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.
🔥 Why Aric’s Mom Left the House with the Oven On…
🦃 The Turkey That Taught Me a New Way to CookHello Reader, It's Yukari! How was your Halloween? 🎃 Did you go to any parties or dress up this year? Whichever it is, I hope you’re soaking in the beauty of fall and a little extra sweetness this week. 🍭 🍂 Aric's Mom, Marge, and My First American Thanksgiving The imperial system (what’s with cups and ounces and quarts? 😵💫) totally overwhelmed me. But Aric’s mom, Marge, helped bring me back to the kitchen. She was like Martha Stewart with a big, bright laugh. My first Thanksgiving with her? Marge showed up unexpectedly one year… with a whole turkey. 😳 In Japan, I’d never even seen a turkey. She turned the oven on, seasoned the turkey, slid it in, and then… grabbed her purse and said, “Let’s go shopping, Yukari!” 😳 I was stunned. The oven was on. And she wanted to leave the house!? I imagined the house burning down. 🔥 But Marge was ready to go. So we did. And when we came back — surprise — the house was still standing. 😂 Instead, it smelled like home. 🧡 That was the day I learned one of the most important cooking lessons of my life. You start with the longest dish first. While the turkey roasted, Marge prepped side dishes, watched football, and laughed often, just like my dear friend, Terumi. No panic. Just rhythm. That was the first time I realized. Great cooks don’t start with recipes. 📝 Need Help with Thanksgiving (or Holiday dinner) Timing?That memory inspired something I want to give you this week: 🎁 A free printable: “Your Thanksgiving Timing Prep Sheet” It’s a super simple guide that helps you: ✅ Start with your longest dishes ✅ Layer in easy wins while things cook ✅ Feel calm and in control! Not stressed or scattered! 😎 👉 Click here to get your copy now! Whether this is your first Thanksgiving dinner or your 15th, I hope it brings you a little extra calm and confidence this season. 🧑🍳 Next time... I’ll share what happened after that dinner, and how that one turkey changed the way I plan meals forever. Thank you for being the Kitchen and for helping us build this cozy little corner of the internet. 🧡 |
Yukari Bianchi
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.
🛒 Why I Avoided Cooking After Moving to the U.S. Hello Reader,, It's Yukari! If you’ve been following our last couple of emails, you’ve met Terumi, the woman who showed me that cooking could be joyful, imperfect, and full of heart. 🧡 When Aric and I got married, Terumi brought over some of my favorite dishes, including that unforgettable potato salad, and filled our kitchen with love. 🛒 American Grocery Store (and My New Struggle 😫) After I moved to the U.S., we stayed in touch the...
🦐 Back from New Orleans and Full of Flavor (and Ideas!) Hello Reader, It's Yukari! We just got back from our anniversary trip to New Orleans, and wow, our hearts (and bellies) are still full. 💛 This isn’t our usual Saturday Kitchen Table newsletter. It's just a quick hello to share some tasty highlights from the trip, and a little sneak peek at what’s cooking next... 🎷New Orleans: Creole Cuisine, Culture & Community Honestly? I wasn’t sure I’d love New Orleans. My first impression was that it...
✈️ Before We Head to NOLA… Got a Sec? Hello Reader, It's Yukari! Have you grabbed your copy of our $100 grocery challenge shopping list yet? If not, you can still get it here: 👉 [Download $100 Grocery Challenge Shopping List!] 💬 I'd Love Your Input! We’ve been sharing our journey, meal by meal, showing how we stretched $100 into a week’s worth of real, flexible dinners. So far, we’ve posted the first two videos, with more to come. But before I send the rest…Would you like to keep watching the...