I think for most Americans, this is considered a side dish that shows up on a big buffet or Thanksgiving table and it is not really considered a dessert – just one of those casserole-type dishes that have either marshmallows or streusel toppings. However, in Gma’s house, this was definitelyContinue Reading
In the early days of our Maine summers, I remember catching crabs in a little trap off the dock float. I loved eating steamed crab, but it was so much work and messy for so little appetite-satisfaction. Eventually, we started to order and pick up already-cooked and picked crabmeat fromContinue Reading
So this is kind of a tough recipe to do unless you’re able to get fresh mackerel or fishing yourself like Gpa was on a daily basis in Maine, but I have been told that you can buy the right kind of mackerel (shime saba) already marinated in the frozenContinue Reading
This traditional dish is another picnic, & car-food basic as it is travel-friendly, can be made ahead of time, and tastes good warm, room temperature, or chilled. The recipe that Gma used is closer to Dashimaki tamago (出汁巻き玉子) which results in that perfect sweet/savory combination and a very fluffy, custard-like egg.Continue Reading
As mentioned before, this was a staple of the car food box and it was the only time that Gma made them. That may be why they seemed so special to me as it meant summer vacation had begun and we’d be heading out to my favorite place in theContinue Reading
You can make this year-round to dress any green veggie like broccoli, beans, asparagus and swiss chard, but traditionally, it is a spinach dish. It’s great served as a chilled or room temperature side dish and I was most familiar with it as part of the summer cookout menu. SeasoningsContinue Reading
I guess potato salad falls under the category of Yoshoku as well as summer foods as it was inspired by a Russian potato salad that could stand as a full meal. Gma’s version stays true to that form with the addition of hard-boiled eggs and eventually her later additions ofContinue Reading
Originally I thought I’d be posting a recipe for Gma’s barbecue chicken, but when I went flipping through traditional recipes, I could see her teriyaki-like recipe was a hybrid of yakitori and marinate-and-or-simmer-at-will. Using the typical ingredients listed below, Gma created grilled chicken thighs and simmered, then chilled “candied” drumsticksContinue Reading