Yes, we did!

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Sewfrench

We did it!

We made our own sushi.

First the steamed rice has to be mixed, in a wooden bowl, with rice wine vinegar, cut in and cooled appropriately. I just hope we haven't ruined our favorite wooden salad bowl, by putting hot rice into it... (We didn't!)

Ingredients prepared. Perfect avocado, real crab, cucumber matchsticks and fresh yellow fin tuna. Let us not forget the wasabi or the sriracha /mayo sauce. Sushi needs to be zippy, in our opinion.

Yes, these will be mamenori Uramaki rolls. Sticky, sticky!

Topped the rice with toasted sesame seeds, flipped over and now filling with avocado, cuke and crab... I don't do all the work.

Oh and let's not forget what makes it a *spicy* California roll!

And a spicy tuna roll!

Our *famous* asian salad dressing over shredded iceberg with green onions and topped with Wonton goodness!

Half of the finished rolls. Next time we use the entire sheet of mamenori, so that we can get more rice in/on each one. Not a big deal, they et just fine with chopsticks, well mostly. And they definitely didn't go to waste!

Served over our Wasabi Butter Beurre Blanc, with Thai chili sauce! Oh and more spicy sriracha sauce! Never get enough of that!

We learned a lot.

It took longer than we expected.

We loved it even more than we expected.

We stuffed our bellies full, for now…

We’ll do it again.

This is what we do for fun.

It’s a sushi kind of year………

Posted in Cooking, Eating, Sushi | 3 Comments

Don’t you just love Amazon?

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Sewfrench

I love that you can get anything and everything from them.  And the long lists of reviews is *the* most incredible!  I use it to make wise decisions, no matter where I end up spending my money.  I do love supporting local business, I truly do believe that is important, if you don’t support them, you will no longer have the option.  But sometimes Amazon is just so darn tempting……  And they have my credit card on file…..  Sometimes it is just a little too convenient….  We arrived home, today, to find a box at the front door.  And looky looky what was inside!

This book authored by the owner/chef of Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar.  This is the place we first learned to love Sushi!  And some Nori wrappers, I would have had to drive all over town or worse yet, traipse all over Meijer, the Michigan based, Midwest version of Walmart, to find them, and that is so not worth it.  Hey, as a side note did you know college kids can sign up for the Amazon Prime account, for free?  That means free two day shipping for anyone who can hack into their account.  I love it!  Okay, well that works for one year or until they change their password.  Anyway……….

Sansei Restaurant at Kapalua Resort, Maui

This is it!  This is the place!  It was such an amazing experience we contemplating extending out stay just so that we could eat there one more time.  OMGosh, I get the willy nillies just thinking about it.  They make some of the most flavorful sauces it will just make your head spin.  We had an incredible waiter, just a youngster, HS, maybe college age, who explained everything, asked us about our likes, dislikes, our concerns…..  Then brought us what he thought we would enjoy.  He was SO right on!  Obviously we ate most of it before the camera could even focus.

Yes, he can really use chopsticks when he puts his mind to it.

Yum, yum, yum........ Calamari salad, the best calamari we have ever had!

Crème brûlée, back before we were listening to our guts, well, we may have been listening but we were also turning a deaf ear......

After the long drive back to where we were staying, we walked the beach, kicked up our feet and had a nightcap.

I love Maui…….

It’s been too long….

And I need a pedicure …

And Sushi.  Ahhh……..

Now where is that sushi rolling mat Mr. Postman????

Posted in Cooking, Eating, Travel | 1 Comment

All we do is eat. Seriously.

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Sewfrench

Eat and workout.  Workout and eat.  That’s it.  Well, that’s how it appears, anyway……. We really do live more interesting lives than it appears.  But cooking, together, is really what we do, together.  We both do our own thing, in our own studios, usually starting out together with coffee, moving on to our workout of the day, then to our separate places to do what we do.  Coming together for lunch, back at it for the afternoon, then back together at 5/5:30 to get dinner going and commiserate on how the afternoon went…  A little TV time and then time to crash, hopefully it is 9pm or later……  Sometimes not. That’s our schedule.

And usually once a week we have lunch with a friend.  A good friend.  A very good friend. It has to be or I wouldn’t give up my mid day……  I live a very busy life, you know? Well…… unless they are willing to go to Little Bangkok, and then they are my new BFF. And I’ll buy.  It is that good.  But sometimes they just volunteer, out of the goodness of their heart, to pay.  Well, unless they lost a bet……  Then it’s not necessarily volunteering, but no one made them pick the loser, now did they????

