I learned to make Sushi

Relaxation:  a relaxing or recreative state, activity, or pastime; the act of relaxing or state of being relaxed. 

Relaxed is the best way to describe August 22, 2019.  The day started with a leisurely breakfast after which the men went for a walk while Susan and I headed for Treasured Memories.  

I was in my happy placed as I walked through row upon row of paper crafting supplies.

Treasured Memories is also a place to dream about future projects with walls full of completed projected all beautiful, the creative potential was limitless.

Another fun aspect of this store was the abundance of original art tags that were for sale.

Susan had to pull me from the store (we have nothing like this in Grey County Ontario) and back to the house we went to pick up the men for our day adventure at the new H Mart in Edmonton a Korean supermarket.

We wondered the aisles past displays of fish, vegetables and condiments we had never heard of and given time would like to try.  

Our trip to H Mart was not just a cultural adventure Susan was gathering ingredients for supper – she taught me to make Sushi using her mothers-in-law’s recipe.

Sushi

Ingredients:  (I learned that sushi is made with short grained white rice)
5 cups of rice makes 10 maki sushi or sushi Roll1 cup of rice makes 2 nori sushi or sushi barVinegar syrup1 cup sugar1 cup white vinegar1 ½ Tbsp. salt.Directions:Combine all the ingredients and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  (Don’t mix rice in aluminum as vinegar is hard on aluminum) Pour just enough of the vinegar syrup into the rice to make sticky.  The rice needs to be warm, not hot when you add the syrup.
For agih sushi mix finely chopped vegetables ie. carrots, beans, etc into the rice.Buy: Santa brand Inarizushi no moto (seasoned fried bean curd bags) Japanese seaweed sheets (8” x 7”)For nori sushi lay out a seaweed sheet and spread a 1” strip of the vinegar syrup at the top of the sheet then spread a thin layer of rice mixture on the sheet of dry seaweed.  Put thin slices of 3 items i.e., red/green/yellow bell peppers, cooked carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, thin scrambled egg, tuna, etc.) horizontally across the opposite end of the sheet from the vinegar syrup strip.  Roll squeeze a bit forming a firm roll.  Cut into 1-inch pieces.  Do Not Refrigerate.
For agih sushi carefully open the bean curd bag and stuff with he rice mixture.  Do Not RefrigerateServe both at room temp.  If storing overnight cover with a damp cloth.

Thank you for coming along today.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2019 twosnydergirls

Canada Day and S'more Chocolate Chip Cookies

Canada Day fishing, gardening, great cookies and supper with our daughter.

Up at 6:00 am as Paul got himself ready to go fishing with Rob.  They had a great time catching  fish, and  practicing catch and release.  

I think that a great car show where they were fishing also helped make their day. 

Yep I went back to bed getting up 8:00 am just because I could. 

 I enjoyed a quiet morning journaling, and gardening

Our three tomato plants have started to bloom.

This garden is terribly over run and is past the point where we can weed it.  We will leave it until September, pull out all the plants and plant grass.

Some parts of our back garden are beautiful wild and these we will leave and enjoy.

I worked in the front garden pulling the weeds in our Iris bed.

Our red current bush is starting to ripen.

I worked until our granddaughter arrived to bake with Grandma.  She did not know what she wanted to make until she found a recipe for Chocolate chip cookies stuffed with S’mores.

We altered the recipe as we had to find our ingredients at local Variety Stores.

Ingredients:

Your favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe

Marshmallows cut in ½

**Milk chocolate bars (at least 3 bars)

**Graham Wafers

**We used wafer cookies topped with milk chocolate

Directions:  Place the graham wafer on a cookie sheet, top with 2 squares of milk chocolate,  ½ a marshmallow and cover with cookie dough sealing the dough around the wafer.  Bake the cookies as per the chocolate chip cookie recipe adding an extra 5 minutes or until the cookies are browned.

They were too good and very rich.

This evening we had supper with our daughter and her family and this rounded out an amazing Canada Day.

Thank you for coming along today.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2019 twosnydergirls

Strawberries are in season.

Today was all about eating quintessential summer foods, fresh strawberries and corn.

We slept in this morning and to get to the Yoga Barn on time we had a ‘drive by’ breakfast, coffee and bagels from McDonald’s. 

We took our takeout breakfast and ate it down by the lake, such a beautiful place to eat breakfast.

There was a heavy dew last night and the long grass was still wet three hours after sunrise.

The first image was on our left and this image our left, beauty in all directions.

Following a relaxing hour at the Yoga Barn we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things for lunch.

Fresh corn – from the USA.  We cut the unhusked cobs, so they fit in instant pot added 2 cups of water and place the 5 cobs on the instant pot rack set manual pressure for 4 minutes.  Then a quick release and the corn was perfect.

