A highlight of my childhood in the small, sea-side town of Ormoc were the parties that were held in Deposito–the farm, where the sisters and brothers of my maternal grandfather lived. Two of these great-aunts, twins in their nineties, still live there. Back then we would gather in the main house, and the chairs and tables covered in red or green checkered mantels would spill over outside into the shade of an ancient Santol tree. It was one lunch under that tree, when I was old enough to really remember, that “the salad” forever endeared itself.

This dish for baked chicken is deceptively easy to make, requiring just five ingredients, but the results will surprise you. The secret is in the soy sauce, specifically Kikkoman. The chicken is tender and tasty, the skin is beautifully crisp and browned. Everything is covered in this sticky, sweet, salty, smoky magic that Kikkoman becomes in this dish. This is bound to become your new weeknight staple.

Baked eggs are perhaps one of the best things you can do with minimal effort. They’re so easy, and so good, and you can enjoy them in so many ways. We’ve listed down some of our favorites, and a few tips to baked eggs mastery.

Homemade yogurt should be a staple in every kitchen. It’s healthy, versatile, delicious, and as we discovered five years ago, rather easy and fun to make. There will be a bit of the jitters the first time you ever make yogurt at home, but it gets easier and better every time after that. And like us, you will wonder where homemade yogurt had been all your life.

When he passed away about a year ago, my Dad left behind a lifetime of stories that I will remember with tenderness. One of them was about the time he visited Japan in the 90s. He spoke about sumo wrestlers and geishas, and of course, about the incredible food. In particular, some nameless fish that he ate on the train early one day. He would have known too, having grown up close to the Sea in a town known for its fish. He raved about this fish so much he had no words to describe it. That picture is somehow so clear in my mind it was as if I was there. But 20 years would pass before I would visit Japan for the first time.