Tom Kha Gai ~ coconut milk broth, green onion, baby corn, hot as you can handle, oh my goodness, this is the what I live for, kind of soup.  For $5.25 you get a bowl for 2, LOL, it serves 3 with plenty to argue over, for leftovers.  The deal of the day, how hot can *you* handle????

And as my friend, Tara, suggested, we have actually tried to make it.  It wasn’t the same. We couldn’t get all the exact ingredients and now I can’t seem to find the recipe we did use.  All I know, is that it was a video recipe, the ingredients were not typed on the website….. You had to watch the video over and over again.  Surely, I have it copied down, otherwise, we are wiser now and can probably reproduce it even better, though nothing went to waste the first time…  Oh, no.

Pad Curry, never lets you down, here.  This was with chicken, Peter ordered with scallops, the leftovers were combined with my name on them.  Lots of food!

Kow Pad w/chicken, enough for 2 meals……..  This belonged to BFF Gary, who lost the ballgame bet and bought lunch today. He also entertained us.  He is very good at that.

Wow, now I’m starting to feel the need for some spicy leftovers………

Posted in Cooking, Eating, Thai | 3 Comments

After the storm…

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Sewfrench

When you aren’t doing an outdoor, snow shoveling, workout you can get a whole lot more done.  I’m talking over 16,000 steps and several tons of snow moved workout….  When you get bathed and ready for the day, before lunch, you get a whole lot more done.  When you aren’t whining and complaining about how sore your thighs, buns and traps are, from the aforementioned workout, you get a whole lot more done.  So enough of that.

5.85 miles on the treadmill, piece of cake, then off to *my space* to have some fun!

Lots and lots of fun. Many different projects in the works, various stages of completion… I love finished off spools and spools of thread.  I hate not realizing I don’t have a common color that I recently ran out of.  Like today…….  I hate list making…

Quick trip out to admire the snow piles, the 20 footers are really pretty, by the way, and I am once again in business.  And another thing…..  Our driveway is sparkling blacktop, now, not a lick of snow or ice, anywhere to be seen.  Not another one like it anywhere, not that I saw.  I guess I, now, better understand why the old neighborhood guardian asked if we had a heated drive.  No, you know better.  You plowed the drive the winter it was being built and the winter before we moved in.  No, not heated then, not heated now.  Nice, of you, not to notice us working our buns off as you drove up and down the street trying to pack it down……..  Anyway……

So much accomplished today.......

Figured out placement #5.  After have 4 place mats finished, keeping my eyes open for appropriate ideas for #5 and #6, this came to me.  It’s a variation of one of the earlier ones with a Cherry HouseQuilts twist.  I used smaller colorway blocks, finished at 1″, to match the earlier place mat, but other wise the proportions are the same.  I love it!  Now I need a #6.  Maybe one with more of the colors combined?  I love Kona cotton solids!

#5

And the back machine quilted. Strange how the Herb continuous bias binding doesn't show......

And another thing……

What are the odds of stitching straight through the eye of a needle without breaking a thread, breaking or bending the needle, either needle, for that matter, hearing it click or even putting your eye out?  Really?  Tell me if you know.

I suppose it depends on the size of the needle, both machine and the stitched needle, the speed at which you are sewing, the number of miles of thread you are laying down….

What are the odds?

And as you can see this needle is no embroidery needle.  It has a teeny tiny eye, like a number 12.

Really? Twice?

No, not once, not twice?  Three times?  I cut the first one away with wire cutters as I mulled those odds.  Never thinking a picture was in order…….  And no, I didn’t aim for the eyes, or swerve towards it.  I know the value of eyesight and yes, I had glasses on, because we all know a good Girl Scout leader will tell you to *Never* sew over a pin or needle because you could put an eye out.  She didn’t tell you that safety glasses are also an option.  That was up to your Mom to share that tip.

And you wonder why I was using needles as pins?  Well, I’ll tell you what I know.  I know there is much less chance of getting the head of a pin stuck under the foot of the machine, hanging up your stitching, when their is no pretty, colorful, little, round head…  Those flat little daisy pins are fine and good, but they bend too easily and it’s much harder to remove the plastic from your stitching line than it is an eye of a needle…..  Just sayin’……..

And to top off all that fun and excitement, Peter makes Hash Browns and Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise.

