harder than I imagined, I had a lot of fun! It was such a grounding experience for me. Figuring out where I should grab, where to place my foot, where to go next…kind of like solving a puzzle. Since, I had such a stressful week last week, it was so nice to be in tune with the nature and focus on what’s in front of me. I felt so calm and refreshed.

After we went down this steep hill, there’s a river. I don’t know what it is, but whenever I see a body of water, I feel so in peace. I am such a tiny tiny part of this huge world, the universe! My problems suddenly seemed so small.

After a hike, my roommate and I grabbed Chick-fil-A on the way home cause we felt we deserved some waffle fries, ya know? (Shout out to the workers there! They were so efficient, so nice, all around positive.) Anyways, we came home and watched a couple of episodes of “Sweet Magnolias” (a new show on Netflix, and it is AMAZING!). I am so grateful for simple moments like these. I felt so warm and fuzzy inside. My cup was overfilled with water full of magic and sparkles.

On Sunday, we did a little BBQ. We had some burgers, hotdogs, and S’Mores!! We also played hide and seek. – I was able to embrace my inner child, and I think she was happy☺️ At night, the whole vibe reminded me of camp Eardman (a camp we went to every year in high school). We, seniors in high school at the time, surrounded a bonfire and stargazed. Not everyone got along so well, but in that moment, I felt the bond. I feel like a bonfire has that interesting effect on people (We’re all in this together🎶 vibe haha)

Aaaand on Monday, I went on a little picnic with friends. Amazing company, amazing banana bread (shout out to my roomie! it was so yummy😋), and amazing weather never fail to put a smile on my face. We haven’t seen each other since January, so we had so much to catch up on. We talked, talked, and talked, and completely lost track of time. I feel so blessed to have friends like them that constantly give me positive energy and make me feel so proud. I honestly cannot even put into words how grateful I am. I feel like I don’t express it enough. So, let me just say Thank you publicly❤️

See? I had such an eventful weekend, and t’was wonderful.

Tbh, it was a little crazy though. The only thing that got me going was:

Matcha Biscuits!

Gave me so much energy and so much joy! The combination of matcha and white chocolate is just heavenly. Perfect for breakfast or a little afternoon snack😊

So, here you go❣️

All my love,

Kaori

Matcha Biscuits

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 8 biscuits

Equipment

  • Matcha Biscuits

Ingredients

  • 50 cc milk (I used oat milk)
  • 1 egg
  • 1⅔ cup flour
  • 3 tsp matcha powder
  • a pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • tbsp butter (coconut oil as an alternative!)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 white chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Combine all the ingredients (except for chocolate chips) in a large bowl.
  • Mix them together until incorporated (I mixed it with my hand).
  • Add chocolate chips and mix.
  • Place a sheet of plastic wrap on the flat surface and sprinkle the wrap with some flour. Spread the mixture (dough) on top.
  • Fold the dough and flatten it X 5 (I used another sheet of plastic wrap to do this).
  • Flatten the dough into a circular shape (like pizza!) and cut it into 8 (make sure the dough is about 1-inch thick all around).
  • On a cookie sheet, place aluminum foil, spray it with non-stick oil spray, and place the biscuits.
  • Put it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself

Joseph Campbell
Japanese Beef and Potato Stew aka Nikujaga

Japanese Beef and Potato Stew aka Nikujaga

What do you crave on a rainy and gloomy day? I usually crave something warm and soupy that would make me feel at home. Today’s dish “Nikujaga” quite literally means meat and potatoes. It is a popular taste of mother’s home cooking in Japan, and 

Pressure Cooker Saimin

Pressure Cooker Saimin

This morning, during meditation, I imagined what my future self would look like. I imagined what my future self would say to me. I imagined my successful and fulfilled life. So, this is what I pictured in my head: I’m in a therapist’s office (it’s 

Banana Earl Grey Tea Bread

Banana Earl Grey Tea Bread

Growing up, I used to looooove earl grey bread.

Walking into bakeries in Japan is like going into a whole new world (I watched Disney sing along last night. Hence why…..oops lol). As soon as you step in, you smell the buttery, sweet, salty deliciousness. Also, the presentation is always on point!

Being a bougie kid that I was, I loved the kind of food that goes well with some good old wine like the kind of food adults like (it was so bad though, I could not eat food kids usually love. I could also tell the difference between expensive ingredients and cheap ingredients. If my mom were to use cheap ingredients, I just would not eat that food. Wow like who did I think I was???lol). Anyways, whenever my mom and I went to a bakery together, I would always ask her to get an earl grey bread loaf. It was my absolute fav❤️

A few days ago, when I was brainstorming some cooking ideas, something came to my mind: “earl grey tea bread.” I went to the kitchen, and I saw some ripe bananas on the counter and thought, “hmmm, they will go well together.” So, there you go. It’s not too sweet, and earl grey just makes it 1000 times better. It’s such a classy little bread loaf, everyone would love it! I also added some chia seeds for a fun texture😋

Enjoy❣️

All my love,

Kaori

Banana Earl Grey Tea Bread

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Little funsies

  • 1/2 ripe banana (we'll use total of 3 bananas for this recipe)
  • 1 bag earl grey tea bag
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds

