Maki Sushi

I don't just eat sushi, I adore it!
Since a Japanese friend of mine made me some when I first came to the US, I was hooked up immediately!
It's just amazing how you can love something you've never tasted before, but I did.
And I still do.




I was kind of intimidated though by the way of making it, until my good friend Lois posted step by step on her blog. I dared myself and I made a LOT, but no fish unfortunately, because of the kids :-) It was delicious and I recommend it!

Since on her blog the step by step instructions are in Bulgarian, I decided to translate it in English and post it here with my pictures.
However, I have pictures only of the finished product, so if you want to take a look at her step-by-step instructions, take a look here.



You will need:
1 and 1/2 cups jasmine rice ( for sushi)
2 and 1/4 cups water
4-5 seaweed NORI ( large sheets)
1.35 oz rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

For the filling- you can use whatever you like- eggs, fish, caviar, crab sticks, carrots, avocado, scallions, seedles cucumber, tofu etc.
Whatever you use, it has to be cut on long sticks, so it can be place in the middle of the sushi roll and not fall off when you cut it.

First, wash the rice thoroughly with water, then place it in a bowl and add water until the rice is covered. Let it soak for 30 minutes, then drain it.

Place the rice in a large sauce pan with a lid and add the 1 and 1/4 cups water . Place the pan over medium heat until it reaches boiling point, then let it stay for 5 more minutes and turn the heat off. DON'T remove it from the stove and place the lid on top.
* If you have a rice cooker, you can skip that part, but for the majority of us folks that don't that's an easy way to steamed rice at home.


In a small sauce pan warm up the rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Have in mind that you don't have to boil it, only the salt and sugar have to dissolve. Leave it aside.

When the rice is cooled down, fluff it with a fork and add the rice vinegar.

Now, you might think you need a bamboo mat to make sushi, right? Wrong!
I made mine on a plain plastic cling wrap!
Off course if you have bamboo mat or want to buy one, go ahead but you don't NEED, it, it just would be nice to have one.

So, place a sheet of Nori on top of the wrap, spread enough rice to cover the sheet, then place the strip cut ingredients at the end closer to you( so it would become the middle part of the sushi) and start rolling.
When you roll you need to detach the cling wrap on top with your fingers. By doing that you will be rolling only the Nori and rice, not the plastic wrap with it.
( take a look at Lois's picture here).

When you are finished, cover the sushi with the plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes. As a matter of fact you can prepare it for guests the night before if you are not using fresh fish.



When it's cold and ready, cut with a very sharp knife and serve on a platter with Wasabi, marinated ginger and/or soy sauce.

You can use caviar or dry fish sprinkles as a topping as well.

You can very well use the "reverse" Maki sushi idea that I made too- spread the rice and place the Nori on top of it, that way your sushi will be white on the outside and black on the inside. Don't forget to roll the sushi roll in sesame seed ( black preferably, but white is OK too) before you cut it.
Enjoy!

15 minute Eclair cake!

This is the most easy cake I ever made!
My kids were with 104 F since Thursday and they wanted something sweet. I had absolutely no time or strength left in me ( from the sleepless nights with them) to make something more complicated than this cake :-)
It was just what I had at home plus a little twist :-)

You need:
1 package ready made cake layers ( there are 3 inside, you will need only 2, the other one can be frozen)
1 box of frozen eclairs ( cream puffs)
1 box pistachio pudding
2 boxes lemon pudding
2 tbsp corn starch
4 cups water
2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 bananas
Preparation time : 15 min
Cooling time: 4 + hours



In a cake spring form place the bottom cake layer.
In a pan mix together the corn starch, lemon pudding, 2 eggs and water. If you want you can use milk, I prefer it with water. Stir over medium heat until it thickens and set aside.
Cut the bananas on circles and place them on top of the cake layer in the spring form. Spread half of the lemon mixture over the bananas.
Place the frozen puffs on top of the lemon pudding ( you won't use the whole box, just as many as to cover the bottom of the spring form) and then spread the rest of the pudding on top of that.
Cover with the second cake layer.
Mix the pistachio pudding with the milk according to the instruction on the box ( mix and beat on low for 2 min) and then spread it on top of the second cake layer.
You can sprinkle on top with cocoa bean chips or chocolate chips, or nuts, whatever you like.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Serve cold.
Enjoy!

Revolutionary Road

http://www.amazon.com/Revolutionary-Road-Movie-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307454622/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i

