Aromatic Essence

1. Meal Prep Bento Recipe Ideas These 3 easy and budget-friendly meal prep ideas for bento prove that eating healthy can be delicious and fun! A little prep work on Sunday will set you up to eat healthier, save money, and reduce your stress through the week. 2. Chicken Meatball Bento Delicious soft and tender chicken meatball packed with ham flower, fruits, crab salad, egg, and broccoli in a stylish bento box....

Natascha from Natascha’s palace is hosting a pancake party, and I’m delighted to bring along this apam balik, a type of pancake popular in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore & Indonesia. These are sweet crispy pancakes that are stuffed with an interesting mixture of peanuts, sugar & creamed corn along with loads of other add on’s like sesame seeds, chocolate & cheddar cheese. The batter for this pancake is fermented using yeast....

I hope you are enjoying the bentos I have shared so far. Some of you might be wondering if I’m planning to share Japanese Character Bento (kyaraben キャラ弁) one day. If you are not familiar with Character Bento, take a look at this. The character bentos are really cute and I am sure my children will be excited to have such bentos. I can imagine the smile on their face each day as they open the bentos for lunch, being surprised by new characters....

Watch: How to make the Best Fish Tacos What are Baja Tacos? There are Fish Tacos and then there are BAJA FISH TACOS! Growing up and still living in San Diego (Carlsbad is a coastal city in northern San Diego), I have devoured my share of Baja Fish Tacos – they are everywhere! You’ve probably seen them at Rubios, Mexican restaurants, or if you’ve ever visited San Diego or ventured as far as the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, you’ve probably sunk your teeth into some rendition of these Baja Fish Tacos....

Watch how to make Grilled Chicken DYNAMIC FLAVOR. This best chicken marinade is slightly savory from the soy sauce, slightly tangy from the lemon juice and Dijon, slightly fruity from the balsamic, slightly sweet from the brown sugar, slightly spicy (just a mild kick) from the red pepper and punched up with flavor from the rainbow of seasonings. PANTRY FRIENDLY. This recipe uses pantry friendly ingredients so you can enjoy a delicious, succulent chicken dinner with hardly any effort any night of the week....

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER The BEST Guacamole There is no better way to enjoy avocados than in homemade guacamole! It’s rich yet fresh, bright, tangy, salty, and creamy. It can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes with just a handful of ingredients, is naturally gluten-free and vegan, and always wildly popular at any party. In short, everyone needs this back-pocket snack, appetizer, indispensable classic. Growing up San Diego, and after numerous trips to Mexico, I can attest that this guacamole recipe is the real deal....

Pin this recipe to save for later WHAT is in CAESAR DRESSING? A really good Caesar Dressing is unabashedly bold and decadent, packed with garlicky, umami, swoon-worthy flavors. Traditional Caesar Salad Dressing is made with whole anchovies, extra virgin olive oil, raw egg yolk, freshly squeezed lemon juice, tangy Dijon mustard, spicy raw garlic, salty Parmesan and pepper. My recipe differs slightly by using sour cream and mayo instead of raw egg and olive oil and the results are hypnotic and extra easy!...

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER Shrimp recipes are easy! Shrimp is one of the simplest, ridiculously easy meals on the planet and one of my favorite proteins to cook whether I have lots of time – or whether I have little time – because the succulent morsels drink up flavor and emerge hot, juicy and exploding with deliciousness even without a marinade. Some of my favorite shrimp recipes include: Sheet Pan Shrimp Scampi, Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine, Kung Pao Shrimp, Old Bay Shrimp, Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp, Shrimp Fajitas, Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli Alfredo, Cajun Shrimp Pasta and of course this new Lemon Garlic Shrimp!...

Lemon Rice Recipe I love the Greek restaurant Luna Grill, including their Greek Lemon Rice, so I wanted to create my own Lemon Rice that pairs beautifully with everything Mediterranean including my Chicken Gyros, Greek Chicken, Beef Kabobs, Chicken Shawarma and Greek Chicken Souvlaki. Enter this bright and wonderfully lemony, buttery Greek Rice! It requires very little hands-on prep time, but adds a lot to the meal, so much so, I would just make it my meal....

