{"id":10456,"date":"2026-04-06T07:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/?p=10456"},"modified":"2026-04-06T07:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:41:15","slug":"new-beginnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/new-beginnings\/","title":{"rendered":"New Beginnings"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-image-10447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"shows fairy bread made with cake dec sprinkles\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/main-fairy-bread-copy.jpg 1815w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<p>\u201cWhat do we all love about Spring?<\/p>\r\n<p>It\u2019s the season that makes us sing!<\/p>\r\n<p>The colors are back,<\/p>\r\n<p>No more grey or black,<\/p>\r\n<p>Just do it, y\u2019all&#8211;take a big swing!\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>There are certain things I miss dearly about living in Japan, and others that I don\u2019t miss at all. There is something to be said about having 4 seasons every year. We don\u2019t get that in SoCal, which don\u2019t get me wrong&#8211;I firmly believe has the best weather in the world, but I do miss the changing of the seasons when it happens.<\/p>\r\n<p>Springtime in Japan was palpable. The air literally smelled different. People start dressing lighter so they also start moving quicker; and the mood changes too. I always knew what \u201cspring fever\u201d meant, but I never realized that it\u2019s for real. Spring really is a time to start over fresh and forget about the heaviness of winter.<\/p>\r\n<p>April 23rd is National Picnic Day. Get your food jars out and start packing for a day trip. Have you seen the Dense Bean Salad making the viral rounds on social media? Of course you have. All I know is, I\u2019m not a great fan of beans, but with the right dressing this is actually really good.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"bean salad in food jar\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bean-salad-food-jar-1-copy.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>The best thing about the Zojirushi Food Jars is the stainless steel nonstick interior. Non-toxic, easy to clean, and odorless.<\/p>\r\n<p>Since it\u2019s still chilly out sometimes, prepare some hot food. You can use the \u201cPorridge\u201d setting on your rice cooker to make perfect, foolproof <em>congee<\/em> (aka <em>okayu<\/em> in Japan).<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10449\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"rice cooker congee porridge\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-in-cooker-copy.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>Put whatever toppings you want to dress them up and you have a very satisfying meal that keeps super-hot in the jar.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"3 types of congee shown with toppings\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/congee-styles-in-jar-copy.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>If it\u2019s warmer outside and you want something chilled for your picnic, try a quinoa salad by making quinoa in your rice cooker. If your cooker doesn\u2019t have a quinoa setting (like ours), just look up your model number on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/grains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Zojirushi site<\/strong><\/a> and they\u2019ll tell you exactly how to make it.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10451\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"quinoa made in rice cooker\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-in-cooker-copy.jpg 1602w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>Just like the <em>congee <\/em>will stay hot<em>,<\/em> this quinoa salad will stay chilled.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10452\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"quinoa salad in food jars\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/quinoa-salad-jar-copy.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>Want to see my collection of Zojiushi Food Jars? We use the larger ones for green salads and for larger portions or when we want to share. The smaller one is better for kids and side dishes. The ones on the right have wider mouths that make it easier to eat and load.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Line-up of various Food Jars\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/food-jar-line-up.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>Now let\u2019s get to the fun stuff for Spring. The crazy bread you see at the top of this post is a traditional Australian snack called Fairy Bread that most Aussies know from their childhood. It\u2019s been around for over a hundred years, and it\u2019s ingenious. You may scoff, but try it first, please.<\/p>\r\n<p>I baked my own <em>shokupan<\/em> with the bread machine which helped to add another level to it, and I used high grade salted butter. Get some decorating sprinkles that you like (Aussies call their sprinkles \u201c100s and 1000s\u201d) and spread a bed of it on a plate.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-collage-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10453\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-collage-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"steps on how to make fairy bread\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-collage-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-collage-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-collage-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-collage-copy.jpg 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Spread the butter fairly thickly so the sprinkles can stick, but not to the edges.<\/li>\r\n<li>Position the slice over the sprinkles.<\/li>\r\n<li>Face plant the slice on the sprinkles and press lightly.<\/li>\r\n<li>And there it is, Fairy bread, Australian style!<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>Seriously, you cannot knock this until you try it. The salted butter plays so well with the crunch of the sweet sprinkles as you bite into the milky fluffy texture of the bread&#8211;this silly snack was so habit forming, we were all impressed!<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10454\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of fairy bread slice\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fairy-triangle-copy.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>I also baked a sweet Funfetti Bread since I had the breadmaker out, also using the white bread setting. I used the ingredients dispenser to dump the sprinkles automatically during the \u201cadd\u201d cycle and it came out pretty good. Mind you, not quite as wonderful as the Fairy Bread.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-10455\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"slicing funfetti bread with a knife\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/funfetti-bread-slice-copy.jpg 1672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>What does Spring mean to you? You may not have a change of seasons where you live either, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t start fresh.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Products used in this post: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/product\/bbssc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Home Bakery Maestro<\/em>\u00ae Breadmaker BB-SSC10<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/product\/nphcc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rice Cooker &amp; Warmer NP-HCC 10<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/app\/category\/vacuum-insulated-food-jars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Food Jars<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Please note that these recipes were not tested by Zojirushi America<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><!-- \/wp:post-content -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><!-- wp:paragraph {\"style\":{\"typography\":{\"fontSize\":\"11px\"}}} --><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">All images by Bert Tanimoto \u00a92026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Please note that these recipes were not tested by Zojirushi America All images by Bert Tanimoto \u00a92026 &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1228,294,1147,1227,1225,1226,331,93,756,10],"class_list":["post-10456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-bert-san","tag-bean-salad","tag-breadmaker","tag-congee","tag-fairy-bread","tag-food-jars","tag-national-picnic-day","tag-quinoa","tag-ricecooker","tag-springtime","tag-zojirushi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New Beginnings - Zojirushi Food &amp; Culture Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This post is about Spring and healthy and light foods to celebrate a fresh season. Lunch Jars are used to go outdoors for Picnic Day.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zojirushi.com\/blog\/new-beginnings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Beginnings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This post is about Spring and healthy and light foods to celebrate a fresh season. 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