How to Make Sushi for Beginners

Learning to make sushi was on my summer bucket list. It's one of Joseph's favorite foods and he's begged me to make it for his school lunch. And let's face it. Sushi can be expensive - even the veggie rolls he prefers.

Lucky for me, my friend Jen knows how to make sushi.

Because yes, I know foodies and sushi makers. I pick my friends very wisely.

On Friday night, Sarah, Jen and I gathered in her kitchen where the wine was flowing, the laughter was bubbling and the rice was sticking. We sent the kids - all five of them - outside to await our grand creations.

The first step to making sushi is to grab a couple bottles of wine. While Jen prefers a strong - and large - red, I went for the more subtle white. Interestingly enough, my photos were a little hard to focus after two sips. Or maybe it was the laughter shaking my hands...

Next, gather your ingredients. I don't particularly care for raw fish, so our list included thinly sliced cucumber, bell peppers, avocado, baked salmon and chicken.

Cover your sushi mat with saran wrap if you're doing inside out sushi. Which is the only sushi I learned to make. Know your limits when experimenting with new foods.

Flatten rice onto your mat, dipping your fingers in water to keep it from being a sticky mess.

Lay your sheet of seaweed on top. Add your ingredients. For the record, Sarah's baked salmon with mustard and brown sugar glaze was amazing when combined with sliced cucumber.

And then roll, baby, roll. Actually it's more like roll, tuck, roll, tuck, roll.

Before you know it, you have a gorgeous sushi roll just waiting to be sliced.

And eaten.

Admit it. You're impressed.

We certainly were.