Nihon Monkey Baby Blanket

I made this baby blanket for a friend of a friend whom had a baby last month. The couple is from Japan and they named their little girl Hanna. I have been eyeing this monkey-karate print at Joanns for a while, and I thought it would be perfect for a baby Japanese girl. The kanji script on it says "Nihon" which means "Japan". I used a cuddle flannel print for the back and tied it with white yarn.

I had a blanket like this someone in my family made me with Carebears for years and I'm sure it's still floating around somewhere. They're pretty easy to make but they're a lifetime of memories. I hope they like it!

Salmon with Eel Sauce Dinner

This one is actually about a week old, but I did take a picture of it so I'll share. In a continual effort to make my (any my roomate's) eating habbits healthier I try to find time to make us at least one full meal a day. This was salmon, broccoli, rice, and miso soup.

The rice I made in my pampered chef microwaveable rice-maker. I add a slpash of rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds to give it a little more flavor. It doesn't add a lot, but it makes for a slightly sweeter rice. I topped it with some Japanese eel sauce from a bottle. Just a little drizzle.

The salmon was marinated in teriyaki sauce overnight from frozen. I cooked it on a lower setting for quite a while (10-15 min) and let it become blackened. I love blackened fish and poultry I don't know why we Americans don't do it more often. The salmon was also drizzled in eel sauce which is a nice addition to the teriyaki marinade.

The miso and the broccoli are instant. Bag steamed from frozen broccoli and powdered miso. Just some low-calorie sides to get in some fiber, nurtients, and a little extra protein.

Pie!

My roommate called me and asked me how many strawberries she should bring home from her trip home on Memorial Day.

Um... how many can you get? Because I can do a lot with strawberries!

So the first thing: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Oh yes. Sweet and tangy.

Let's Spread out and Grow!

We were able to aquire a second garden plot for the summer. Thus, I transplanted the gourds so they have lots of room to spread out and grow. I gave the peppers more room too, and they're already blowing up.

I also picked some of our lettuce and had some delicious salad. I added some fresh cilantro and parsley, delicious.

On another note, hurray for healthy living. A friend of mine got me started on weight watchers in March and yesterday I am officially down 20 pounds. *dance*