A few days ago, we took this short little day trip to the land of Matcha. Uji is famous for producing the finest Matcha in Japan since the 14th century. It’s not necessarily a “must see,” but it’s an easy 30 minute train ride from Kyoto and it was just so beautiful. We strolled the little main street, saw a (pretty touristy) tea ceremony, drank some frothy matcha, and had a nice cha-soba lunch.
Matcha treats – I can hardly remember my life without them. Since we’ve been in Japan, matcha ice cream, matcha doughnuts, and matcha cakes have become daily afternoon snacks. This matcha smoothie, I promise, is a much healthier treat than any of those. Sure matcha is healthy, but a doughnut is still a doughnut after all. At home, this is how we enjoy matcha. I use my go-to smoothie base – almond milk and bananas – and add matcha powder along with a bit of vanilla bean. If you’re new to matcha, it’s very finely ground, high quality green tea…
Happy weekend! I just wanted to pop in for a minute and share this easy recipe for the spicy margaritas we served at our margarita party a few weeks ago. They were such a big hit – tart, smooth, not too sweet, and most importantly – spicy. The perfect refreshing cocktail for one last summer party! photos #1 and #3 by Chris Perez of Citygram Magazine
…otherwise known as Fushimi Inari-Taisha. (We nicknamed it Starfox Mountain). This shrine is the #1 Kyoto attraction on Trip Advisor, yet last time we were here, we somehow missed it. We really try hard not to fall into major tourist traps… I guess sometimes we try a little too hard. This one is amazing. If you go, prepare to walk up a ton of stairs (it’s about 35 minutes to the top), so be sure to wear good shoes like I didn’t. Some fun geek trivia – a friend of Jack’s who lives here who worked on the old Super…
We made it to Japan! I think it’s only fitting that our first post is about the first meal of the day. I wouldn’t normally recommend eating breakfast at your hotel, but in Japan you have to (at least once) experience the Japanese breakfast. If you haven’t heard of it, the concept might rock your mind… I mean, it is miso soup and fish for breakfast after all… This particular breakfast was at the Claska, a boutique hotel in Tokyo. We spent our first two nights there and our favorite part was their version of the Japanese breakfast. It was…
I can’t think of a better way to end the summer than with good friends & spicy drinks! A few weekends ago we had this fun little margarita party for Refinery 29 and Grand Marnier. I made a jalapeño version of the classic Grand Margarita. Let’s just say, no one left until every drop was gone.
We had such a wonderful time this past week in Seattle. Thank you to everyone who left recommendations – we went to as many of them as we could!! These are some of our highlights. This is by no means a comprehensive list, just the places we happened to make it to in the short 3 days we were there.
Admittedly, I’m not the best at baby showers. I forget that the point of a baby shower is the gift-showering part, and I usually show up with an amazon print-out of what I purchased off the registry that morning. (really, I mean well). So this is my kind of baby shower… the virtual kind where I make and eat waffles and snap a photo. No pink bows required. Melissa (of The Faux Martha) is a dear friend I’ve met through the blogosphere. Her beautiful blog is filled with delectable sweet treats and her waffle recipe is one of her signatures. When…
The “summer’s not over yet” recipe theme continues. Right now Jack and I are in Seattle for a few days before we head to Japan. I feel inclined to write about how we spent the last few weekends at home savoring the last of our local late-summer produce… But seriously, it was 104 degrees when we left so I’m sure there will be plenty of summer (and it’s veggies) waiting for us when we get back. With Japan on the brain, I’ve been in the mood for miso. Although, I realize nothing else about this recipe is remotely Japanese… the…
We’re going to Japan! I know, I’m surprised too… it kind of came up at the last minute, but here we go… Right now I’m en route to Seattle to meet up with Jack. Later this week we’ll be off to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and back to Tokyo… followed by a couple of days in San Francisco before we head home. We spent some time in Japan a few years ago (pic above), but of course if you have any must-try food suggestions, let me know!! We’re so excited to fill up on sushi, ramen, udon, soba, kyoto vegetables and…
If you put fruit on cake, it’s ok to eat it for breakfast. That’s the rule, right? Of course, the cakes I make aren’t super decadent. This one, for example, is whole-grain enough that it could just as easily be baked in a muffin tin or mini loaf pans… the shape alone would make you feel differently about what time of day is cake-appropriate. Aside from the sprinkle of brown sugar on top, there’s no refined sugar. It’s moist on the inside thanks to a combo of coconut oil, almond milk and applesauce. And then, the best part – the peaches.…
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