The art of making sushi.

One Saturday, a long time ago when I was a mere third grader, my mom brought home sushi for lunch. I don't know what kind of roll it was, or where she got it from. All I know is that it was raw fish...and I loved it. I loved every little part of it;from the slimy-goodness of the raw fish and all the way to the salty soy sauce that made my mouth water. I Loved it so much it's bordering on obsession.

From that day on, I was completely hooked on sushi. I could eat it anytime, anywhere. My whole family likes sushi, even though my mom has begun to dislike it on account of her getting sick from eating sushi once. (I still love it though! Even if she doesn't!) I've eaten at multiple sushi restaurants but my ultimate favorite is Miya sushi. It's phenomenal eating! And when they bring out the sushi it looks so pretty laying there on the sushi plate that I almost don't want to eat it..... But I do eat it....every last piece!

On one of our many excursions to the bookstore (I believe it was Borders) I discovered that you could actually make sushi yourself,at home. How cool is that?? It came in this little kit that included--

• Two sets of chopsticks.
  
• Two chop stick rests (I had no idea what they were at first. They're just little side dishes that you place your chop sticks on when you're not using them.)


• A book on how to make sushi.
  
• Two soy sauce dishes.


• A bamboo rolling mat.
  

Everything came in this cute green box, which we still have to keep our sushi making materials in when we're not using them. (I tend to be very organized when it comes to the kitchen.)

Once I purchased the kit, I got everything else I needed to make the sushi from the grocery store. I only wanted to make a California roll-which is just crab meat,cucumbers,and avocado- because for two reasons.

1) I don't want to try making anything involving raw fish because I'm scared that I'll do something wrong that could make me sick.

2) I still need to look at other recipes,which I haven't gotten around to doing yet. Hehe. (i.e. the book about sushi that came in the kit,which explains many sushi recipes.)

The first time I made sushi I felt so sick afterwards because I was very impatient and couldn't wait for the rice to cool down. I was just so eager to roll my sushi I couldn't stop myself.

I also did not use the necessary rice vinegar that you're supposed to put in the rice. But the second time I did, and I think it made a world of a difference on how the sushi tasted!

Recipe for rice vinegar. (For two cups of rice.)

Ingredients.

• 2 tsp. salt
  
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar


• 1/4 cup sugar.

Directions.

In a small sauce pan add in the rice vinegar,salt,and sugar. You need to mix it on a low heat until the sugar and salt dissolves. Be careful not to let it come to a boil or that will spoil the vinegar.

After you have mixed it, slowly pour it over the sushi rice, when the sushi rice is cooked, and mix it together, gently folding the rice over. Do this for about five minutes and then place the rice in the fridge until it's cold, maybe for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Making sushi is a great adventure for me and everyone should give it a try! Of course, you're not going to be perfect at first. Failure is gonna happen. But as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

Ant Control

Today, after swimming at the Y with my brother and sisters, I came home and decided to water my tomato plants, which I've recently planted in the ground. As I go out I see this giant ant pile right next to one of the plants. One of my plants was completely covered in dirt from the ant pile.

I wonder if that could become a problem, and so I go inside and look it up online. This other person had the same problem as me and got advice saying to drown the ants out.

I did that. It back fired. The ants are now moving on to the other plants because I demolished their old home with water.

I'm going to wait to see what happens tomorrow and if I see that the ants have taken over my other plants, I will put them back into pots and wait until I can get a new location for them.

Maybe I could build some raised beds that I've been dying for?? I was out searching for a fly mask that my horse lost, and in the neighbor's yard I saw that she had some raised beds... Unfair, it is.

Well hello, world.

Wow, finally I'm starting my blog. It took me a while to work up the courage to do so. But here I am. Writing. *Smiles.*

So I guess I should start off with an introduction,of sorts. My name is Abby. I live in Florida. My family owns five acres that we live on, although we are now officially looking for a new house to live in because our current household is a very old farmhouse that would need a lot of repair work done on it if we bought it.

I have a big family, not ginormous like some of those people you see on T.V. that have 13 kids. For my family, it's more like 6 and 1/4. The 1/4 being Adalae, because she's so small.

You see, It all started with my mom. She's like, the most amazing woman on Planet Earth. She's a very open labor and delivery nurse that loves to spin. She's a fantastic chef- I learned most of what I know from her, and for that I will always be thankful. She has a great sense of style, totally retro hippy. She understands most things that I tell her and can only be described as a "cool but protective parent." I know that she loves all of her chicks. And I love her just as much.

Here's a picture of her:




So after my mom came my sister, Ashley. The first born, and also the "experiment" child,because my mom was still learning the do's and don'ts of motherhood when she had her. She's very nosey like my mom, and can sometimes think that she knows everything. But we love her. She's really smart and beautiful. She's a new mommy that's going to school to become a nurse. So Kudos for her.

Here's a picture:



And then Alexis was born. She's practically the golden child, if you know what I mean. She's good at everything she does! She's an excellent student. Wants to become a vet. In a serious relationship with a guy. Beautiful. But slightly dingy, almost to the point of transforming into Jessica Simpson. But don't worry, she's hanging in there. And sometimes she actually has one of those rare moments of complete genius. Lol, well that's a little over the top. She's not that stupid! And I love her so much. I can never say no to her. My weakness.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of her, completely stunning:


After Alexis, I arrived. I really don't know what to say about myself. I can be a royal bitch, but sometimes I'm actually a nice person. I have straight A's in school. Have a slight case of OCD. I love to garden, ride horses. I hate going out in public. I'm embarrassed over stupid things. I'm really shy... at first. I love spending time with my family and friends, and also riding bikes in Target with my brother. My mom says I'm different, but in a good way. My style is completely unique. I'm a bookworm. I love to cook.

Here's a picture:



And then my insane brother, Noah, was born. He's such a little weirdo, that I love, but I always give him a hard time. He's shy. He's into video games. Eats junk food. And is so funny. He's the family comedian.

Here's a picture of him:



And last but not least, is Adalae. My little niece. She's the most beautiful baby with the longest and thickest eyelashes I've ever seen. And she's worked her way into our hearts.

Picture:




So that's my family, not including the animals....