contentOne of our guests made sushi. That was great fun to watch -- and so tasty! The version I ate was stuffed with orange-flavored smoked salmon, mandarin orange, and cream cheese. This guinea pig gives it two squeaks up. Our picante-food fans were similarly delighted with the version that had the wasabi in it.
I made hot rolls again. I added more sugar this time, and the dough came out with the consistency of Sovereign Glue. It was so cantankerous, I only put it in the oven out of sheer stubbornness. While it turned out nothing like intended -- I was aiming for soft dinner rolls -- the result was scrumptious and received with great enthusiasm. It wound up with a hard crust and a chewy, tangy interior like one of those fancy deli bread rounds. I can see that this will take more practice, but my guinea pigs are happily devouring the experiments. We'd be happy to repeat this one ... if I thought I could do it, and if I could find a way to keep a couple rolls' worth of dough from adhering to my hands and the darn countertop. Flour didn't suffice. Maybe next time I'll try buttering my hands instead.
We spent about four or five hours in the kitchen cooking. We talked and laughed. We had fun practicing new culinary skills together, and encouraging each other. We talked about family traditions and food traditions, ones we grew up with and ones we're developing now. After supper we watched a comedy video together. The dishes got washed and put away. Housework isn't so bad when there are people to help, especially when one person starts to wobble and someone else says "You just made the X, go sit down for a while. We'll clean this up." There were no screaming arguments, and everyone had a good time. The house was warm and smelled of home cooking all day. Outside was a cold sleety rain. We've all got enough leftovers for lunch/supper tomorrow.
Yep. This is what I wanted for the holidays. I am well pleased.
