Our Secret House Blend (And How to Make It!)Hello Reader, So, you start a recipe, reach for the cornstarch… and realize it no longer exists? 😩 Yep—been there. 😂 But what if I told you that a clean, organized pantry can make cooking joyful again, not stressful? 🌿 In our latest blog post, we’re sharing our complete Spring Pantry Reset System, which we use every year to bring calm, clarity, and creativity back into our kitchen. 💡 You’ll learn: ✅ How to spring clean your pantry without being overwhelmed 📖 Read it here
We’re challenging YOU to do Pantry-Only Cooking—use what you’ve got, get creative, and cook with what’s already in your kitchen! Here’s how to join: 1️⃣ Take a “Before” photo of your pantry 📸 🥳 We’ll feature our favorites, so get ready to show off your skills! (and maybe win a little shoutout!) ✨ Get the Free Printable Checklist! Want to make this easier? We made a free pantry checklist just for you: 🔥 Want the Checklist?
We’ll be cheering you on from our blue tape-labeled pantry! 💙 Happy Spring Cleaning (and cooking!),
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Hi, I’m Yukari! My husband, Aric, a talented chef, and I are on a mission to bring people together through the magic of cooking. We want to build a virtual cooking community where we share budget-friendly meal prep tips, host fun challenges, and teach classes beyond recipes—we tell stories of love, life, and even the lessons we learn from our fur babies. Yes, our Bernese Mountain Dog, Senna, the Dish Pit Pup, and our Ginger cat, Ka-En, the Sous Chef Kitten, are part of the journey too! We believe food is more than just fuel—it’s about connection, culture, and creativity. If you enjoy heartwarming stories, engaging Q&As, and cooking made simple, we’d love to have you in our community.🔪🍲 Join us to cook, laugh, and share the love—one meal at a time.
Salt, Hands, and a Japanese Potato Salad Hello Reader, It's Yukari! Salt and your hands can change everything you cook.(Stick around for Aric’s 1-minute chef’s tip!👨🏻🍳) But first, I want to take you back to a little Japanese kitchen, where I learned the real magic of cooking… “The Potato Salad That Changed My Perspective” I visited Terumi and enjoyed her warm "Omotenashi" until I moved to the US. I still call it "Terumi's Potato Salad" 💖 One evening, she made classic Japanese potato salad. I...
One Spoon, Big Change Hello Reader, It's Yukari! Today I’m thinking about the tiniest tool in the kitchen... a spoon, and how one taste can change everything you cook and share. It’s the thread that ties generosity to good food, the first nudge toward real hospitality. (Stick around for Aric’s chef tip at the end! 👨🏻🍳) But first… come with me to the kitchen where “Taste this” became the lesson I didn’t know I needed. “Taste This” Remember the Chawanmushi incident? That’s how I met Terumi, the...
A Whisper That Changed My Cooking. Plus Our $100 Grocery Challenge. Hello Reader, It's Yukari! Today, I want to rediscover what happened when Aric and I did $100 Grocery Challenge back in January 2025. (Remember? 🤣) Aric and I had fun doing it, and we learned some lessons along the way. I saved many things Aric talked about cooking during the time, and I can't wait to share his wisdom, too. But first... let me take you back to the kitchen that woke me up, kicked me out of bed, and taught me...