Saturday night, Sushi and Snow...

I spent most of the day (11-5) at our animal rescue group's pet adoption day at Petsmart (http://www.rpaw.org). I came out of the store and there was SNOW on the ground and it was COLD!! Everyone is so disgusted, it's all we can seem to talk about. I won't linger too long on the fact that it's almost May and we're still dealing with this stuff, but when I finished the day I was cold and hungry. For the past week I've had a hankering for sushi and it hit me bad at that moment! So, I called up my favorite sushi chef, Xavier, and asked him if he would get out some salmon from the freezer and make it for supper. As we all know, "when Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", so he obliged and started the process while I was on my way home.
First, he prepared the sushi rice with rice vinegar and some other stuff (I think he adds sugar.) After some cooking and steaming he always asks me to "fluff" the rice. That's my job! (It's so nice to have a minor role in making dinner!) While the rice is being prepared we cut up the raw salmon, cucumbers, avocados, green peppers and ginger. Above, Xavier mixes the rice with a prepared sauce. The process I'm describing is what I have learned from Xavier. I have never actually prepared this myself.

Above, Xavier has prepared his sushi mat and cutting board. He also has 2 bowls with water to rinse off the knife and his hands. Sushi rice is really sticky and hard to work with if you don't have cold water.
Xavier has put down a sheet of Nori (seaweed) and a layer of rice.


The last layer in this roll is salmon and cucumber.

Xavier uses the mat to roll the sushi.


A finished roll ready to be cut.

The sushi chef!


Skippy Lu is always hopeful about getting a little tidbit.

Selena would rather give me this face than smile for the camera. Dinner is ready!


A plate of sushi and another plate with sliced ginger.

A beautiful sight!
After dinner we gave the leftover salmon to the dogs and the rice to the chickens. Sushi is not good as leftovers.

It was still SO cold in the house so I built a fire in the fireplace. I REFUSE to turn on the heat when it is almost May. So, once the room had warmed up by the fire we settled down to watch the Spanish movie, "The Orphanage". It was a really good suspense, horror film with an "aftertaste." I woke up in the middle of the night to let the dogs out and I started to rework the movie for awhile before I fell asleep again. It was THAT kind of film; things fall in to place after you watch it.

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Orphanage/70077549?trkid=188469