Yum.  And more yum, yum.

Posted in Cooking, Crafting, Eating, fabric, Fitness, Quilting, Sewing, Snow | 8 Comments

No, Mr. Snow, you may not come in.

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Sewfrench

Groundhog Dump Day, aka, Blizzard of 2011.  Record breaking 24 hour snow for February 1, February 2, February in general, and still debating the all time record setting 24 hour snow storm.  The debate is whether or not the Blizzard of 1978 was bigger.  I have heard the tales and I do not believe we can ever live up to it’s legend.  We’ll see what the record keepers decide……..

Personally, for us, this our biggest hit.  Winter of 2009 was comparable.  It was the last time a Blizzard warning was issued.  It was big.  But GVSU didn’t cancel classes, then, and they did, today, ahead of time, even.  Yay for all the 4th year college students experiencing one of their few, college life, snow days!!!  Go ahead and wear those pj’s inside out and backwards, one more day.  It can’t hurt.

Oh, and by the way, Punxsutawney Phil emerged, just after dawn, this morning, to look for his shadow. He didn’t find it.  Spring is Near!!!  Right…….

Ready to get started, look at the garage door imprint in snow, even after the door raked up it, LOL!

Pretty much 15″ everywhere, here, at 8am, it only got worse… until sometime after noon.

Nice drifts, 20" here.

The snow was higher here/now than the snowblower.  See the ledge the blower cut? 27″ here.

You could only *eat* about a 4-5" wide path at a time, just too much snow to handle. Good thing we got up early!

Drifts were more than 36″ in some places.

You mean there is a circle drive out there? Good thing we were gifted the super tall stakes this year!

 

Mr. UPS man *has* to have a path...... seriously.

Pile envy, right???

Who da man??? Peter, da man! Be envious, just look at that pile! Yes, Life is Good!

You can barely make out the giant chicken, to the left, in the collapsed tree. Bet he wishes he was at The Roos farm... They take better care of their poultry....

 

The sun come out and made it a beautiful, fresh evening!

 

Out the dining room slider... Glad we can get to the grill, now. I just hope we don't need to exit through this stairway... Where is that sled when you need it?

2 1/2 hours later........

 

and what did *you* do for a workout today???

 

 

Posted in Fitness, Snow | 6 Comments

Busy, Blustery Day here…….

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Sewfrench

A blizzard is a severe storm condition characterized by strong winds and reduced visibility. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of 56 km/h (35 mph) with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more..

Yup, that’s why the local meteorologists are so excited.  It’s been a while.  Two years since the last blizzard warning…   I think I was on Maui, at the time……  Anyway. 2-3 inches of snow per hour and the heaviest 24 hour snowfall in our history.  Ever.  That’s what they are hoping for.  I think they may have it right, this time, after crying wolf, one too many times…..

We’ll see.

From the inside.

Looking out.

27mph gusting to 40mph

Hard to see out there……..  It’s coming down and blowing pretty good, already.  Glad we have an automatic generator…….

But that’s not to say we don’t get a lot accomplished what with listening to the weather interruptions of our favorite shows……… Actually, as I was typing, this, the wind shifted and the window turned solid white.  I think all the snow that had accumulated, on the roof, came down in one swell swoop!  Pretty cool!

We do get a lot accomplished on snowy, indoor days….  This project has been in the works for quite awhile……..  Finally, ready to be pin basted.  Finally, finally…..  Something, I dread.  6.5 miles on the treadmill, nor any T-Tapp compares to the inner thigh pain of basting a quilt.  Teresa, you should come visit and take notes…..  Then I can cause *you* pain……… real pain.

75″ x 60″  All scraps.  Machine pieced, obviously.  Curves aren’t easy, but, oh so rewarding.  This will be for me.   My very own wall hanging.  It will hang in the lower level where I will see it every single day.  Those who visit me, down there, can see it, too.

Do you recognize any of these fabrics???

Or maybe these???

I love feeling so accomplished.  And there were many other fun things worked on today., too……..  Can you say Kona cotton solids????

Tomorrow will be another day.  Shoveling until my lats shatter……  From frostbite…..

Posted in Crafting, fabric, Sewing, t-tapp | 12 Comments

Take out lunch

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Sewfrench

Or Take Away as they say in London.

It’s always nice, especially on a *big* grocery shopping day….

You know we have a world record blizzard coming right?  12-16 inches, within 24 hours, the most ever in a February, ever, ever?  We need groceries and we need sushi.  We also needed sushi making supplies…….  We must *not* have to hike to the grocery for this….

