This week’s #SundaySupper honors the tradition of April showers - the wedding and baby variety. I was in a bit of a quandary. Gifts for newlyweds and newborns are given in Japan. However, traditionally, showers are not – yet.
Tokyo hums with sophistication. Neon ads rivaling New York’s Times Square abound. But Tokyo is also a city where temples and tranquility live content next door to skyscrapers. A move to LA from Tokyo as an 18-year-old in the late ‘70s took a toll on my nervous system. Culture shock greeted me at every turn...
The love and comfort of times with dear ones was rekindled as I watched Fantasia. Classical pieces conducted by Leopold Stokowski soared; cheerful Disney-drawn characters pranced in idyllic Elysium fields soothed. It was the perfect antidote to the overwhelm of being on my own in a new country. I related to the befuddled Mickey Mouse in the Magician’s home...
Cost-saving cuisine is synonymous with quick and easy for this Ninja Baker. Japanese chahan rice and ramen noodles are but two examples. Kung Pao Tofu is no exception. The recipe below is adapted from Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites. Jaden Hair, the author of the cookbook, joined our SundaySupper one week...
Are you obligated to bring your children, colleagues or your BFF gifts or souvenirs upon your return from a trip? Are you required to bring a present when paying a formal visit to a friend or company? Yes, according to many Japanese.
Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines are where the masses go to celebrate the holidays in Japan. Japanese partake in water rituals at the entrance. The Ninja Baker's YouTube features Ryo Shimizu who demonstrates the ritual. (Ryo-san and I met on a TV set in LA where Japanese-English bilinguals were needed.)
In addition to respecting the rituals of the Buddhist and Shinto religions, my family attended church on Christmas and Easter. After the inspirational songs and sermon given by the Australian minister at St. Alban’s, we often headed over to the Tokyo American Club buffet. Petit four cakes and artistic ikebana floral arrangements were the pièce des résistances of the day.
Spring ushers in showers, flowers and a slew of goddesses who bring renewal to the world...For those of us who are domestic goddesses, closets are cleaned out and windows are flung open to welcome in a new season. Along with the physical cleaning, many of us allow cobwebs of old thinking to be cleared from our minds. Such as throwing out any fears surrounding cream roll-cake-making.
Adapting a bread recipe I learned from the ABC Cooking School in Japan last week, I made bread cups with Shrimp Curry. The curry recipe is from Jaden Hair's Steamy Kitchen. For info about this recipe and Steamy Kitchen cookbook giveaways at this week's #SundaySupper Twitter event, read on.
Hello from the Land of Cherry Blossoms, "cho oishii"(super delicious) food and Hinamatsuri. Japan's Hinamatsuri, Doll's Festival is also known as Girls' Day. For the occasion, I've created The Ninja Baker's Cherry Blossom Crescents.
Whether enjoying awe-inspiring snow sculptures in Japan or creating snow angels in your own backyard, winter is a good time to have soup ready for the dinner table. So the #SundaySupper team of food bloggers will gather on Twitter at 7p.m. ET on 24 February to share their favorite belly warming concoctions. You are definitely invited to participate and divulge the secrets of your family’s favorite soups. For the Ninja Baker's Corn Soup recipe, read on.
'Tis the season when cherubs string their bows, aim at the hearts of mortals and watch the merriment of St. Valentine's Day. And sometimes the tears. (Spoken by one whose personal cupid didn't aim quite right until much later in life.)
In addition to the shenanigans of February 14th, my guess is that the chubby-cheeked cherubs are giggling at all the delights food bloggers are concocting for the special day. Especially the foodies who congregate on Twitter at #SundaySupper every week.
