Argentine Hot Dogs (with Chimichurri, Pickled Red Onions, Marinated Queso Fresco & Chorizo)

It’s nearing the end of summer, and you’ve probably had your share of hot dogs, but these Argentine dogs are as far from yellow mustard and ketchup as you can get.  Grilled all-beef hot dogs get an array of colorful and flavorful toppings: a verdant chimichurri with the addition of finely chopped sweet red and [...]

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Lamb & Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad

It’s no surprise that we’ve been busy lately! Levi’s been crawling for about a month now, so dinners have had to be quick and easy to throw together while he zooms around the kitchen. These pitas are great for a weeknight because they are as quick to prepare as tacos but more exotic-tasting. Cinnamon-spiced ground [...]

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Turkey Parmesan Burgers

Personally, I think eating something between two slices of toasted french bread makes it much more delicious and comforting. For example, meatloaf. I love it on its own, but it’s even better the next day in a sandwich! Same goes for meatballs, fried eggs or even calamari. And now I can add Chicken Parmesan to [...]

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Pork Meatball Banh Mi

I recently learned about banh mi from reading various food magazines in the past year. It’s basically a Vietnamese-French sub sandwich. A crusty baguette holds flavorful fillings (such as pork meatballs, barbecued or shredded pork), mayo, pickled daikon and carrots for a little crunch and tang, and sliced jalapeños to add the perfect heat. Bon [...]

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Turkey-Pesto Burgers with Grilled Onions

Do you ever go to the store with no idea of what you want to make for dinner? Last Monday was one of those days. I went to the Butcher counter and started to panic because it was almost my turn and I couldn’t focus: Hmm…that fish looks nice and fresh…So do those steaks…Dustin would [...]

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Grilled Lamb Gyros with Tzatziki & Summer Chickpea Salad

We’ve been thinking about gyros ever since we went to a Greek Food Festival with our friends last month. I think my favorite part of a gyro is the tzatziki. The cucumber, lemon and yogurt make for a refreshing sauce that goes perfectly with grilled meat, tomatoes and onions. Last night we made our own [...]

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Welsh Rarebit & Roasted Broccoli

Whether you say welsh rarebit or welsh rabbit, when Guinness Stout meets melted extra-sharp cheddar cheese, an irresistible open-faced sandwich is born. You might need a knife and a fork, but even if you tackle it with your hands, it’s well worth it and might even become your new favorite comfort food. I served this [...]

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Spicy Turkey & Chickpea Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries and Kale Chips

We loved these burgers! First you make a hummus-like concoction in the food processor, then mix it into the ground turkey, creating a very moist and flavorful burger that’s reminiscent of falafel. It’s served on a soft french roll with baby spinach leaves, red onion, Dijon mustard, and a little mayo. The idea came from [...]

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おいしい パン (Delicious Bread)

Today we have a random day off in the middle of the week thanks to 春分の日 (spring equinox day). So I thought I’d share some highlights from Kokoro, our mom ‘n pop bread shop down the street that means “heart” (and is represented by that character at the top). I briefly mentioned their tasty pita [...]

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Open-faced Chipotle Cheese Steak Sandwiches w/ Avocado, Tomato and Red Onion

Sometimes just a single store bought ingredient can inspire an entire meal. That was the case here. My parents sent us a jar of chipotle cheese dip in our last package, and I jumped right on it because I have a weakness for cheese — especially the kind in a jar that you eat warm [...]

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Chicken Meatball Subs

There’s a 1st time for everything, and this was my 1st time making meatballs. I thought that a meatball sub sounded like a comforting thing to eat after getting through the 2nd week of our new semester, and I know that Dustin misses the ones from our college days at Giovanni’s in Santa Barbara. This [...]

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Greek-Style Chicken Salad Wraps

Maybe we should rename this blog “delicious” in Greek instead of Japanese, because lately we’ve been craving oregano, lemon, and feta in place of shoyu, dashi and daikon. Anyway, this was another great meal for a sweltering Osaka summer. We had never made chicken salad with yogurt before, but I wasn’t feeling very mayonnaise-y at [...]

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BLFT (Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Tomato) Sandwiches

I’m convinced that they would fry anything in Japan. I’ve seen everything from fried egg salad (how do they keep it from falling apart!?) to fried fish paste shaped like a bamboo shoot. I don’t blame them. Usually frying makes things taste better. I would have to fry my fish paste too if there was [...]

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