Sushi is coming to Town!

Last week we had one of our favorites for dinner...SUSHI! We have homemade sushi and don't use fish. I like mine with veggies, and my brothers like theirs with beef. Blech...on the beef because I don't like beef. Not because it is an animal. It doesn't taste good to me.

How to make homemade sushi

Items you need:

• Cut up veggies, cubbed or slivers (like thing slices with cucumbers)
• Mom buys the bag broccoli coleslaw and uses that too
• Cooked beef or chicken
• 3 cups cooked rice
• Sushi bamboo mat: Dyson and mom found it at Ralphs
• Nori sheets
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Furikake see the picture below it seasons the rice

How to make Sushi

1. With the rice, put in some rice wine vinegar and the seasoning for rice. You have to taste it to see if you have the flavor right for you.
2. Put water mixed with about a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. You will use this rice water so that the rice won't stick to your hands.
3. Get our your mat and lay a piece of nori on it.
4. Dip your hands in the rice wine vinegar water. Do not dry off!
5. Spread the rice around on the nori leaving an inch at the top. You will have to dip your hands more than once in the water to keep the rice from sticking to your hands. You need a thin layer of rice.
6. Make 2 lines where you want to put the veggies and/or meat. You want them to be about in the middle.
7. Put the veggies and/or meat of the 2 lines that you have made. My mom always makes my brothers put veggies in theirs.
8. Now the tricky part...rolling. It takes practice. Mom says to bring the mat over the filling and tuck it in and start to roll. You don't meet the to edges together. You want to bring the top just under the rice line, tuck and then begin rolling and keep tuck in. You mess up the first one, but soon you get the hang of it.
9. Cut into about 6-8 pieces. Enjoy!

You need these 2 things for Step 1.

Step #6, putting lines on the rice

Step #7, the VEGGIES :)

Step #8, rolling, I didn't really roll this part. She made me hold it and took a picture of me.

Now the best part...Eating the Sushi!

May the roll be with you,

Grace

Yummy! Cherry Pie!

Do you like or LOVE Cherry Pies? If you do, you need to get Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert RIGHT NOW!

This book is about a cherry tree and how to make cherry pies. There is a recipe in the book as you read the story. The s

tory is a little funny because the boy in the story looks

forward to having cherries to eat,

and the animals keep coming and eating all the cherries. At the end of the story, he wonders if the birds would like the pie he makes with his dad.

So, today, my dad was thinking of making a cherry pie. He went on the internet and found a recipe that would take 2 hours and 55 mins plus time to cool. Then he remembered how much we loved reading this book and how the recipe was right there.

My dad couldn't find the book, but I quickly did. I looked right at it and found

the rainbow design on the side on the bottom shelf right where my mom said it was.

For my family in the midwest, you might think it strange to make a cherry pie now, but cherries are in season in California. We have eaten a lot of cherries already. I think I have eaten almost 2 pounds by myself! I'm going CRAZY for cherries :)

The pie was fun to make because I got the first taste of the cherry goo right from the oven. I stuck my pinkie in and dug, and it got hot. I was meaning to let my pinkie cool off, but it was too hot with the cherry goo. It was so YUMMY. My tongue still hurts from that.

Recipe time from the book:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups red sour cherries
• 5 TBSP. flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• pie crust (we cheat and buy ours)
• 9 inch pan

Directions:

1. Wash the cherries
2. squeeze out all the pits and save the juice. The book says 1/2 cup of juice, but we had 1/3 cup.
3. Put cherries in bowl after squeezing them; juice is in another bowl
4. add the cherry juice, flour, sugar, and Cinnamon and stir it with a spoon.
5. Prepare your pie crust in the pie pan.
6. Pre-heat oven to 450° F
7. add filling to pie crust
8. add top crust
9. press around crust edge to seal with a fork
10. make vent holes in whatever design you like. Make the lines or holes small. You'll see why later
11. Bake 10 mins
12. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue to bake for 35-40 mins or until brown
13. Let cool or you'll have burned tongue!
14. Enjoy!

Suggestions to serve it: You can add whipped cream and/or ice cream with you

r pie.

Raw Pie (slits TOO BIG) Baked Pie (See slits got TOO BIG!)

So, buy the book, and read it. Have a good laugh, and then make the pie!

My the PIE be with you,

Grace

directions for yarn ball

I got this pattern for the knitted ball from A First Book of Knitting for Children.




You will need

1. 1 pair of knitting needles (what ever you feel comfortable with)
   
2. cotton yarn, stripped or plain. I used stripped yarn and the brand was cookies 'n cream. You can use chunky weight in various colors. You'll just need to change the colors when you want.
   
3. fleece for stuffing
4. sewing up needle

Cast on 16 stitches and knit 48 rows. I just realized I only knitted 40! Oh well :)

If you are changing the yarn colors, remember to make the changes so the strings face the wrong side.

Sewing up:

The directions are little confusing; just so you know. First, put the casting off and casting on edges together. You need to have the right sides facing each other, so the wrong side is facing you. Sew up the casting off and casting on edges by doing oversewing. Make a locking stitch at the other end.

Do not cut the yarn. Now, with the same yarn, weave through the very top stitches. You are making a circle. Once you are done weaving, pull the string so that it is tight and no hole showing. Make a locking stitch. Cut yarn off.

Flip it inside out. The wrong side is now facing in, and the right side is facing you. Stuff with fleece so it is firm and round. Push it down and keep stuffing. You will need to make it fuller than you think it should be.

Now, with a new piece of yarn do the same thing you did on the other end. Do not forget to pull it tight enough. Make a locking stitch.

You have now made a neat little toy! If you make this, send me your photo of your creation, and I'll add it to the website!

Tomorrow: I'll tell you about, our new PET!

May the Force be with You,
Grace

Celebrate Red, White, and Blue

I'm getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July. The first thing I made was this knitted ball in red, white, and blue cotton yarn.

It was cool to see the ends come all together after you pulled on the string. It was an easy project because all you have to do is use knit stitch.

I'll post the directions tomorrow. Get over here later, maybe tomorrow *giggle*!

I have to add. I hope it gets warmer soon. SSSSOOOOO cold swimming; especially getting out of the pool. I hate getting out of the pool.

May the FORCE be with you,

Grace

Starting out

Grace loves to share her ideas and things she does.  So, I (her mom) thought she could have a blog to show her friends and family things she is creating to sell, her ice skating competitions, or her random thoughts.  I hope you all enjoy her writing and pictures and crafts.  I thought too our distant friends and family could see her grow a little bit more since we don't get to go back home much.


I'll help her along the way, but I want her to do this for herself.  I know she can, and I think she will love it!


Love,
Mom