I’ve missed this space. It’s been almost 2 months and I feel like I need to slowly introduce myself to Tokyo Terrace all over again. While it has been difficult not spending as much time here, I can’t complain. I’ve been busy taking care of a very small, very important person. He has big blue eyes, soft, dark brown hair, and the sweetest little smile I’ve ever seen. I may be biased, but that’s a mother’s right.

After a long and somewhat trying recovery, I’m finally able to find time to share a little bit about what it was like to have a baby in Tokyo as a foreigner. I’m sure my experience is different from others, but it is worth sharing just the same and isn’t so different from stories I’ve heard from the United States. I’ll keep it brief and to the point…

I went into labor on Friday, December 2nd around 7:30am. My contraction were only 5 minutes apart…much closer than I had heard they would be. My husband called the doctor and he said that he would see us at the hospital. We called a taxi and made the long drive in the rainy rush hour traffic to the hospital. The 45 minute drive went quite smoothly because the driver phoned a friend to find out the best route to take to avoid traffic. An excellent move on his part.

We arrived at the hospital, checked in, and went to a small room designated for waiting things out until time for delivery. I was in that room for 17 hours. My contractions were about 2 or 3 minutes apart the entire time and were quite long. I had gone without any interventions for the entire time, but when my doctor said it would still be at least 3 more hours, I knew my body couldn’t handle it any longer. I was completely exhausted. So, I got an epidural. At that point, the doctor said that Riley had not dropped low enough for delivery. His heart rate was getting dangerously low and he didn’t seem to be making any progress, so an emergency C-Section was required.

At 1:21am, little Riley (or not so little…he was 9 pounds!) entered the world. I’ve never been so happy to hear crying in my entire life! He and I both made it through the operation without any complications, thank God. I spent 5 days recovering in the hospital. We had a private room where Brad could sleep, which was wonderful. He took such good care of Riley while I was confined to my bed for the first 2 days. The midwives and nurses spoke broken English, but enough that we understood most of what they said to us. They were so attentive and kind to us, making us feel right at home. It was difficult to leave the comfort of the hospital, where someone would come help at the push of a button and each meal was brought to us each and every day.

On the morning of the 6th day, we packed up to go home. Riley lost quite a bit of his birth weight and was only 7.8 pounds when we took him home, so gaining his birth weight back was an important goal for us. I can happily say that he has regained his birth weight plus some!

Riley is coming up on 2 months and has grown into a squirming, smiling, crying, eating baby boy. We are completely smitten, as new parents typically are. There have been a fair number of challenges, but nothing worth complaining about. We feel so lucky to have a healthy son in our lives.

We are gradually getting into the swing of life again, but it is still tricky to find the time to do things like blog and photograph new posts for you here. Right now, for example, I have a post ready but no photos. It is challenge figuring out how to organize the day when there isn’t yet a predictable schedule. But I am still here, hoping to be blogging just as I have for the past 3 years! Thanks to those of you who have waited patiently!

Introducing our baby boy…

Cranberry Sparkler 5 Ways and Mulled Wine with Japanese Citrus are perfect for toasting!

Well, today is my due date. I’m sitting here wondering if this little baby will arrive on time or fashionably late. Either way is just fine with me…but I wish he would share the schedule with the rest of us. Anyway, I wasn’t sure I would have time for an extra blog post this week, but since I seem to be wide open this morning, I wanted to share a few recipes from the site that would be perfect for your Thanksgiving table this year.

Kabocha Casserole, Kurigohan, and Savory Vegetable Galette add variety to classic sides.

We celebrated Thanksgiving last weekend with our Tokyo family. My mom is visiting from Minnesota and was able to join us, which was really wonderful. It’s been nice having a member of the family around for events like this to see how we spend our time over here in Tokyo. I took a back seat to the preparations this year and made only one dish: kabocha casserole. My mom made apple pie, which was delicious. We also had macaroni and cheese, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, turkey- the works. It was a truly decadent spread that left us all feeling very full at the end of the evening!

