About my situation:

Any and all advice is welcome, but I have limited kitchen space and appliances at my disposal. Also, because I live in Japan, a lot of ingredients that are common in the West are hard to find and/or very expensive. So here's a few things to keep in mind:

Stuff I have access to:
- Stove top
- Microwave
- Mini Toaster Oven
- Rice cooker
- Fry pan, sauce pans, bowls, basic utensils
- Seasonal fruits and veggies (see post 8 for some examples)
- Lots of fresh seafood
- Lots of meat, except maybe steak since it's kind of expensive
- Most other basic supplies, sauces, and seasoning

Stuff I don't have easy access to:
- Oven
- Lots of counter space
- American measuring cups/spoons (mine use "cc" or "ml")
- Most cheeses (aside from powdered Parmesan and some basic white cheeses)
- Turkey
- Foods/seasonings common in Latin American food
- produce that is off-season in Japan