Nothing says summer like butter dripping off your chin and the crisp crunch of corn on the cob.

Cleaning strawberries and not eating them well that takes a great deal of self control.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients – a baked pie shell, enough cleaned strawberries to fill your shell, 1 cup of crushed strawberries, 2 tablespoons of clear gel, 1 cup of sugar.  Directions: Add clear gel to the sugar mix well, add sugar mixture to crushed strawberries, add cleaned strawberries (whole or cut your choice) to the crushed strawberry mixture combine and add to your pie shell.  Refrigerate and eat with either ice cream or whip cream.

Our lupper today was fresh corn, salad from our garden, turkey sausage fried with onions, garlic and mushrooms.  We so enjoyed our meal that we were too full and  needed a nap before we could eat the strawberry pie.

Yep I had a late afternoon nap, I must be getting old.

The pie was/is delicious, and I see strawberry pie on the breakfast menu tomorrow.

I spent a few hours in the craft room working on the Alice in Wonderland journal.

Thank you for coming along today.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2019 twosnydergirls

The week of May 5th in Review

Spring flowers are blooming, and the woodlands are beginning to show colour I cannot wait for the first Trillium's to appear in our area.

The past week  presented us in Southern Ontario with frosty mornings and warmer days.

Sunday was full of music with singing at the morning service and a Sunday night hymn sing.  I have fond childhood memories of going to hymn sings with Aunt Marjorie.

There was also great food with a finger good potluck that followed.

We took Banana Cupcakes using up the last of the frozen bananas.  This is another recipe of Aunt Marjorie’s and I have included the recipe for you to enjoy.

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 bananas mashed

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sugar

2 cups flower

2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

Mix together in order listed and bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until done.

Gentle yoga has become a big part of our self care routine.  Both Paul and I are becoming aware of how important increasing our flexibility is as we age (I am not saying we are old!)

Standing in warrior 1 and looking out the studio window

We enjoy spending the early part of the week with our grandchildren. 

 The horse barn was an interesting place to be this week with lots of animal activity.

Our youngest granddaughter finished her semi formal dress it looks wonderful on her.

We were able to get into our garden twice this week and set up a bird feeder so that we can enjoy bird watching from our front window.

And twice this week we ate out with friends.

A busy week full of joy.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2019 twosnydergirls

Joy In An Ordinary Life

Creating a place where I can watch the world
and write.

Definition of Ordinary:

 not different or special or unexpected in any way; usual 

~ Cambridge Dictionary

The past three days have been ordinary in that nothing unexpected happen yet everything was new and full of joy.

Getting the winter tires taken off
Too soon?

With nothing exceptional to say I will let this poem speak for me.

The Ordinary Man

by Robert W. Service

If you and I should chance to meet,

I guess you wouldn't care;

Making nutritious meals
Chickpea Stew  

I'm sure you'd pass me in the street

As if I wasn't there;

Another great instant pot meal - all made at the
same time in the same pot (recipe at bottom)

You'd never look me in the face,

My modest mug to scan,

I look forward to the safe space that is create at yoga. 

Because I'm just a commonplace

       And Ordinary Man.

Each day is a new adventure.

But then, it may be, you are too

A guy of every day,

Yoga is always peaceful.

Who does the job he's told to do

And takes the wife his pay;

Enjoying the resources that our library holds
I am reading Jayne Anne Krentz River Road.

Who makes a home and kids his care,

And works with pick or pen. . . .

Libraries hold more than books they hold many
community resources.

Why, Pal, I guess we're just a pair

       Of Ordinary Men.

Nature always creates vista that capture my attention

We plug away and make no fuss,

Our feats are never crowned;

Each year the same trees and bushes bloom and each year
they are unique as they dress in the spring flowers.

And yet it's common coves like us

Who make the world go round.

And as we steer a steady course

By God's predestined plan,

Hats off to that almighty Force.

THE ORDINARY MAN. 

I sit tonight at my desk.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 pieces of frozen Tilapia
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Prepare all of the ingredients
2. Set the instant pot on saute and add the olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, and carrots.  Saute until the onion are translucent cancel the saute setting.
3. Remove this from the instant pot and set aside 
4. Return the pot and using the broth deglaze the bottom of the pot
5. Add rice and stir
6. Add the onion mixture on top of rice Do Not Mix just spread this evenly over the rice
7. Place your Tilapia filet carefully on top of the onion mixture.
8. Set the instant pot to manual for 4 minutes making sure you have the instant pot on seal
9. Let the instant naturally release for 10 minutes then care not to burn yourself release the remaining pressure.
10. Plate in reverse order 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2019 twosnydergirls