Old Favorite -- New Style

Youngest daughter Patti is always surprising me with fun stuff. She sent down a goody package with Albert (my grandson-the-chef) that contained, among other things, a package of nori half sheets. That turned out to be both a blast from the past and an introduction to a twist that's entirely new to me.

Y'all probably know this but just in case you don't, nori is toasted seaweed in sheet form. That's the stuff you see wrapped around sushi rolls. I was first introduced to it by my late sis-in-law Betty, who was a fabulous cook. I would watch, fascinated, as she expertly made sushi rolls on the bamboo sushi mat, layering rice and colorful veggies into little round works of art.

While she was doing that, I would be nibbling away on a nori sheet, which I found to be as hard to resist as potato chips. Betty would finally have to slap my hands so I didn't short her supply of sheets. Good memories.

For some reason I never got around to making sushi myself. Always promised myself I'd get a bamboo sushi mat and then I'd forget. But now -- hooboy! When I flipped the package of nori over and read the back, I discovered there has been a new way of doing sushi that doesn't require a mat. Am I the only person in the world who has never heard of hand roll sushi? Also known as cone sushi because it's rolled up like an ice cream cone.

Well! It just so happens I have a sack of sushi rice in the pantry. I just need to trot up to the market for some assorted veggies to go in the cones -- like cucumbers and avocados and whatever else strikes my fancy. Can't do that until Friday, though, so I can't show you any photos of the adventure until then.

In the meantime, I am slapping my own hands every time they try to sneak over to the nori package and open it. If I start nibbling now, there won't be any seaweed left by Friday. I'll just have to be brave. Maybe I'll distract myself with chocolate. Note to self: lots of chocolate.