Taking Care

I've always said, "Take care of your family, and take care of those who take care of your family".  Jacob's uncle has been in the hospital for a few weeks now and so we took a trip to see him last Thursday and then again on Sunday.  Of course, as any good southern woman does-- I took food!  Cookies, to be exact.  I figured they're easy to eat, no utensils required, and yummy.

Both recipes I used are from one of my favorite cooking blogs, The Girl Who Ate Everything.  Each time we went I took some cookies for the family, but I also took some cookies for the "ones who take care of my family" (the doctors and nurses).

I made S'mores Cookies that were fabulous (especially right out of the oven)!

The original idea for the sign was from here, but none of the designs really fit the bill so I tweaked it a little!  It says, "Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the medical profession.  We appreciate you. We need S'more people like you!"  The nurses loved the cookies and were so excited!

The second time we went I made Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cookies and they were fabulous as well.  I mean, it's a Paula Deen recipe....how could you go wrong?  I found the recipe for this cookie here.  I put these cookies in ziplock bags and attached these signs:

Here is a more clear picture of the signs.  You can also click on the picture to be taken to the site where you can download the template!

So you can take away two lessons:

1. Make these cookies.  You won't regret it.
2. Show others you care!  You won't regret it, either.

My First Sushi Making Experience

I have always really liked sushi rolls...

...and when one of my Mom's Japanese friends brought sushi to our Thanksgiving lunch, it inspired me to learn how to make it!! So today was my day. I made one of my favs, a California roll. I used Alton Brown's recipe and dove right in. First, Jacob and I went to Wal-Mart after church to purchase the ingredients. The ingredients were about $15, but several of the items (sushi rice, rice vinegar, bamboo rolling mat, seaweed wraps) can be used multiple times.

First thing I made was the rice, which is VERY sticky. I had to prepare this much earlier because the rice has to cool completely, to room temperature.

Next, I prepared the "innards"- cucumber, avocado, and crab sticks and put them each in bowls.

Then, the sushi roll assembly line began. I was actually quite surprised how easy it was. The recipe made 8 total rolls and as I went, my sushi rolls got tighter. So, I've learned for next time :)

When I finished, I had 8 sushi rolls cut into sixths! I was quite impressed with myself.

Moral of this story: If you like sushi, try making it yourself! It was easy, relatively inexpensive, and DELICIOUS!!!