Crockpot Beef Stew Recipe Video PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER CrockPot Beef Stew This Crockpot Beef Stew joins the ranks of my other favorite slow cooker beef recipes: Slow Cooker Beef Brisket, Beef Stroganoff, Beef Tips and Gravy, Italian Beef, Mississippi Pot Roast and French Dips, In each recipe, the meat emerges melt-in-your mouth tender, richly satisfying and infused with epic flavor from cooking in its spiced bath all day....

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER How to Make Buffalo Chicken Video If you have been following my cravings for any time at all, you have probably noticed my slight obsession with Buffalo sauces (aka Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce with a butter base) and therefore Buffalo recipes such as Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs, Honey Buffalo Chicken Wings, Honey Buffalo Chicken Taquitos and on and on…the kick of spice just gets me....

Living in California with a mild climate year round, I sometimes forget that instinctual desire to eat seasonal dishes that are truly special in Japan. So I am thankful when readers send in their requests and remind me of a specific food that I have not made for quite some time. Today I’m sharing one of my old winter favorites, Buri Daikon (ブリ大根), or Simmered Yellowtail and Daikon. What is Buri Daikon Buri Daikon (ブリ大根) is a simmered dish featuring yellowtail and daikon....

Ice Cream Cake I first posted this Caramel Toffee Ice Cream Cake almost two years ago when I first started blogging and it needed a makeover because an Ice Cream Cake with toffee ice cream AND pecan cookie crumble AND caramel needs to be seen and made and devoured. An Ice Cream Cake that is so addicting that after I dropped a heaping section off at a friend’s house, she texted me, “Mmmmm…yum, yum, yumm!...

(Photos updated 2/3/22, same delicious recipe) Pin this recipe TO SAVE FOR LATER CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP RECIPE I am all about soups during this quarantine time – and all the time. They are easy to make, a meal-in-one and make fantastic leftovers. And of course, some of my favorite soups are my Mexican Soups: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken Fajita and Rice Soup, Caldo de Pollo, Albondigas Soup, Cheesy Taco Soup, White Chicken Chili and Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Soup....

Watch How to Make Cherry Crisp Recipe for the cherries For the crisp topping Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!

It has always been my goal to expand our recipes for Japanese sweets and pastries on Just One Cookbook. However, baking is not my strong suit, so I brought in a Japanese pastry assistant, Haruka, to the team so that we could share authentic treats with our readers. Today’s recipe, Chocolate Gateau or gâteau au chocolat (ガトーショコラ), is one of the first recipes we worked on together. With the holidays fast approaching, we wanted to share something you can bring to family gatherings or make ahead for a party that you’re hosting....

Chuka Dashi (中華だし) or Chuka-fu Dashi (中華風だし) refers to powdered seasonings made of chicken, pork, oyster, and vegetables such as mushrooms, onion, and ginger. The Japanese use the instant powder for many chuka ryori, Chinese-influenced dishes. What Is Chuka Dashi Chuka dashi is a stock seasoning in powder form primarily used for Chinese cooking. You can think of it as the Chinese version of dashi, except it doesn’t contain kombu or bonito flakes....

Cobb Salad Recipe Video Cobb Salad Recipe When salads are done right AKA loaded with crunch, nuts/seeds, cheese, and a killer dressing – it doesn’t get much better. From my Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Pineapple Sesame Dressing to my Caprese Chicken Salad with Creamy Balsamic Reduction Dressing to my upcoming Chinese Chicken Salad, I could eat salad for days. This restaurant delicious Cobb Salad allows you to enjoy the deliciousness that is Cobb Salad any time of day, any day of the week....

Casseroles are the ultimate comfort food, especially when there is a chill in the air. In Japan, casseroles are a big thing too! Filled with all kinds of delicious ingredients, from vegetables to savory meat sauce, and topped with a golden layer that bakes up like a fluffy dream, casseroles are the type of food that everyone in the family devours. These homey Japanese-Western dishes are not only a favorite among home cooks, but they are also popular on the menus of Yoshoku restaurants and cafes in Japan....

pin this recipe to save for later Cucumber Salad This Creamy Cucumber Salad boasts minimal effort with a vibrant, crunchy, fresh reward. It is one of my favorite side salads all spring and summer long because it’s so light and refreshing but deeply satisfying with its dance of texture and flavor. It reminds me of tangy tzatziki with all the fresh crunch of healthy, garden cucumbers. It requires just a few ingredients and is completely customizable beyond that....