I have decided. I would be honoured to take the opportunity to encourage as many people as possible to discover the great joy of cooking from scratch!

The last two years have been the most amazing culinary journey for me, from knowing only how to cook Chicken Tonight, to making every meal and item of baking from scratch – pasta sauces, jams, sourdough, refried beans, pastry, roti, peanut butter cups, burger buns, applesauce, baked beans and even lamingtons. It is a journey I will never turn back on.

Unfortunately (or perhaps not) it has ruined storebought for J and me – we shy from commercially baked goods, and takeaways are rarely a treat (oh, except Burger Fuel. We are yet to master as good a mushroom pattie as the V-Twin Vege, although these lentil patties do come close) as we have found it far more satisfying and enjoyable to recreate takeaways at home.

We have some awesome memories (and photos!) of making from scratch, in our humble abode, authentic Italian, burgers with kumara fries, mexican soup and tacos, and even restaurant quality steak and chips.

For our first month here in Vancouver, we are so so lucky to be staying with a couple that also value homemade, healthy meals. Judging from the HUGE number of takeaway chains here (Tim Hortons on every second corner, A & W drive-through on every other) and the hugest section of prepackaged freezer meals I have ever seen (oh, and of course the common cake-in-a-box), I started to wonder if all North Americans live off commercial, packaged fast food. Clearly not. This family loves homemade. Our host-Mom has treated us to beautifully prepared pasta sauces and from-scratch curries.

Last night, together with our host parents, J and I made sushi for dinner.

I marinated sliced chicken breast in ginger, soy sauce and brown sugar (my take on homemade teriyaki) and pan fried it in sesame oil. After watching the king of omelettes create the perfect japanese omelette (with chopsticks!?) I attempted one myself, a slightly sweet, soy sauce omelette perfect for rolling in sushi or serving alongside.

Next I sliced some fresh vegetables – avocado, cucumber, red pepper – and served on a platter alongside pineapple (canned chunks are fine) and cream cheese chunks. I lay nori sheets out on top of bamboo mats ready to dampen with water and top with fillings. And finally, I cooked some rice and mixed through a Japanese concoction of sugar and vinegar (heated until sugar dissolves) as the rice cooled and became progressively sticky. Like really sticky. As in grab a paper towel it’s so sticky.

Then I watched my husband and my new friends try their hand at rolling sushi.

I think it will be very hard to go back to takeaways after enjoying beautiful handcrafted sushi, with full control over every ingredient. In fact, homemade sushi was a favorite meal we frequently shared with our good friends in Hamilton. I was very nostalgic throughout the preparation process!

Now, what takeaways to recreate next?