Paul's 70th Birthday

I couldn't let today go by without posting to celebrate Paul McCartney's 70th birthday!  He was my first love (I think I must be the 100,315,927th girl to ever say that!) and though many musicians have come and gone from my life, I will always have Paul.  So Happy 70th Birthday, Paul!!!

I wasn't sure what song to post, so I asked my iTunes to shuffle and it landed on Tug of War, a classic ballad from 1982.  Enjoy!!

Breakfast For Dinner

Sometimes you just gotta have it...

Snag it, Bag it, and Tag it - Part I

Tag! I'm it.  Skwishee over at Just a Mum? tagged me in a random questions/random facts game.  I have been bad at answering the call of being tagged (I completely missed Awards Season this year!), so I am jumping on this opportunity before too much time goes by.  TashaB over at Awesomesauce & Other Experiments already responded with her answers and facts and now it's my turn! 

Ten Questions from Skwishee at Just a Mum?

1. Name a book that somehow changed you. How?

I guess it would be Lightning by Dean Koontz because it was the first adult book I remember reading. It had time travel, a female lead, and a character who met Paul McCartney.  It had everything my tween heart would love and it got me interested in reading books. 

2. If someone were to cook you the perfect meal, what would it be?

It would be the Ultimate Feast from Red Lobster, so I would need a chef from Red Lobster to come to my house please! 

3. Who do you want to be when you grow up?

This girl *points at self*, but older.
 

4. You find a wallet containing $20,000 on the ground, containing no identification. What do you do?

I would have to do as TashaB described and turn it in to the police.  If it was $20, however, I would be eating take out for dinner.

5. Name one completely irrational fear that you've got.

Just one? But I experience at least ten a day! I'll go with Monsters murdering me in the night.

6. Give me three songs that you're embarrassed to admit you like.

Banjo - Rascal Flatts
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
I'd Really Love To See You Tonight - England Dan and John Ford Coley 

7. What is one thing you absolutely love about yourself?

I love that I don't give a shit what I wear around the house/in the backyard.  The teen boys that live next store are getting a real life glimpse about what thirty-something girls are like! The colours never match, there are socks AND sandals, and of course oodles of track pants.  I told John yesterday that I am glad I am not a celebrity, because every week I would appear on the "Trash Your Stylist" list!

8. If you could be doing ANYTHING right now, what would it be?

Except for writing on my blog at the moment, I would love to be catching up on episodes of the BBC's Sherlock.  I think Martin Freeman is dreamy and funny.

9. What's the best thing that happened to you this week?

I went on an 11km bike ride today and it was amazing!

10. If you could perfect one skill overnight, what would it be?

I would really love to play guitar.  I have tried to learn a few times but I have gotten frustrated because I can't move my fingers fast enough to make chords.  I even suck at Rock Band guitar.  If I could learn overnight, that would be great! 

11. Tea or coffee?

I have to go with Coffee because I will always have a strong love for a Timmy's double double. I gave up drinking coffee in January and switched to Green tea, which I also love, but I could never forget my first love.  Coffee is now a treat, and incidentally a treat I have been indulging in all week!


Part two of the game is listing 11 random facts about myself, but I can't get it together to do that at the moment.  I will save the list for another day!  Stay tuned! :)

Hot as Sun/Glasses

It turns out I have been collecting sunglasses over the past while.  These are the five pairs I have in the current rotation. One for most every occasion.  The pair in the upper left of the photo are my dominant pair, however the sunglasses I can find the quickest are usually the pair I wear most often.

How many pairs do you own?  Do you have a dominant pair? Are you enjoying the sunshine?

Experimenting with Sushi

In my sushi making experience, I've made and consumed many California rolls (and posted about them here).  I recently became obsessed with spicy sauce and all the joyous possibilities associated with making spicy sushi maki at home.  I have been collecting ingredients over the past few weeks and yesterday it was finally Sushi Fun Day for me.

My morning started with how to videos on YouTube, as I was experimenting with hand rolls and trying to properly prepare the sushi rice (I picked up Rice Vinegar to add to it!).  My morning instructional videos got me pretty excited about the idea of eating a whole lotta yummy sushi!


Spicy California Hand Rolls

I shredded some imitation crab legs and tossed them with spicy mayo (mixture of Hellman's and Sriracha Sauce). So easy to make and super yummy to eat.

Also important were the avocados and cucumber!

I cut my Nori sheets in half and got down to business!  First I added rice on one end and made an indent for the filling:

Then I added my cucumber, avocado, and spicy crab meat:

Then I rolled it up!

Spicy California Inside Out Rolls

Another adventure in sushi for me yesterday was maki with the rice on the outside of the roll.  I wrapped my bamboo mat in plastic wrap and went for it!  I added rice to the Nori sheet and sprinkled it with toasted sesame seeds.

Then I flipped it over and put fillings on the non rice side:

And then rolled it up!

I ended up making a lot of these:

And If That Wasn't Enough...

I also made some smoked salmon and avocado hand and maki rolls, avocado maki, and avocado and cucumber maki.  I put some spicy sauce on some of the maki to make it look and taste amazing.  Not pictured are the four hand rolls John and I ate while I was preparing everything and the countless pieces of maki that accidentally got eaten.

And finally my beautiful plate that was quickly and happily devoured:

I can't wait to make it again!!  And we are eating leftovers for dinner tonight. Yay!!