Freshness Genie? More Like Freshness Genius (Steph)

I had a breakthrough moment in my kitchen one day a few months ago.  For a normal person, this wouldn't be a huge deal, but for me, it was like I discovered something so earth-shattering that I can't even think of an example now to illustrate it.  Okay, maybe not that amazing, but I was still pretty proud of myself.  (You know how I like to over-romanticize everything)  Anyway, you're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about.  I'm getting there.

Have you ever found yourself asking, "Why are there never enough bag clips around to keep my various bagged goods fresh and tasty?"  I know I have.  Well my friends, look no further.

I give you...

the top of the bag!!

How does it work you ask?  Well, instead of savagely ripping open a bag of, say, marshmallows like a cave-man would- stop.  Grab the scissors, and cut the top of the bag off in a straight line instead.  After you have had your fill of marshmallows, take the top section of bag and use it to tie the bag shut. Simple as that.

No more stale snacks.  No more spilling bags you, "didn't know" were open.  Just the clean, organized pantry that you never thought possible.  And bag clips? Who needs them?!



See what I said about over-romanticizing?

Note: I wish Justin were home, so he could star in this infomercial.

"Hungry" for More (Steph)

Shortly after reading The Hunger Games (book 1) I read the 2nd book Catching Fire.  I finished two days later, then began on the 3rd and final book in the trilogy Mockingjay.  So in the week that it took me to read all three books, I got virtually nothing done around my house because I was so absorbed in what I was reading.  They are definitely hard to turn away from.  I'm not normally an advocate of reading in the bathroom, but you won't want to put it down even for something as trivial as answering nature's call.

I had recently looked up the cast for the upcoming film of the first book, and was a little taken back by the still of Peeta, a blond boy in the book, who'll be played by a brown-haired actor (he also appeared to have brown hair in the still).  Not a huge deal, but not quite right.  But then I saw this EW magazine cover.  You can breathe a sigh of relief, Sarah.

Sushi Night with Sarah (Steph)

Sarah came over the other day and we made sushi.  It was fun.  Here's some pictures.

First we made the tempura for the shrimp tempura rolls.

If you look closely, you'll notice that Sarah has carrot in her teeth.

Everything's prepped and now it's time to roll.

Here's what our first couple of rolls looked like.

We also make takoyaki, but without the tako (octopus).

Sarah's a pro now, so if you want to learn how to make this stuff, you can just ask her.

Oh, p.s. I also finished a book.  I copied Dorthy and read The Hunger Games.  I loved it and am a couple of chapters into the next book in the series, Catching Fire.