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[Columbine]

Why not try and pick up a Japanese home-cooking cook book? I have a few and they're very simple to follow, recipes are quick and mostly aimed for two people, so you don't even have to recalculate the measurements much. I have:
Amazon.com: Quick & Easy Japanese Cookbook (9784770025043): Katsuyo Kobayashi: Books

and

Amazon.com: Recipes of Japanese Cooking: Yuko and Navi International Fujita: Books

which are both full of ordinary day-to-day food that is pretty straight forward and easy to make.
I also have several by this lady: Amazon.com: Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipes for Contemporary Tastes (9781557885203): Harumi Kurihara: Books but they're a little more show-offy.

Sushi isn't day-to-day food either, for the record.