My latest obsession

Sushi. I love it. Just a few short years ago, I could have honestly said sushi was something I'd tried once or twice in passing and didn't have much of an opinion on. But now, I love it. My adventurous husband has helped me to broaden my taste buds, and I must admit that sushi is a taste I now cannot get enough of.

It has become our new tradition, that if we have a meal time, without children, we head to a local sushi restaurant that we have become quite fond of. Mind you, this doesn't happen often. Its been a couple of months since our last sushi adventure.

Why always sushi? I see it this way: going out to eat is a rarity for us, it is special. So I'm not going to go to a pizza place, or a pasta place, or a burger joint. I am quite capable of cooking all of those foods myself, and don't need to pay some chain $10 for a plate of spaghetti. So we get sushi, a culinary feats that I have not attempted in my own home.

That is, until now.

We've begun to get a few items to start the sushi making process. Nori (seaweed paper) sushi vinegar, the specific sushi rice. We need a few more items before we will attempt it. We'll have to head to s specialty store to get the pickled ginger and the wasabi. ( And do I really need the sushi mat for rolling? Hmm, I'll think about that one. )

And of course, when we're ready we will need the fresh food items. I realize that my neighborhood grocery store may not have the freshest sushi meat available. I get it. I may have to use some of the imitations -- crab meat, salmon, things like that. But there are some Asian specialty stores in our town that may have a few other items we're looking for. Our favorite is unagi, or eel. Not exactly sure what the availability of such an item is, but we'll be looking for it.

Why the interest to make it myself? The practical, to begin with. I've always come from the school of thought that if you can make it yourself, you will often save time and money, no matter what the project. But I also am looking forward to the challenge. Cooking, baking, food preparation -- it is something I enjoy. I like the gratification of seeing, eating and enjoying something that I have created, from scratch. And without boasting, I think I've gotten pretty good at the whole cooking thing. This is now a whole new type of food preparation that I'm interested in creating. I've now mastered the Asian dressing that often comes with a salad at a sushi restaurant. Goodness knows I know how to steam rice -- so sushi is the next unconquered adventure.

We plan to practice, and enjoy our new sushi-making adventure at home. I hope I won't be disappointed. But as in everything, practice makes perfect. I'm well aware I will probably deal with some flops.

If you are among the few that I will be seeing around the holidays you may just have to watch out -- I may be bringing ungai rolls instead of sugar cookies to the holiday table!