Hello Reader, It's Yukari!

Colorado finally did it! Snow…after 40 days of absolutely nothing! ❄️
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Our Dish-Pit Pup, Senna, is thrilled… and also refusing to come inside unless I’m holding a dental chew like it’s a VIP pass. 🙃

That same stubborn joy reminds me of something I want to share today.

😱 A Small “I Panicked” Story (and Why It Matters for Cooking)

Last weekend, I was a Muay Thai tournament timekeeper for the second year in a row.
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(If you’re curious what Muay Thai has to do with food, see my old blog! 👉 [READ MY BLOG!]

I thought I was ready.
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I re-read the cheat sheet.
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Set up the table.
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Asked questions.
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Did the responsible adult thing.

Then…10 minutes before the first fight, I realized the iPad I was supposed to use was at 10% battery. 😱
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We found a charger, but the panic had already moved in rent-free.

Then I had a minor hiccup with the timer settings during the early fights, and my anxiety went from “okay” to “I would like to disappear into the floor, please.”

Here’s the part I didn’t expect:​
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Alan (one of the officials) took one look at my face and knew.
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He didn’t blame me.
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He didn’t shame me.
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He just calmly stepped in, fixed what needed fixing, and made it clear that I wasn’t alone.

The next morning, right before the tournament started again, he said:
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​“You’ve got this. Let’s go.”

And somehow, that one sentence did what a hundred pep talks can’t.
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All day, the judges and refs kept giving me tiny “you’re doing great” nudges…as a corner team would for a fighter.

By the end, I could honestly say, "I did better than yesterday." ✌

The cooking connection to this story

Learning something new isn’t always fun.
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You stumble.
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Your ego gets a little bruised.
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You want to hide from the world (hi, it’s me 🙋🏻‍♀️).

Cooking is the same.

A sauce breaks.
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The chicken overcooks.
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The rice does that weird thing where it’s both crunchy and mushy. 😫

But the reason we love building The Kitchen Table isn’t that we think you’ll “never fail.”
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It’s because you shouldn’t have to do the learning part alone.
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When you join us at The Kitchen Table, you get support, encouragement, and real cooking know-how so that you can grow confident in your kitchen with friends cheering you on.

That’s what community is:
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Friendship, encouragement, teamwork, respect, even when you're not feeling “good” yet.​
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​After the tournament, Alan told me.
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"TEAM means Together. Everyone. Achieve. Better."

(And yes, my future Yukari goal is to stay cool as a cucumber 🥒 under pressure.

Yeah, wish me luck. 😅)

Quick poll Time! (help me build what YOU actually want)

If you could vote for what kind of content you want more of inside this community, what would you pick? 🤔​
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AND one more thing: Where do you usually find us?
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1.) Instagram 2.) YouTube 3.) Facebook 4.) Email only 5.) I want to suggest a different platform! ​
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Please reply with a number!
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I read every reply, and your answers help us make the Kitchen Table to improve, evolve, and grow! 🙏

Recipe: Aric’s Sausage Mac Muffin (English muffin version)

Because your poll said you wanted the winning dish recipe…here it is. 🙌

This is the breakfast sandwich we made for Frozen vs. Fresh.
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Aric’s version of a sausage/egg/cheese muffin, using an English muffin instead of a biscuit.

👉DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE RECIPE HERE! And yes!! I’m filming the “Can Yukari make it?” version too.
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I need a little time to edit (we have a dinner party tomorrow) and will post it here in our next Email Newsletter! 😅

Thanks for being at our Kitchen Table, on this cozy little corner of the internet.
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We appreciate you following along and for letting us share not just what we cook but why we cook. 🧡
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Have a favorite food memory, kitchen story, or photo?
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Hit reply and share!
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Your moments make our community a family! 🙏
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With gratitude and friendship,
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Aric & Yukari
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🐱🐶 (Ka-En and Senna, who 100% believe they should run all future taste tests 😂)
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