Meet one of my favorite breakfasts: tamago kake gohan. A traditional, Japanese breakfast dish, tamago kake gohan is a rice and egg bowl that’s quick, easy, and comforting. Seasoned with a bit of shoyu & mirin + topped with furikake, it’s completely addictive. The final bowl is creamy, luscious, umami perfection. I know the raw egg might seem weird, but it cooks, and it’s SO good. Please trust me and try this ASAP. I’ve had it every morning for the past…I don’t even know how many days. You can top it with all kinds of things like scallion, greens, or even raw or cooked salmon or other fish.

We’re currently in Kyoto pretending we’re local for a short two weeks in a little machiya, and I’m feeling so peaceful. Maybe it’s the Buddhist and Shinto energy—there are over 1600 temples and 400 shrines in the city. We wake up early every morning, the whole family up by 6 AM. We take our showers & baths, straighten up, brew a pot of sen-cha, make this breakfast, and then walk to get a morning coffee—a cappuccino for me, filter coffee for dad, and a “babycino” (steamed milk) for Eula. After that we grab groceries on the way home if we need them, and then by 9 we’re settled in for work. I found a derelict machiya (traditional house) for sale for a pittance, and, as I am wont to do, am fantasizing about restoring it and living here part time. My dreams of nesting all over the world are my favorite past time. We call it “hypothetical real estate”.

Lately we’ve been eating this tomago kake gohan, which is as ridiculously simple as it sounds, every morning. I top it with furikake (find it a Japanese grocery, make your own, or order it online!) and serve it alongside a simple yuzu miso soup filled with whatever we have on hand (currently cabbage, mushroom, green bean, and fresh tofu with a scattering of scallion and herbs/sprouts) with tsukemono (Japanese pickles) on the side. And natto, fermented soybeans, for Matt & Eula. Try it: you’ll either love it or hate it. They love it. I…don’t. But wish I did! It’s incredibly good for you.

And TWO quick announcements! If you follow on Instagram, then you probably already know about both of them, but in case you missed it a) I recently released my very first collection of Lightroom presets! What that means is you can have access to my editing in one click! These are the presets I use daily + created from years of what you miiiiight call obsessive photo editing. I hope these can save you some much needed time & take your photos to the next level! Tweak them away to make them your own or just use them as is—they work on everything from food to travel to lifestyle shots. To make them work on ANY photo (they’ll look different on different photos because all light is different), just tweak the white balance until it’s right for your photo and your style!

You can purchase the presets HERE. And as an added bonus you can get a 15% discount code HERE! So grab your discount & then go make them yours!

Aaaand second announcement—I’ll keep it quick!—I’m teaching a 4 week intensive E-Course, The Art of Food Photography, this coming January! So if you’re ready to invest in yourself & power level your food photography find ALL the details & register here! Registration will only be open for the next 4 weeks so don’t miss out! If you have questions after reading the description, please don’t hesitate to reach out.