I've just finished Richard Yates's book " Revolutionary road".
I rearly write about books on my blog, not because I don't have anything to say about them or because I don't read, on the contrary. I am actually an avid reader, one that thinks each and every spare minute should be focused on learning something new, and what better way of learning than reading? If I have 5 minutes in the car before picking up my son from school, this is 5 WHOLE minutes time, total immersion in the beauty of the imagination, knowledge and wisdom. Nothing else can ever replace for me the feeling that reading of a book gives me.
Why haven't I discussed this on my blog then, you would ask ( or not, but I'll answer anyway) ?
I have a simple explanation or at least one that makes it quite obvious for me.
The book and I, this is like a private relationship, a slow and intimate dance, or like a meek, yet passionate affair, that makes you more alive and breathing, but you can't quite discuss it with others. It's not that you are being ashamed of it. Is more of a jealousy kind of thing. You don't want to share your private emotions. It's that simple.
But this book.
I don't know what is it about it. It's just something that waits to burst out of me like an alien.
I am sceptical about movies based on a book, but I'll see this one. Even if it disappoints me. Even if it doesn't remotely reflect my feelings.
What more corny than 2 people's private drama exposed in so many pages, for everybody to read? Nothing new to say, nothing new to show. A painful reminder of the reality many of us live in. Same words, same mistakes, same perfect little hell of a life. Isn't it enough that we live it? Do we have to read about it?
Yes!!! My goodness, a 1000 times yes! We do have to read about it! To let ourselves see it, feel it and most importantly to talk about it.
My mind is racing right now...it's almost 2 am and I just couldn't go to sleep once I've finished the book. I apologize for the stream of consciousness type of writing, but it's the best I can do at this hour.
Yates with his book reminds me very much of Salinger and his " Catcher in the Rye". It's not like their style of writing is the same, it's more of the feeling it gives you when you read the lines.
It's a strange kind of feeling, one that I can compare with being sick to your stomach with its honesty(and I certainly don't mean this in a bad way), shed pitiful tears for the unagreeable main characters or simply fill with compassion at the same time. Like you've just learned a dreadful dirty secret. You KNOW!
There are 2 other books from the many many more I've read that have ever left me with this feeling. Feeling that I would burst with emotion, that I am going to be sick with it's brutality and that I love it at the same time.
It's almost unbearable and at the same time it's unthinkable that you might not be touched by it.
I think now it's time to stop, before I'm half asleep.
Read the book and let me know what YOU think!.

A new pencil box for Kalin

How much does it take to make a child happy?
I'll tell you- a wooden box and a bunch of color pencils.
Since I woodburned Ellie's heart shaped box, Kalin has been bugging me to make him something too.
We looked and looked and looked....and looked. He couldn't decide.
Finally he said he wants a pencil box where he can store his new pencils.
After he changed his opinion on the way the box should like million times, he decided on giraffe and palm trees pattern ( beats me why the 2 together but it's what he wanted).

This is Ellie's box:




And this is Kalin's box:



I had trouble figuring out how to make it, and I was overwhelmed by the size of the box, but that's what I came up with.



The whole thing was much easier and less time consuming than I initially expected.


Kalin even draw me a picture to show me what he wants on the box :-)

How can you resist on a instruction sheet like that? :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I had a very hectic day yesterday. I had so much going on that I didn't even notice it was Friday 13th! On the other hand, maybe it's better I didn't know :-) Not that I am that much superstitious, but just in case you know ;-)
Anyway, yesterday we went to Michael's ( the store) and decided to pick up things for our project for Daddy. We couldn't go earlier, because Ellie had a viral rash ( again! :-( but we had something in mind. However, when we were in the store, the kids kept coming up with new ideas, and we stayed there a loong...LONG time.
So finally when we left, we have bought something totally different from what we initially planed.



We decided to make Daddy a "book"-box that he can put small stuff in while at work ( he has all kinds of books on a shelf) so I grabbed a unfinished wooden box for $2.50 and a wood burner for $16.50.



The whole project took us ( the kids helped with the painting, I burned the wood) around 1.5 go 2 hours.



This is my first time woodburning, and I didn't have time to find a stencil, so I just went...and burned whatever it came to my mind at that moment :-)



Somebody told me it reminds them of J.K Rowling's " Beedle the Bard", and since I am I huge fan, I take that as a compliment :-) The only thing I don't like about it is that I didn't have more time. I would have done a lot better if I had couple of days to finish it, to apply gloss coat etc, but the kids decided that at the last minute, what can you do.



The wood burning was much more intensive work than I expected and that's why I ran out of time with the food preparation, so the kids ( and I) made this 15 minute dessert from cappuccino soaked lady fingers, a 5 minute dark chocolate pudding, some frozen strawberries and eclairs, some white topping and coco bean chips on top.
Extremely easy ( a 5 and a 2 year old put it together for 15 min, how hard can it be?! :-) and delicious decadent dessert.



As a finish to our project the kids decided to make a book for their dad, saying how much they love him. Each page had 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 hearts and the number, and the last too pages had hand prints ( my son and daughters) and a sign " to infinity ....and beyond". You can check it out here.

For a finish we went to a Japanese restaurant, it was the kids' first time on Hibachi table and they had a blast :-)
Happy Valentine's day everyone!!!

Martenici ( Martenizi) 2009

In spite of everything that's going on right now ( 2 sick kids, one sick mom) I've found the time to grant my son's wish of making him Martenicas.
I've even arranged with his teacher to present the Martenicas at school and the kids there are going to make some :-)So, I've put together little packages with pom-poms and some white and red yarn, as well as some googly eyes. I hope they like it!

Now these Martenicas are no-sew, made from pom-poms, some pipe cleaners ( somebody asked me about the size, I've used 6"), a little glue from a hot glue gun, some buttons, googly eyes, red and white cotton yarn, and some sparkly fuzz balls that I can't remember the name of.

If you are interested to find out more about what Martenica is, the traditions connected to it, you can try here for the Story and the Legend.

Here is also a step-by-step instruction on making the basic " ropes" ( with pictures):

And last but not least, here is a website of a friend of mine, she is making and selling martenicas n the US.

Now, here are mine:

A martenica Bookmark ( or pendant)


Martenica Brooches
-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

-6

-7

-8

-9

-10

-11

-12

-13

-14

-15


And some bracelets:
-1

-2

-3


And some rings:
-1

-2

-3


And one decorative: