What this is all about...

I was born on February 6, 1970. That means on February 6, 2010 I turned 40! I borrowed a great idea from a friend of mine who had recently turned 50. She committed to learning 50 new things and/or having 50 new experiences in her 50th year. I thought that was such a cool idea that I have plagiarized her idea. I'm hoping to have 40 new experiences in the next year. That means I need your help! If you have some skill/talent/hobby that you could share with me, please do!!! I can't do this alone. This blog will keep you all posted on my 40 "adventures." I hope you enjoy it.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

#17 - Making Sushi

I hit a two-for-one special tonight, knocking out numbers 17 and 18 in the same evening!  Each has its own posting. 

When I sent out my initial email announcing my plans to undertake 40 new adventures, two different friends offered to teach me how to make sushi.  So I decided that learning to make sushi was simply meant to be.  

Prior to tonight I had limited experience with sushi. I had eaten it a couple times, and our family Shih Tzu during my teen years was named Sushi.  I had never attempted to make it in any fashion.

This afternoon my kids and I headed up to Denver to become sushi chef apprentices. My friend, Karen, went above and beyond in preparing our sushi lesson - THANK YOU, Karen. You are awesome!  Not only did Karen have sushi (specifically, California rolls) planned, but she had a complete Japanese meal planned. She had a buffet of Japanese chips set out for us, as well as Japanese soft drinks.  There was also Japanese dessert to follow dinner.

Karen explained the nuances of Jasmine vs. Japanese rice to us. She taught us all about Nori, the seaweed used to wrap California rolls. She put the kids and me to work with the basics of chopping avocado, cucumber and crab.  She showed us how to use sushi mats.  She was a pro all around! The kids and I each made our own sushi dinners, and then we headed out to their beautiful patio to enjoy our meal.


After tasting our finished products, only one of the kids declared it gross--that would be Josh--he thinks he would prefer the sushi made out of Rice Krispie treats and rolled in Fruit Rollups! The rest of us really liked our California rolls.  However, all of us could pass on wasabi.

The kids and I really enjoyed our culinary adventure, and it provided another great example of how my 40 adventures has also served as a reason to reconnect with friends. We had not visited Karen's family since the summer of 2008.  It has been wonderful to reconnect with many friends as they help me achieve my goal of 40 new experiences.

With our bellies full, we headed down the street a few miles to adventure #18. You have to go read about that now.

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