Chestnut & Sweet Potato Soup and Pommes Japanna add elegance to the table.

No matter where you are celebrating Thanksgiving this year, I hope you are surrounded by people who make you truly happy. Enjoy the time (and food) you get to share together.

Rustic Pear Tart and Kabocha Cookies use the same crust recipe!

One of my favorite traditions at Thanksgiving is having everyone share what they are thankful for. It sounds cheesy, but it really helps to put the holiday into perspective. This year, I’m thankful that I’ve had a healthy, uneventful pregnancy. My friend Tim says something to the effect of, “Pregnancy is a time when it is completely acceptable to be average.” I think I’ve accomplished that.

What are you thankful for this year?

Two weeks ago, Brad and I enjoyed a nice 3-day weekend. Well, to be honest, it was actually quite packed with things to do. All good things, but packed with busy-ness nonetheless. With Saturday and Sunday completely booked, I demanded suggested that we keep Monday wide open so we could spend some time doing things that we might not be able to do once the baby arrives.

We decided that it was time to revisit one of our first cooking-together experiences as a married couple. During our honeymoon, we spent a few days in Italy and fell in love with the region of Umbria. The place we called home for 2 or 3 nights during our time there offered cooking workshops with a professional chef so I was of course ecstatic about those. I remember the plump Italian lady-chef, her beady eyes hiding behind smudged glasses, shouting ecstatically, “Bravissimo!!!” every time we did something right. I also remember feeling totally enchanted by the kitchen, and especially by the table covered with food we had helped to prepare in true Italian style.

As a souvenir after the cooking glass, we were given a cookbook that had been written in very broken English by the instructor of the cooking class (who was also, incidentally, the owner of the villa where we stayed). While I love the book dearly for the memories it conjures of our time in what seemed like an unreal setting, I have to say that it is the most difficult cookbook to follow when it comes down to actually preparing the food. Measurements such as “a glass of olive oil” or “enough flour for the liquid” make it tricky. Endearing, but tricky.

With this in mind, Brad and I tried to make 3 recipes from the book. We prepared capaletti, stuffed pasta made to resemble little hats, and breadsticks flavored with tomato paste. I tried my hand at making a corn and apple cake made with corn meal, apples, pine nuts and olive oil. Let’s just say the cake ended up in the garbage bin shortly after coming out of the oven. Failure. The capaletti and breadsticks, on the other hand, turned out beautifully. The breadsticks were slightly under seasoned- but better under than over, right? And the dough for the pasta was a bit difficult to work with. Fortunately, Brad had the determination it took to roll it out until it was thin enough and then cut it into circles that were filled with a mixture of ground chicken, lemon zest, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. They were beautifully delicate and perfect with a drizzle of bechémel sauce over the top.

Brad even remembered exactly how to twirl the dough to create fun, twisted breadsticks…

The entire experience was perfect and made me think of how marriage can be. It’s overwhelmingly beautiful and can sometimes seem unreal. Communication can sometimes be fuzzy. There will be failures and victories. But in the end its all about the combination it all that make a satisfying relationship.

Here’s to our next big adventure, coming soon!

The other day, I sat down on the train next to a man who had about 3 or 4 inches of space to his right. I was sitting on his left, uncomfortably smooshed between the aforementioned man and another, rather large gentleman. Usually, people are perfectly willing to scoot over so that seating is a bit more comfortably spaced. However, this man with the extra room did not seem keen to give me that small amount of space so that I didn’t have to sit with my shoulders scrunched up to my ears and my arms awkwardly wrapped around my bulging 6 months pregnant belly. After the 20 minute train ride, he finally got up and I was able to wiggle my way into the grooves of the blue cushioned seat for the remaining 60 seconds of my trip. The only thing that got me through that experience without completely freaking out was the thought of what I was going to have for dinner when I got home. Yes, food is healing in many ways.

