How to Make Sushi with a Friend

I remember writing a blog entry a few months back, and promising that this wouldn't become a food blog. I promise, that was not a lie. "Become" is a word that completely transfers and changes, you see, so I can honestly say that I'm sticking with that. Yes, perhaps 99% of my blogs are now just pictures of food, but hey! I like pictures of food. I like pictures of food so, so much. Also, I'm busy. And lazy. So with that eloquent and detailed explanation, I give you...more pictures of food. But since I like you so much, you lucky so-and-so, I'll tell you what's happening too. How's that for busy and lazy!

I've discussed with several people lately how much I love cooking, baking, and preparing food with friends. Good activity, amazing company, and a satisfying result at the end. When else am I this productive with friends, I ask you? Sarah and I threw together last year's Nude Year's party on a whim and had the best time putting together appetizers and Nutella-banana empanadas. Sara, Layla, and I always had a great time preparing the spread for the Halloween parties, even though it was hours and hours of work. And I'll always appreciate that some of my favorite dates have been making dinner with a charming young man. Or a not so charming young man...in fact, on a few occasions, I think I liked making the dinner a lot more than I liked the man. Whoops a daisy!

Last night was the perfect example of this. One of my best and dearest friends, Tara, came to town, and had the brilliant idea of making sushi at her parents' house, which I'd never done before. Don't worry, though; although I'm a crappy student, Tara is a wonderful teacher. We had a wonderful time, putting together the rolls and gossiping about work, men, the future, and The Glee Project. Yep, we sure did. I got a lot of avocado on my camera whilst obsessively documenting. That was grody. But, hey, sexy results below, right? This is, by no means, a recipe, but more so a step-by-step guide on how to have an awesome time while making sushi.

First, you need a lovely friend and a bright and well-equipped kitchen. Thanks, Linda and Clay!

Next, you cut up whatever vegetables you want to include. Try and make them thin and long, and somewhat uniform.

We used carrots, cucumber, avocado, and tofu.

Linda, Tara's mom, had made sticky rice the day before, which shortened the process. Though, it still took us over two hours. Wah wah!

Tara cooked the tofu - you just dry fry it in a nonstick pan until it browns.

Hay, ingredients!

Sometimes people look a little sexy when they cook.

And sometimes people need to buckle down and focus and get back to work. That's right, Tschillard. Tighten it up.

Tara and Linda.

The assembly: Separate the rice a bit in your fingers and spread a layer over a sheet of seaweed. Then include whatever ingredients you want in that roll. We used all of them in this one.

This was the green roll: just cucumber and avocado. Texture-wise, this was my favorite.

Once you've got all the ingredients in, you roll them up and seal the end of the seaweed with a little bit of water. We made eight rolls total.

You need a sharp knife to cut through the rolls, otherwise they fall apart, or as Tara, said "explode." Wow, Tara, how dramatic!

This is one end of a roll, which looks a bit uneven, but you get the idea.

This is how many pieces we had. I bet we could make some great food bets and challenges with these!

Carrot, cucumber, and avocado rolls.

On the table. Good presentation is important, you know.

On the plate with a little soy sauce and wasabi mixed in.

I have to say, making sushi is the perfect activity for somebody with slight touches of OCD: you get to cut up vegetables uniformly and tiny, you make a huge mess that you get to eventually roll up into a neat little seaweed package, you get to arrange the ingredients by color, texture, and food group, you get to wash your hands numerous times...seriously, it's perfect.

We had a lovely evening of cooking and preparing food, then sharing it with Tara's parents and their friend. Tara also made these delicious truffles for dessert, but obviously I forgot to take any pictures of that. None. Maybe it was because I was so distracted by making the sushi. Or, maybe it was the fact that Linda made me three or four of these and I sort of forgot about anything else that wasn't a margarita:
Don't you love it when your friend's mom gets you liquored up? Classy times!

P.S. There was a widespread rumor (started by myself and Linda), that sushi and margaritas don't go together well, but we were proven wrong last night! You just need to get in two to three margaritas you before you have any sushi to make it work. Don't worry, you'll be great.

Restaurant Week Summer 2011 - 43 North

Guess what! I'm not feeling too wordy lately. So, here are some pictures from 43 North during Restaurant Week:

"Amuse bouche." Jess says, "Well, I'm amused!" Come on, man, that's FUNNY. It was also sort of greasy, and I don't remember what it was. Sorry.

Bread with European butter and olive oil powder. Food is complicated sometimes.

Watercress Salad: Pineapple, goat cheese and hazelnut.

Chilled Tomato Soup: Pressed melon, salsa verde and olive oil

Bounty of Vegetables: Truffle spaetzel, malt, barley and hazelnut. Hahahaha! BOUNTY!!!

Game Hen: Gnocchi, wild mushrooms, sorrel and mustard caramel.

Benedictine Cheese: Carr Valley, shallot fig conserve and red quinoa cracker.

Tamarind: Passion Fruit, cilantro and coconut

There were a couple of delicious vodka drinks. And they gave out a $20 off dinner coupon, so yes, I will go back.

There is a Farmers Market Across the Street

And there's a lazy lady who can't remember to charge her camera battery and is subsequently using her cell phone for all pictures these days.

This Is How We Do It (Kentucky Road Trip & Wedding in 48 Hours)

This is how we get our nails did. And this is how we pick out shoes to wear in the car.

This is how we pack the car. Fancy clothes and hats everywhere.

This is how my father sets up an office in the backseat and works for 6 hours of the 7 hour drive. Included: paper clips, manilla folders, and a stapler.

This is how I get through the morning - three cups of Bob Evans coffee.

This is how Dad manages to eat healthy even whilst on the open road.

This is how we have a late afternoon snack in the hotel bar once we arrive.

This is how we coordinate without planning and walk around intimidating all the men in the room.

This is how we turn the rehearsal dinner into a dance party.

This is how we...um...this is just how some of us are.

This is how we rock a rehearsal dinner after party.

This is how we eat breakfast the next morning. And this is how food can be helpful when some of us are feeling the effects of the after party.

This is how we run into dear old friends by chance.

This is how we put on our wedding makeup while still in the bed.

This is how we wear our shoes.

This is how lovely they are.

This is how we drink at a wedding. Plus fifty or more.

This is how we dance at a wedding.

This is how the Mother of the Groom brought enough bellydancing scarves for the whole crowd.

This is how he does it.

This is how she does it.

And this is how we end the night.
This is how we do it.

Italy #5: The Photo Series

You know what happens when you go through all 900 or so pictures from your trip to Ireland and Italy? You get a little dizzy and you see a lot of colors that probably aren't there. But also, you start to notice some common trends. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves this time, because...well, you'll see. Words would take away from the wonder, I think.

Photo Series #1: Throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain.




Photo Series #2: Dad using his arms (or foot) to show how big things are.





I am my father's daughter.

Photo Series #3: Dad admires food on the street.




I think that's all I have to say.