Slimy 7th Birthday Party !

Today marks the birth of my little An-Hy eight years ago. Throughout the last seven years of her life, I had the privilege to style and setup her birthday parties. I knew someday when my girls got a bit older, I would lose my job as the party planner and . . . that day has come. 

The first six years, she didn't care who would come to her party. Last year was a little bit more picky. She wanted to invite just a few of her friends from school to celebrate her 7th birthday with her. This year, she cut if off completely. She didn't want a birthday party; she didn't want to go anywhere but stay home and play with Kracie Popin Cookin. 

Call it denial if you will, but I am not ready to watch my girls grow up too fast. I hope she still enjoys life's simple pleasures - the little things like asking me to give her a piggy back ride into school which she and her sister always enjoy. When she wakes up in the morning, I hope she will continue to ask me to pick her up with my feet and fly her through the air like an airplane. I guess I can keep my fingers crossed hoping to plan something for her 9th birthday. For now, I suppose I can enjoy watching her prepare some krazie treats with the Kracie Popin Cookin and reminisce about the good old days when she just turned 7.

These pictures below were from her 7th birthday party.

Every birthday of my girls, I like to create our own birthday invitation.  This one was taken in our backyard then I edited it in Microsoft Paint.  

The night before her birthday party, my girls and I worked on these slime jello eyeball cupcakes.

Ingredients: jelly, gelatin, vanilla pudding mix, sugar, vanilla, water, milk, black writing icing.

 Cupcakes made in two tones to match with the birthday theme.

These slimy silkworms were a big hit.  Click here for the recipe. 

Slime festive drink: green jello, berry Kool-Aid powder, and water.

I saw these cute jars at Target and thought the slimy jello would look pretty in them.

Even the birthday girl had to work on her birthday.  She and her sister made slimy popcorn.  Yummy!  The green slime made out of marshmallows, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, green food coloring, and popcorn.

It's Slime Time! We bought the construction papers from the Dollar Store and made it into a slime time banner.

Big sis was setting up the slime table. We wouldn't be able to get the party ready by noon without her help and the birthday girl.

Bowls, spatulas, cup measurement can be purchased at the Dollar Store.

 Let the fun begin...

 Even the adult enjoyed making slime :-).

While the kids were having fun in the backyard, all the parents were in the kitchen preparing yakitori.

surf clam spinach salad

Click here for boiled mussels recipe

It's hard not to open the presents....

Time to say goodbye to her classmate. 

Cá Hồi Nướng Tương Miso (Broiled Miso Glazed Salmon)

It's been cold and raining in Sacramento. Our Folsom Lake is filling up to a point where officials may need to have it drained to prevent flooding. This is great news for the drought stricken Golden State as I mull over this bit of news with a cup of warm Japanese roasted rice green tea. Searching outside my bay window for inspiration, I can see the daffodils poking their little buds up through the soil in my backyard declaring the imminence of spring.

The thought of a simple beautiful cozy dish comes to mind: broiled miso glazed salmon over a bed of sauteed cabbage. This was the dish that chef Endo at Raku Japanese Charcoal Grill in Las Vegas prepared for us while we were there. It was simply delicious! Better yet, it was on the house. After my first bite, I was determined to make this at home.  This broiled miso glazed salmon is warm, comforting, and savory with a perfect mesh of salmon and naturally sweet cabbage in every bite.    Shiro miso (white miso-a naturally fermented soybean paste) is the star ingredient in this dish.  Its delicately sweet-salty-savory-nutty flavor goes so well with salmon and cabbage.

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RECIPE: Broiled Miso Glazed Salmon

printable recipe

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Ingredients

2 pieces Salmon, at least an inch thick piece

1/2 head Cabbage 

2 tablespoons Shiro Miso (white miso paste)

1 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice

3-4 stalks Green Onion, white and light green parts only, minced

3-4 stalks Green Onion, dark green parts only, cut into 1-inch segments

1 Leek, optional, white and light green part only

2 teaspoons fresh minced Ginger

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Soy Sauce

1/4 teaspoon fresh Ground Pepper
Olive Oil
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Directions

Preparing Miso Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk miso, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, lemon juice, black pepper, ginger, half of  minced white and light green parts of green onion (save the other half for later use), until combined.  Set aside.

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Preparing Salmon

Rinse the salmon under cold running water, pat dry with paper towels.  Using a knife to score the salmon about 1/2-inch deep, cuts spaced about 1-inch  apart.

Brush the salmon with miso sauce.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes (I sometimes skip this marinate step when time is limited).

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Preparing Cabbage 

Rinse the cabbage and remove the loose outermost leaves so only clean, compact leaves remain. Slice half of the cabbage in half. Remove the stem and tough core from each wedge by cutting diagonally across to remove the solid parts.  For each wedge, start by turning the cabbage so the flat part of the wedge is against the board. Thinly slice the cabbage into strips.

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Preparing Leek

If you use leek, slice leek thinly.  Set aside 

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Broiling Salmon

Transfer salmon onto a baking tray. Broil on high at 500 degree F for 5 minutes until a golden brown crust has formed. Occasionally brush the marinade over the salmon as it cooks. Salmon is best tasting at medium with beautiful slightly pink center.

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Cooking Cabbage

In the mean time, heat a pan on medium high and add the olive oil (I used roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil).  Toss in the remaining of white and light green parts of green onion, and leek. Stirring constantly, cook until barley becomes pleasingly fragrant.

Add cabbage, and green onion, and stirring continuously for a minute until cabbage lose its stiffness.  Don't cook cabbage too long as it will lose its crisp.    

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Presentation

Transfer cabbage to a serving plate. Using a wide spatula, carefully transfer the salmon pieces to the cabbage plate. Pour the excess sauce (if any) over the salmon and cabbage.   I like to serve this dish in the same pot that I cooked the cabbage, therefore, I transferred the salmon to the cabbage pot and cooked it for another minute to keep the salmon warm.

Isn't spring delicious?!

Eat well! Stay healthy!