I love having a Japanese husband; it means I get to have a Japanese mother-in-law. And, people, the woman. can. cook. We all think she should open her own restaurant, and essentially she did. She had three sons and all of their friends to feed for years. And they put down some food.

Now our appetites are a bit tamer, but it's tough to listen to the full-stomach signals when there are bowls of heaven in front of us week after week. It's been fun to experience all of these new foods prepared in such a tasty way, and I want to tell you about one of them so that you can have your own little bowls of heaven.

You should try udon noodles, pronounced "ooo-don." It's Japanese comfort food to me. A Japanese wheat noodle, they are creamy, firm, and a great blank canvas for lots of flavors. You cook them like you would spaghetti (in boiling salted water), but they only take about six minutes before they're done. For the simplest version, put your cooked noodles in a bowl, and ladle in some of the starchy cooking liquid. Add a few dashes of soy sauce and top with some chopped green onion. People, you will love it. LOVE it. And once you understand the flavor, you can have your own fun with udon. Add anything to that bowl of heaven - cooked shrimp, chicken, sauteed carrots, ginger, garlic... so many possibilities.

So go buy some udon noodles. Most regular grocery stores carry them now in the international foods aisle. And you can thank my little Japanese mother-in-law.