My future house

All those flowers you paint
I want them in my future house
In the library room
cookbooks, Roald Dahl
in the kitchen
secret chef mouse
pretty herb pot-plant
colorful spice rack
and a kind husband
returning home to his favorite
muffins
rising in the oven
sweet jams
In the living room
a barefooted dance
on sun-warmed Persian carpet
the one my grandpa wove
especially for us
soles
souls
gently loving
slow caressing
cat

My Japanese Winter

 

“My heart is in a constant state of thanksgiving.”
― Abdu’l-Bahá

Before the snow…don’t be fooled, still V V V cold.

Keeping warm with healthy Japanese food. This is actually a summer noodle (somen) chicken and vegetable soup prepared by my lovely friend and neighbor, Hiromi-san.

The first snow. That’s my house and car in the foreground.

Prayers under the kotatsu.

The calm before the storm (literally).

Take two.

Heater allows for smoothie-bowl breakfast obsession to continue. This one is simply 3/4 cup of yogurt blended with 2 tablespoons of freeze-dried blackcurrants and topped with banana and cereal.

This one was more sorbet than smoothie: 1 cup of frozen mango chunks blended with 1/2 cup of freeze-dried blackcurrants and 3/4 cup of coconut water finished with strawberries.

More ingredients in this one: 1 banana, a big handful of spinach, a few frozen mango chunks, 1/2 cup of soy milk and 1 strawberry, blended together and topped with QIA cereal, ViBERi blackcurrants and an additional strawb.

And for dinner? Pre-cooked edamame. These cuties are so good. They’re sold everywhere in Japan and just require you to pour hot water over them (to defrost) and they’re ready to eat!

Last but not least, a super appropriate painting in my JUNIOR high-school, to close.
And now, a warm bear hug to my new and old followers for the continuous support.
Chuu! (Japanese kiss noise).

Stuffed cabbage rolls

I don’t know how to make them. I just know how to eat them. Yuko knows though but of course she does because she knows all Japanese food and she cooks them all SO well. Stuffed cabbage rolls or “roll cabbage” as Japanese call them are hearty and low in calories. Didn’t think such a thing exists? Well, me neither, until I tried them and felt light and full and all of the good things.

After a quick Google search, I found this very detailed recipe (video included) to get y’all started. Making roll cabbage seems a tad complicated and time-consuming to me but that’s probably cos I’ve become too used to only making muffins and smthisoothies. But, here’s hoping, you’re not as lazy.