A Day in the Life ~

Monday through Friday I get up about 6:40 to start getting breakfast together.
On this morning, because the night before I managed to set up our breadmaker to bake raisin bread by the time we woke up,
our place smelled of fresh baked bread come morning.


In Japan too, I occasionally use a breadmaker.
What I bake in California, and Japan, it isn't THAT different.
Some of the ingredients in Japan are harder to get.

Whole wheat flour in Japan is ridiculously expensive, and often only found at import shops- or a fantastic mail order company I've used for almost twenty years. Tengu Foods, aka Alashin.


Almost every weekday morning I make fruit yogurt for Taka's breakfast, which he adds granola to. Sometimes I give Zen a bowl of it too, but he doesn't want it every morning.


So while I'm getting Zen's breakfast ready I heat up coffee and milk I'll give to Taka for his breakfast.

I often whip (steam) milk for his coffee.


On this particular morning, for Zen's breakfast I soaked onions the night before so they wouldn't be bitter...

and this morning I had smoked salmon and bagles with cream cheese for Zen.

Often I make a meat and cheese sandwich for Taka's lunch, sometimes Zen. (Zen's schedule is from 8am until 1:30, then usually physical training (for basket ball) until about 3pm). SOMEtimes for Zen I make a peanut butter and jelly ("jam" as the Japanese call it) sandwich. Often for these days I just give Zen $4.00 for a drink and some snack from a shop near the High School if he's hungry.

Taka takes his bagged lunch and bicycles off to work, which takes him about 15 minutes.
I have recently been making a coffee mocha for Zen for his ride to school, he wants to drink it in the car. Mochas cost about $4.00 at coffee shops. I make it with coffee, milk, cocoa, sugar and...

taboo! CANNED whipped cream!

Every school morning I drive Zen to school. It takes about 17 or 18 minutes. The highway we use, there's one very cool spot, every single day we always see these birds!!!

These birds are ALWAYS sitting on this ONE telephone line along the highway! (CLICK ON THE PHOTO- YOU CAN SEE A CLOSE UP!!!!)
While I drove on this day, I asked Zen to take these photos. This particular day was a foggy morning.


So other mornings, I often make scrambled eggs, omelets, or fried eggs...bacon or sausage. Sometimes I make TONJIRU and sauted veggies and rice for Zen.

All within an hour. from 6:40-7:40 every morning. That's how I start my days.