The Year 2019 went by so fast…it was a crazy year with so many things happened in my life, and at the same time, it was a very good year filled with a lot of love and support from so many people. I want to thank everyone who supported TOIRO and me throughout the year, so we could end 2019 with big smiles!

To end the year, I hosted a small dinner party at my place. We toasted with Krug…one of my favorite Champagne.

Main coures was Oden made in donabe! Oden is a very popular Japanese dish, and there are restaurants specialized in oden throughout the country, too. It’s like Japanese version of pot-au-feu…different ingredients are simmered in a broth. My oden normally contains pork spare ribs, octopus legs, daikon, konnyaku, kombu, eggs, mochi-filled tofu pouch, fish cake, etc. I was so glad everybody enjoyed it so much.

On the New Year’s Eve, I prepared Toshikoshi Soba (“Year crossing soba”). Eating soba on New Year’s Eve is a widely practiced custom throughout in Japan for centuries. Soba symbolizes longevity, so we eat soba for the good health for the coming year and forward. I made Soba with Mushroom Dipping Sauce in Donabe. It was so good.

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In the New Year, I hosted a very Japanese New Year dinner and invited some close friends.

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I made traditional Osechi Ryori (Japanese New Year celebration dishes). It’s indeed a lot of work to make Osechi Ryori from scratch. There are so many components in Osechi Ryori, so beginning with the shopping, prepping and execution, it’s a few day process…but, I always have fun making this special feast. It’s totally worth it.

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Time for the main course…Sukiyaki! I prepared both beef and pork slices, along with a variety of vegetables, etc. to cook in the sauce.

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Wishing all of you happy donabe new year!

Naoko Takei Moore