Sushi Skill Share

Sometimes I get the urge to host a party that I wish people would invite me to.  And I make sure to invite myself.

That's what happened a few days ago when the ever-talented Mari came to my house to share her sushi rolling skills with a group of adventurous and gracious friends of mine.  (They keep coming to my parties, even though they know my weakness for inviting guest speakers.)

Mari came and brought all the supplies and ingredients.  We gathered around her as she demystified the art of rolling sushi.  The secrets are simple, but important.

• short grain rice is essential
• wash, even scrub the rice
• soak that rice
• never lift the lid until the rice is finished cooking
• cut in the vinegar, no mashing the rice!
• use sparse, but flavorful fillings
• tight, tight rolling!
• the extra sushi rolls, left over after the slicing, are the chef's treat

And look how much fun we had!

She left us with recipes, inspiration, and even our own bag of rice for further sushi-ing.  I got brave and tried my new skills for a Father's Day dinner.  I feel more skilled in this area than I did a few days ago!

What skills would you like to learn?

What skills do you have to share?

Our recent daycation

Last Saturday, we headed up to our state's capital for Be A Tourist day.  It wasn't exactly a vacation.  Nor was it a staycation, because we were sort of out of town.  But it was fun and frugal and took up the better part of the day.  A daycation.

Grandma Sheila was our host and tour guide, and we did a fun variety of things.

Impression 5 Science Museum

Lansing Art Gallery

CATA bus station

Riding an 'articulated' bus (the accordion kind)

The 4-H Children's Garden

We all agree that riding the city bus was our favorite part of the day!  Ah, the urban experience.  And a memorable daycation.

"Creatures, I give you yourselves."

You might have guessed from the sidebar on the right that we do a bit of reading over here.    Fiction, nonfiction, adult, children's, old-fashioned, current, trendy, quirky, quaint, BOCD.  We love it all.

We're currently listening to C. S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, which has risen to the top of my favorites list.  Today's portion especially, as the great lion Aslan speaks life and breathes intelligence into the new world.

Aslan

"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters."

Aslan

"Creatures, I give you yourselves," said the strong, happy voice of Aslan. "I give to you for ever this land of Narnia. I give you the woods, the fruits, the rivers. I give you the stars and I give you myself." 

What passages are especially touching you today?

Rich in Eggs, Sweet Persian Omelette

A fellow chicken-loving and kitchen-craving friend loaned me this curious book called simply Egg.

The recipe that I'm taking away from it is the Sweet Persian Omelette.  It's basically an eggy version of a crepe, or a puffy version of a dessert omelette.

We're fans of crepes over here, but I always feel slightly guilty serving my family a breakfast that is found in the Dessert section of the cookbook.  So this higher protein crepe-like omelette sits better with me, while still feeling like a treat.

Sweet Persian Omelette (modified from the cookbook Egg)
 (This makes 2 small servings, or 1 deluxe one.)

Mix in a medium bowl 3 teaspoons flour and 3 teaspoons sugar.  Add 3 eggs and mix well, until dry ingredients are completely incorporated.  Pour into a hot omelette pan, or smallish sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until bottom is set.  Use a spatula to carefully turn omelette over.  It will cook quickly and puff up on this second side.  Turn out onto a plate, fold in half, and add the fillings or toppings of your choice.

The possibilities are endless: jam, syrup, sliced fruit, cream cheese, nutella, peanut butter, butter, cinnamon sugar.  My current favorite combination is cream cheese between the layers and jam on top, as pictured here.

And don't worry (MK and JK), no cats or people of Iranian decent were harmed in the making of this breakfast.

Empty nest, well, sort of.

There's been so much going on over here lately.  School projects, concerts, the book.  And, the chickens!

They turned 8 weeks old this past Monday and were ready to move outside.  By "ready," I mean they were outgrowing their cardboard box,

not needing the heat lamp anymore,

and getting too stinky.

Music Man graciously laid some laminate flooring in the coop to protect it from moisture (aka. droppings, aka. fill-in-the-blank).  Thanks to Mari for passing along her extra flooring to us!

The coop?  Yes, before the chicks even arrived, we had procured a spiffy coop from craigslist.

It's everything you could want in a coop; it's sturdy, roomy, and pretty.  It's based on this coop design and seemed like the right solution for us, in that it's mobile.  That way, the chickens can have access to fresh pasture (the backyard) each day while still being safe from predators (our dog).

 They forage around on the lower level, then climb up the ramp to roost in the upper area at night.

And aren't they just the prettiest hens?

 

Here they are poking around in the garden.

And our house is currently empty of birds.

Dear Humanities Class

1) I wrote a book.  Just how, exactly, did I do that?

• idea (this could take a moment, this could take your whole life)
• write it down (15 minutes, or many years)
• take a break (days, or years)
• come back and edit (add/subtract, always read it aloud, even if you seem insane to outsiders, ignore them, they are the ones with spelling errors)
• put your baby out there and find an agent or publisher
• get rejected, get rejected some more, get ignored (this could go on a while)
• stumble upon someone who loves your work (bonus: local publisher!)
• listen to them tear it apart (aka. edit it to make it better)
• work with the illustrator (tell them they are doing a great job, except when they aren't)
• drive to the printer to pick up 3 really heavy boxes
• do my best to tell the public

Bonus: Career Awareness!  What's the best job in the whole world?

2) How did this idea of My Detroit Garden come about?

I love books!

I love gardening!

I 

LOVE

SOLUTIONS

THAT

MAKE

SENSE.

AMEN.

Plus, Detroit needs some love.

Way too many Detroiters (including children) live with food insecurity.

Way too much of Detroit is considered a food desert.

Detroit is called the Motor City because of the auto industry, yet many Detroiters cannot afford a car, and so cannot easily get to the (far) grocery stores.  When you are hungry, you want food that's easy to get, not always the wise choice.  

3) Please, make it better.  Edit my rough draft!

4) How did it turn out?  Storytime!

5) What makes a great children's story?

• something for the adult reading it (humor, history, sentiment, silliness, clever, etc)

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”
― C.S. Lewis

• something for the child listening to it (humor, can relate to it, talking animals, etc)

"I don't write for children. I write. And somebody says, 'That's for children.' I didn't set out to make children happy. Or make life better for them." -Maurice Sendak

• sounds good read aloud, several times

• picture can hold the attention for the amount of time it takes to read the words on that page

6) Your turn.  Let's edit your drafts!

7)  If there is time, read some of these treasures.

8) Go forth, and be interesting.

Book Launch Events!

The book is here and in hand, and I've been so encouraged by the feedback I've been getting.  It seems that more than just me and my household likes the idea of urban gardening in the form of a children's book.  I had the opportunity to have some pre-launch exposure, at the Growing Hope Grand Opening and at a Craft/Bake Sale at my church.

The book officially launches this week at two local events.
1) Lunasa Open House Market, tomorrow, May 8, 4 - 7pm.  It will be at the Washtenaw Food Hub, which is reason itself to come check it out.
2) Mix Marketplace, Saturday, May 12, noon - 5pm.  That is in downtown Ypsi, in the old Mongolian Grill space.

Both events will have a varied group of food and artisan vendors, live music, and a seed-planting opportunity.

I hope to see you there!