Even grocery store take out Sushi is incredible, when plated up with fresh steamed edamame and home-made spicy sriracha sauce!  Peter  *hung* with the sushi chef, today, for quite a while, and even while speaking different languages, came home wanting to do this ourselves! (Himself I should say…)

Japanese Mayo? Are you familiar with it?

Oh my, it is so very good.  Especially when a squirt of Srirachi sauce is added to it!

It reminds me of the centers of deviled eggs., which are not necessarily my favorite….   Though the ingredients aren’t really much different from good old Hellman’s…..  You should try it if you get a chance.  I’m pretty sure you could work through the entire container pretty quickly even if it’s not *diet* friendly.  Skip the chocolate, go for the mayo, LOL!  Yum!

Posted in Eating, Sushi | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday, Pretty Girl!

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Sewfrench

How could you go from this solemn looking, high energy, precious, giggling little girl???To this beautiful, thoughtful, most creative, organized, super smart, young lady in just a blink of the eye???It’s not right.

It’s not fair.

But I love you, anyway!!

I hope you have a most fabulous 12th birthday and a year better than any other!

Miss you bunches, text me!

XXOO,
Grandma Lori and PaPa Peter

Posted in Family | 7 Comments

A quilt~along giveaway!

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Sewfrench

Not me, but my friend, Sue over at Blueberry Buckle is giving away most everything you need to make a new Cherry House quilt pattern.  Plus, it will be a Quilt~along, learn as you go project!  Love, love, love all these solids quilt patterns!  Quilt~alongs are SO much fun!  Everyone working on the same project, at roughly the same time, sharing and learning as they go.  It’s a virtual party!

So, to get started, click on the Sue link above and *like* her (Simply Solid) Facebook page.  Then go back to her Blueberry Buckle blog and tell her that I sent you and then play eeny, meeny, miney mo to choose which of the color combos that she is giving away, that you like best and tell her that, too!

There’s another look at the giveaway color choices over on Flickr, along with many others who are showing off their color ideas, in a specially gathered group.  Pass the information along to others.  This ends early Monday morning so being one of the few weekend blog readers is upping your chance of winning!  Yippee!

There is no reason not to sign up and join in on the fun.

Skidaddle, now, and go dream up where you’ll use this super cool, modern quilt that YOU will create.

I think I’ll go with the brown…….

Or the gray…  The pink would make an awesome baby girl stash quilt…….  The orange is wicked awesome, too.  The color swatch kit doesn’t do the finished project justice….  Be sure and look at how the colorways all work up together on the blog!

Any questions, give me a holler.

Good Luck!

Posted in Crafting, fabric, Giveaway, Quiltalong, Quilting, Sewing | 6 Comments

A new *favorite* restaurant, LOL!

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Sewfrench

We have a favorite hairdresser, that cuts all of our hairs, Peter, Amanda and even myself, for probably 4ish years?  Peter and I often schedule back to back appointments because you *know* you need a cut every 28 days…..  We do anyway…..  This time, I came in when Peter was about finished and I could see he and Mandy back there whispering, stretching their necks to see if I could see them whispering, talking, laughing….   So as soon as she started in on me, she says, I bet you wondered what all that whispering was about… Well, yeah…….  Well, I can’t say, I said I wouldn’t talk about it.  Oh yeah, he was talking about something I didn’t need to hear…….  He was talking Sushi to a non Sushi eating person. Apparently she doesn’t eat it, but everyone else at Design 1, does…  So she hears about it and knows all about where to go for the good stuff.  Well, easily enough she spilled her guts, to me, and I knew we had a new Sushi option.  And boy is it a good one!

Breton and 44th a mile from my very favorite, too far to go to everyday, fabric store. This makes it a lot easier. And yes, we stopped there after lunch! About 20 minutes from home, an outing, an event, a date.

Great Miso Soup

Great Pinot Grigio

(Bet he wishes he carried was the camera carrying one about now….)

Spicy Tuna and Alaskan Maki

And the Chef's Special. Always a good opportunity to try new things. Shrimp, Salmon, Snapper and Tuna Sushi along with ?? looks like California and maybe Vegetarian Maki.

Tokyo Grill, we will be back.  Maybe tomorrow.  We’ll see…….

I can *always* use more fabric…..

Posted in Eating, fabric, Sushi | Leave a comment