Over the holidays, my sister-in-law (Hi Mimi!) made Pioneer Woman’s Best Lasagna for lunch one afternoon. Firstly, it was super nice having someone else cook! Food always tastes so much better when you’re not the one slaving over it. The lasagna itself was quite yummy. Not sure if it’s ‘the best’ …(as PW tends to title her recipes) but definitely tasty.

I really liked the hearty layer of cheese (the recipe said Parmesan but my SIL accidentally picked up Romano) on top. The Romano tasted just fine though.

A view of the layers. Once cut, the lasagna pieces didn’t stand well on its own… we think because there were only 2 thick layers so it just spread out on the dish once served.

My plate…okay I confess, I had 2 servings that day!

I’ll have to try this recipe another time on my own. It’s a keeper!

Despite feeling very downtrodden, I attended my coworker M.’s wedding on December 26th. That night in itself was quite interesting as I was set up with a blind ‘date’ (not really a date-date persay) to accompany me. It was um, a very interesting experience…. and that’s all I’ll have to publicly say on the matter!

The starter course… I don’t remember all the fancy wording, but it’s basically a mesculin salad with a poached pear filled with gorgonzola cheese. The pear was delicious! Loved the subtle sweetness coupled with the cheese. It was a wonderful dish to start off dinner.

Main course… I decided to be un-adventurous and get the usual, Filet Mignon. It was pretty standard fare. Wish the side was not fried onions though. It seemed a bit too greasy-ish for a wedding meal. There was also mashed potatoes, asparagus and a red wine reduction underneath the steak.

For unknown reasons, they never served our table dessert (or the wedding cake) at all. I was a little miffed about that because I wanted to take a photo! Oh well.

There was also a lot of delicious looking food provided during cocktail hour, but my appetite was still pretty shot during this period. (It still is, just not as bad) Despite my ‘interesting’ blind-date experience, the wedding itself was quite beautiful. It was difficult at times to see the celebration of love while I felt my own heart crumbling, but it would be selfish on my part to not honor the love that M&E wanted to celebrate that night.

Sushi is one of my fav foods but I normally only eat it via take-out or at restaurants. I have only attempted to make it at home once or twice in the past, and that was years ago. Just never had the motivation even though I often would get cravings! Finally got a new opportunity Christmas night in Brooklyn! My brother, his girlfriend, and I walked down to the local Asian grocery store and picked up all the goods.

We made three different type of rolls: crab & mayo, eel, and lobster spread.

Rolling out the sushi…yes, without a bamboo mat! I don’t think it really made much of a difference anyway because we are not quite sushi masters (yet).

Shredded crab sticks mixed with Japanese mayo. The mayo made such a difference in the taste!

Cutting up the rolls. The pieces don’t look fancy (oh we were missing avocado!) or very cleanly cut, but the overall taste was very yummy. Fresh and flavorful. Home made sushi at its best!

Plus, aside from enjoying our hard work, the process of making it with others was quite fun. Lot of laughter as we tried to figure out how to make it all work. That was the best part of it all.