In all seriousness though, Japanese food has been more healing to me now than ever before. I’ve been a much more picky eater recently, thanks to my pregnancy heartburn, and Japanese food has been the only constant variety of food that I can seem to eat on a daily basis. Even during my time in the U.S. this past spring, I spent a lot of time trying to find and prepare Japanese food in my parents’ kitchen in Minnesota. This is also when I realized that I don’t know even a fraction of what I want to about Japanese home-cooking. So, I’m working on that. These moon viewing noodles, or tsukimi udon, were a perfect addition to my slowly expanding repertoire of Japanese dishes.

Moon viewing in Japan happens mid-autumn, usually around the end of September or early October. These noodles are eaten around that time, with egg symbolizing the harvest moon. In a manner similar to that of hanami, or cherry blossom celebrations, moon viewing is a pretty big event. We have not quite reached autumn here in Tokyo, but since many of you reading this are enjoying cooler temperatures and fall weather, I thought you might appreciate this recipe.

In Japan, the egg is often served raw in the bowl of hot broth and noodles, but I prefer mine lightly poached prior to adding it to the bowl. Once the broth and noodles are made, the assembly of the dish takes only about 10 minutes, so make sure everyone is ready to eat right away, since these are not as good if they are too cold. I would suggest making the broth and noodles ahead of time (no more than 2 or 3 days) to save yourself some prep when you decide to serve this dish. The broth is simple to make and easy to store in the refrigerator. For the noodles, simply cook them, run cold water over them immediately after cooking, and store in a ziploc bag. When you’re ready to use them, just run more water over the noodles to loosen them up. The hot broth will heat the noodles through before you serve them.

Moon Viewing Noodles

Slightly adapted from Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh

For the Sanuki Sea Stock:

*You may wish to use regular dashi rather than the sea stock if dried sardines are hard to find. I still like to add the shiitakes to the broth for extra flavor. If you can’t find any of the needed ingredients for sea stock or dashi, try using light chicken broth or vegetable broth. The flavor will be different but still tasty.

4 cups cold water

8 dried sardines

3 pieces of kombu, about 4″x4″ each

5 shiitake mushroom stems or 2 dried shiitakes

For the rest of the dish:

4 teaspoons light soy sauce

2 teaspoons saké

2 teaspoons sugar

4 large eggs

12 ounces dried udon noodles

1 scallion, both green and white parts thinly sliced

In a medium saucepan, add the water, dried sardines, kombu and mushrooms. Allow to sit for about half an hour.

In the meantime, cook your Udon noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for about 4-6 minutes for smaller noodles, a little longer for the thicker noodles. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.

Place the broth over medium high heat until small bubbles begin to form. Turn the heat down to medium (or adjust accordingly) to maintain a low simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover for 3-5 minutes. Strain the broth through a coffee strainer fitted with a coffee filter. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, saké and sugar over low heat. Stir until the sugar has just dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Prepare the serving bowls by dividing 1/4 of the noodles among each dish. Have these nearby so you can easily transfer the egg and broth to the bowls.

In a small saucepan, add 1 cup of the broth and 1/4 of the soy sauce mixture (a scant tablespoon). Bring to a boil. Add one of the raw eggs and poach for about 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Using a slotted spoon, remove the egg and add it to one of the bowls. Using a fine mesh strainer, pour the broth into the bowl being carefully not to break the egg. Repeat this process with the remaining 3 bowls. (You may also poach the eggs all together in water and simply bring the broth and soy mixture to a boil without poaching the eggs in it, though the flavor will not be the same.)

Garnish each bowl with the sliced scallion and serve with chopsticks and a spoon.

There are so many events that have happened that cause us to pause and ask questions.

Where was I when that happened?

Who was I with?

How did it feel?

For some, it was the Kennedy assassination. For others, the end of a World War. Or the beginning of a new one. For many, the earthquake and tsunami will bring about the same questions.

Today, it is about 9.11.

I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. It was not clear exactly what had happened, but as I sat in one of my first college classes and listened as my professor said the world trade center has been hit by an airplane I knew it wasn’t just another piece of daily news. I sat through that 45 minute class, having no idea the images I would see just a short while later would change me, and millions of other Americans, forever.

