SUSHI

I don't think I've ever mentioned how much I love sushi. I love rolls, I love sashimi (that's just the raw fish on a plate), and I just learned how much I love edamame. Bean and I found a place near our house that has half-priced sushi and $3.50 martinis on Tuesdays. We went two weeks in a row. Maybe I'll convince him to go back tonight... I digress...

I was thrilled when Maggie called and said that she and her mom had an extra ticket to a sushi making class at Central Market this past Friday. It was a blast! The picture above is the other 1/2 of the sushi we made that I didn't eat that evening. We made smoked salmon/cream cheese rolls, tempura shrimp rolls, crab/cucumber rolls, proscuitto wrapped asparagus rolls, and spicy tuna rolls. I was so glad Maggie and her mom don't like spicy stuff either so I wasn't alone in not wanting the all of the seasonings.

We learned about how to make sushi rice, how not to smash the rice down, how to roll them into shapes like squares or triangles, how to drink wine while making sushi, how to put water on the knife to cut the rolls into bite-sized pieces, and how delicious sushi tastes when you just made it. The best part of the class was that they did all of the prep work for us. We didn't have to make the batter or fry the shrimp or cook the rice or slice up the veggies with a mandolin.

I think these cooking classes might just become a new part of my life. What a great way to spend an evening with someone special.