Rosie Makes Sushi And Shrimp Rolls.

Daughter Hawthorne and Giada headed back to Greenville Saturday afternoon after a nice visit with Maxine. Youngest Hawthorne headed back Sunday morning. And Mr. Hawthorne left early Sunday morning to go bear hunting in Northern Virginia. Middle Hawthorne, Beau, and Maxine remain at Casa Hawthorne. Maxine treated Middle Hawthorne and me to lunch at one of the local restaurants, and remind me never to go to a restaurant that has like 20 TVs scattered all over the walls on a Sunday afternoon during football season. Service was slow, and the place was LOUD, people were OBNOXIOUS, and there were several different football games going on all at the same time, and it just was not our cup of tea, so to speak, or our bottle of beer either. In fact, the beer was flowing quite freely, most of the patients were feeling no pain, and one man in the group at the table across from us kept turning around and leering at my son, which made me just a tad uncomfortable. Thanks again for lunch, Maxine! When we got home, after a quick detour to Harris Teeter, I decided to start on supper for Maxine and me, which will be leftover Lobster and Shrimp Bisque, sushi, and spring rolls. Hey, if Mr. Hawthorne can do it, certainly Rosie can.

My ingredients: shrimp sticky rice lettuce from the garden jullienned carrots, sliced avocados sliced cucumbers sliced assorted peppers sliced radishes from the garden

According to directions, I lightly seared the shiny side of the nori over a flame. And yes, that's the dull side on top.

I spread out some sticky sushi rice on the seaweed sheet, spread some wasabi sauce down the center, and added cucumber slices.

Next, I added some sliced peppers and radishes.

This one has some pickled ginger slices in it.

WHOOT! I can roll sushi.

Now, I'm working on the spring rolls. Rice, wasabi, and ginger.

Lettuce, radishes, peppers, carrots, and avocado. And just what is it about buying avocados? That's why we went to Harris Teeter, because I wanted an avocado for my spring rolls. (Even though I am gastronomically sensitive to avocados beginning during my pregnancy with Daughter Hawthorne and can only have a few bites, I still love 'em.) But back to avocados in super markets ... They're either hard as a baseball or super soft to the point of brown mush, which this one was fast approaching. Why can't you ever buy one that's actually ripe? When I want an avocado, I want it now. Not 3 days from now.

I topped the rolls with sliced shrimp. The spring rolls on the green plate have the avocado in them. The ones on the coral plate don't, so I'll know which are which and not accidentally eat too much avocado.

And here are my sushi and my spring rolls.

Not bad for my first attempt if I do say so myself, but, like everything, this is going to take some practice.

Pretty little shrimp spring roll.

And pretty little sushi roll.

I served them with my assortment of dipping sauces and they were darn good.