I walked to the school café at Luther College. Every pair of eyes was glued to the TV screen in complete awe, confusion and horror. Together, in a nearly speechless room, we watched as the first tower fell. Nothing about it seemed real from a TV screen in the Decorah, Iowa. My inexperienced 18-year-old self just could not comprehend how something like this could be happening in my lifetime. Still, there it was, happening right before me.

I didn’t have any family or friends in New York at the time. But still, to this day, whenever I meet someone who was there, who lost someone, or who has given their life to fight for our country as a result of such tragedy, I am taken back to that poignant moment in American history when it became clear to me that safety is relative. Some nations deal with tragedy on a daily basis. Some individuals live everyday feeling unsafe and unprotected. While others, me included, are able to live a life virtually scar free.

My hope is that on this, the 10th anniversary of 9.11, we all remember that we can help keep each other safe. We can keep each other safe from hate, from exclusion, from feeling completely alone. Some tragedies we cannot control, but there are many that we can by simply loving each other. After all, with so many bad things already happening around the world, do we really want to contribute to more?

I am constantly amazed at the impact other’s stories have on our lives. Whether we know them personally or not, their experience, whether it be joyful or heartbreaking, can make us reevaluate the things that are truly important to us. The past few months have been filled with a roller coaster of events from wonderful weddings and new babies, to long absences from the people and places I care deeply about. Having to leave Japan in March without my husband was difficult. It was difficult but not finite. I knew there would be an end to the wait and that we would be able to hug each other again in a relatively short amount of time. This is not, however, a luxury everyone is afforded.

Reading about the sudden and unexpected death of a fellow food blogger’s husband over the past few days has brought me to tears on numerous occasions. The sudden loss of a life that is indescribably important to a person is seemingly unbearable to those of us who have not actually experienced it. I cannot claim to have the slightest idea of how hard this must be for Jennie and her family, but I can say that many people in the food community have been impacted by her loss. They are realizing how important it is to hold on to those dearest to them, to be kind and loving because there is no way to know when your time will be cut short.

I don’t know Jennie. I have never met her or anyone connected to her. But today, I want her to know that I am praying that life, though very different now, will soon bring more joy. More reasons to dance. More reasons to enjoy good food. And especially more special moments with those closest to her.

Jennie asked anyone who wanted to help to make this pie on Friday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it on that exact day, but I hope the sentiment reaches her just the same.

With this creamy peanut butter pie recipe from Jennie’s site, I want to say to all of my friends and family, from Minnesota, to Colorado, to Tennessee, Costa Rica and Japan, that I love you very much. If you were all here with me at my kitchen table I would give you a slice of this pie, a big glass of milk, and a bear hug.

I carry you with me into the world,
into the smell of rain
& the words that dance between people
& for me, it will always be this way,
walking in the light,
remembering being alive together

-Storypeople

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

from In Jennie’s Kitchen

Serves 10 to 12

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Alright. I think I’m due for some explaining around here.

There are cobwebs in the corners of Tokyo Terrace. You can hear crickets chirping in the dead silence. Close your eyes and listen. Can you hear them, too?

It’s no secret that things have been a little out of balance around here since March.

Many of you know that I’ve been in the U.S. since mere days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. It was not my intent to be here this long, but circumstances outside of my control made it necessary for me to stay behind while my husband ventured back to our home in Japan.

I don’t want to keep you guessing anymore so let me cut to the chase.

I’m pregnant!

It’s been excruciatingly difficult to keep this news from you for so long. I think some of you may have had your suspicions when my blog posts seemed a little lack-luster in the food department and my return to Tokyo was so delayed.

In a nutshell, just after we arrived in Minnesota for what was supposed to be a short 2 week visit, we found out that our family would be expanding. After much deliberation and consultations with doctors, it was decided that due to the uncertain nuclear situation and other factors that can be harmful in early pregnancy I would stay in Minnesota while Brad would return to Tokyo. It was a long time to be away from each other and I had to say goodbye to my wonderful 2nd grade students. But I was lucky to be able to stay with my parents who were very supportive through what was a rather difficult period of time.