Dry ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • a pinch salt

Wet ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature, coconut oil as an alternative)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (1/2 cup of apple sauce as an alternative)
  • ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and coat the loaf pan with nonstick oil spray. Set aside. (I used coconut oil spray)
  • Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
  • In a large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Mix until creamy.
  • Add eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla extract (the rest of the wet ingredients). Mix until completely incorporated.
  • Combine chia seeds and tea leaves (open the tea bag and mix in the leaves) into wet ingredient mixture.
  • Gradually add dry ingredient mixture into wet ingredients and mix until there are no flour sockets.
  • Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and top with banana slices (1/2 banana). Bake for about 50 minutes.
  • Once baked, make sure to stick a toothpick in the middle and see if it comes out clean.
“Negishio” Pork Chops

“Negishio” Pork Chops

Rise and shine! You know my roommate and I were talking today after our meditation sesh: the importance of setting intentions. We all have busy lives, and sometimes we get consumed by the amount of tasks that we need to complete, stress, thoughts…the list can 

Poached Chicken with Chili Sauce

Poached Chicken with Chili Sauce

Hi y’all! I hope you guys are beginning the week with calm and mindful spirit. I started meditating with my roommate last week and it’s been going great so far. I feel like I can start my mornings with a good note and really it’s 

Simple Cucumber Salad

Simple Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are just so refreshing. Whenever I eat cucumbers, I feel so clean, healthy, and overall great! I don’t know why, but I just feel that way.

Anyways, this salad is SO easy to make and SO yummy, it is perfect for the summer weather! The weather outside has been so nice lately, and y’all, I am SUPER excited to come up with new summer recipes😍 You could eat this outside in the sun, use this as a side dish, bring it to a potluck…..I promise you, everyone would be so impressed and in love!

So, lets talk about the recipe.

When you think of cucumber salad, you might think vinegar, dill, etc. But of course, my purpose here is to show you my Japanese twist, so my recipe will be a little different compared to the norm.

I am sharing with you two ways to make this (just different flavors). They are both equally wonderful, and I hope you’ll enjoy them both!

Simple Cucumber Salad

Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

If you like creamy…

  • 3 seedless cucumbers
  • 4 imitation crab legs
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp noodle soup base
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds

If you love vinegar…

  • 2 tbsp vinegar (I used rice vinegar for mine)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • a pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Slice cucumbers and peel imitation crabs apart.
  • Put sliced cucumbers into a small bowl, add salt, and leave it for five minutes.
  • Throw out the excess water from cucumbers.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix.
Matcha Smoothie Bowl

Matcha Smoothie Bowl

What I love about this smoothie bowl is not only does it taste good, but it’s also healthy af! I know green tea aka MATCHA is a thing nowadays. But do you know why so many wellness enthusiasts are obsessed all of a sudden?? Matcha 

Oven-baked Japanese Spare Ribs

Oven-baked Japanese Spare Ribs

These ribs are honestly so delicious, you have to try! I do love some good old BBQ ribs, but this one just holds a special space in my heart. Every Christmas, my mom would make these amazingly flavorful pork ribs. As a child, I thought 

Intro + Matcha Banana Chocolate chip Cookies

Intro + Matcha Banana Chocolate chip Cookies

Hi guys! I know I have a bio on this website, but I thought I should introduce myself here. First off, thank you so much for stopping by! I am SO SO excited to start this journey and share my experiences with you.

My inspiration for starting this blog is not only because I love cooking, but also because cooking/food truly makes me happy. I want others to find this joy in putting some ingredients together and making something so delicious or oishii 😋

Ever since I started cooking on a regular basis, I became more aware of this mind-body connection. I study psychology, so obviously I KNEW well about this, but I never really paid attention to my own mind and body. I realized that what I put in my body really changes the way I feel the next day, my mood, etc. I felt like, by cooking something from scratch, I was truly taking care of my soul. Cooking also helps me feel relaxed. – It is just one of the great ways to gain a sense of control in this crazy world! Of course, I don’t eat healthy all the time, I eat out sometimes, and I absolutely love junk food (anything deep fried….yum!). What’s important is that you live your full life.

Basically, my goal here is to inspire you to find that balance and feel awesome from the inside and the outside. I wanted to create this space to pass along my tips and tricks to well-being. It’s okay to feel crappy sometimes though and eat a pint of ice cream all by yourself. You don’t have to do everything perfect. This is the balance I’m talking about. Eating healthy can seem intimidating and trying to have a healthier lifestyle can be overwhelming. BUT, like Hokusai says, “Love, feel, let life take you by the hand. Let life live through you” (Keyes).

So….let’s get to the recipe!

This recipe was created by the one and only…..Candice Kumai. She has been a bridge between American and Japanese culture and she is such an inspiration! Check out her book Kintsugi Wellness for amazing recipes!

Anyways, these matcha cookies!!! Look how gorgeous they are. They are perfectly chewy and so delicious. Whenever I bake them, they are usually gone in a couple of days! It’s so easy and makes for perfect snacking for busy folks during the week😊

Matcha Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (gluten free works fine, too!)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp matcha powder
  • pinch salt

Wet ingredients

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter (coconut oil as an alternative)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used coconut brown sugar for mine!)
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ripe banana (mashed)
  • 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet!)
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 F.
  • Whisk all the dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, matcha powder, and salt) in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar together.
  • Add the egg and vanilla extract, mix well.
  • Mix in the mashed banana and water. Beat until everything is incorporated.
  • Add the dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mix together until they are all combined.
  • Add the oats and chocolate chips, mix briefly.
  • Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with cooking spray (I used coconut oil spray!). Use a spoon to scoop out the dough balls and place them onto the cookie sheet (1 inch apart).
  • Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

If y’all have any suggestions/recommendations on what I should cook next, leave a comment below!

Thank you loves💕