Brad made good use of his time in Japan and was even able to travel north to Ishinomaki to do relief work.

After all of that, we are back together again and will return to Tokyo in August for another year. Our little one is scheduled to arrive in November (November 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving).

Whew! It feels good to get that out there! I’m 18 weeks as of today and am feeling much better. I’ll be getting the blog posts flowing again this week with a post for some delicious olive oil gelato!

Ice cream + pregnancy = perfection.

Thanks to all of you who stuck around in the midst of  the silence.

It’s taken some time, but I feel like my brain has finally made it back to the land of the living. For the past two months, I have felt a little overwhelmed for various reasons and that has done a pretty successful job of sucking the life out of my creative thinking. Fortunately, it gave me a chance to focus on some more traditional recipes which helped me baby-step my way to what I have to share with you today.

I’ve said before that the best ideas are often accidents. This is no exception. It all started when I was asked to make some ice-cream. I knew I wanted it to be something different. None of this chocolate-vanilla-strawberry stuff. I was getting nowhere productive until I came home from running errands to find an order that I had made a few days ago had arrived! I opened the box and took out white miso paste, udon noodles, and yuzu marmalade.

OK, I can work with this. (Well, not the noodles…)

It took me two seconds to decide that I was going to make miso ice cream! Yes. This was a good idea (that could potentially flop, but let’s not encourage negative thinking).

I began taking out the necessary ingredients for my ice cream when…gasp!…there was no sugar!

OK, it’s fine, you can figure something else out.

*Silence…blank stare at the cupboard…*

Then there it was- my answer to the problem- brown sugar! I had heard of brown sugar ice cream before, so why not?

A little mixing, a little heating, a little churning, and about 2 hours later I was ready to taste this new creation.

I timidly took a spoon and scooped a small bite directly out of the ice cream maker. I smelled it and it reminded me of the topping for an upside down cake. Toasty, buttery, and warm.

The flavor was, as I told La Fuji Mama on twitter, like salted caramel on steroids. Since white miso has a relatively mild flavor, it melded perfectly with the nutty brown sugar to create a flavor reminiscent of salted caramel but with an added umami depth that can only come from miso. It was perfect.

So, I made another batch just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke! I’ve made 3 batches now and it is most definitely NOT a mistake.

All I have to say is this: if you are an ice cream lover, you must make this. It’s exciting and different and perfect to get yourself out of whatever rut you may find yourself swimming in.

Brown Sugar-Miso Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart

1 cup whole milk

1 cup light brown sugar (you can also use dark if that’s all you have)

2 tablespoons white miso paste

5 egg yolks

2 cups heavy cream

Combine the milk, brown sugar and white miso paste in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and break up the miso paste. If there are still chunks, don’t worry- they will break down when it is heated as long as you stir it well.

Pour the cream into a large metal or glass mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator.

Separate the egg yolks and put them in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Take the milk, brown sugar and miso mixture and transfer to a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. You don’t want to heat the mixture too quickly, so this step may take a few minutes. The milk mixture should not come to a simmer, but you may see 2 or three bubbles come to the surface, which is fine. The sign that it is done heating is that the sugar is completely dissolved and steam is steadily rising from the top.

Remove the milk mixture from the heat. Gradually pour the hot liquid over the egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid the eggs scrambling. Return the liquid and egg mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Use a spatula to stir the liquid constantly until it begins to thicken and coat the spatula. This can take about 10 minutes. Again, don’t heat it too fast! Patience, grasshopper…

Now, remove the pan from the heat and take the cream out of the refrigerator. Pour the hot liquid into the cream, stirring constantly until the mixture has cooled down. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Take your ice cream base and put it in an ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer’s instructions.

When the ice cream has reached a soft-serve type of thickness, transfer it to a separate container and freeze for about 1-2 hours before serving.