Hina Matsuri Party

It was already a week ago!!!! I have been busy and lazy after finishing the party(￣▽￣;)

I started cooking from Saturday night!!!!
I baked a roll cake and cooked spam and eggs for next day.

My friend came earlier to help me.


That is FutoMaki I made at the morning.

Place a laver and then laid rice on it.
Front need 1cm space(no rice) and back 3cm space)

eggs, SPAM( I used LITE, and soaked with sugar and soy sauce for a while and flied) Avocado and Denbu( mashed fish boiled with sugar and soy sauce or salt: I asked my mom to send me a package)

and roll roll roll!!


Around the time, 15:00, they arrived.
Before start! Picture time!!


I cleaned up a living room, so people could sit and enjoy the party.... but most of his relatives went to a Den because Nina(Daughter) was there!! Go figure(〃￣∇￣)ﾉ彡☆
others stayed at a kitchen!!!!


From top(right) to clockwise;
Inari sushi, Chirashi sushi, Potato salad, (to bottom right) Nagoya style chicken and Futomaki

Daddy(my husband) went to a store to get a back of ice earlier and he bought a couple of shrimps packs!!


He boiled and served.... but he held the bowl and ate most of them!!!!
He used to be over 300 of Cholesterol and his doctor did warning!!

When they ate.... they ate at kitchen... and back to the Den to play with NINA (T▽T)
The population of Den was increased!!! and so as kitchen!!

And.... CAKE TIME!!!!┌| ∵|┘└| ∵|┐┌| ∵|┘└| ∵|┐yeah!yeah!!
The cake was from my new friend who is a Japanese and lives close to us.
She made a beautiful Hinamatsuri cake!!

She made a pair of Hina dolls(Emperor and Empress) on the top.
And color is Hishi mochi!!

AND

Brought Nina in a kitchen and Daddy was holding her.
I cut a cake!! like a birthday!

Inside was Hishi mochi color,too!!!!!

I was soooo busy but I enjoyed the party!!!!
All guests enjoyed and loved the party and foods!!
His relatives have never lived out of country, nor this state!! so they had a chance to know other culture and foods.
We gave our daughter her first greatest Hina Matsuri in the world because of all guests and especially my new friend who made the cake and her husband. I wanted to add one person, My friend, who came earlier to help me.

Oh! about the roll cake I made..... my Japanese friend and I enjoyed it!!(￣m￣* )

♪Hina Matsuri Song♪

Akari o tsukemashou bonbori ni

あかりをつけましょ　ぼんぼりに

Ohana o agemashou momo no hana
おはなをあげましょ　もものはな

Go-nin bayashi no fue taiko
ごにんばやしのふえだいこ

kyo wa tanoshii hinamatsuri
きょうはたのしいひなまつり

Boom

I have recently started to bake a cake!!!

I was shocked colorful cakes in Los Angeles when I first saw them!!
That was shocking!!(￣Д￣；；
What I missed was Not so colorful, not too sweet Japanese Cakes!
well... I ate a couple of times though.

Why should it be so colorful???

Orange, green... yellow.. blue... very primary colors!!

Lots of artificial coloring... is it good for your health??
Many people were shocked cakes when they first saw!!
because.......

They are strawberry short cakes.( Christmas cakes though..)
Simple, not too sweet.. just right!!! (for most of us at least)

Now I have a daughter.... I do not want to give her cakes with too much artificial color.
so... I started to try own cake (*￣∇￣*)
I used to be a manager of Crepe store in Japan.
but.... baking a cake??? that is different!!! I am not Antie Julia!!!
so.. I started to bake for a beginner!!!!

That is Roll cake!!! simple... easy.. I guessed!!

I got a recipe from website !!

I used manual whisk!!!! yes... I DID beat EGGS by manually!
I thought I would get a muscleache
Thanks to my daughter!!! I hold her everyday !!
My First ATTEMPT!!!

Uhmm.... too heavy ... not enough whip cream.....
It was good!! for first time. I ate all!!　6((((≧▽≦))))6

AND... a week later... I tried it second time!!
Because... I got HAND MIXER!!!┏|￣＾￣* |┛

Ohhhhhhhh!!!!!!! LOOKS NICE!!!!!
THEN.....



（￣∀￣） Wonderful!!!!!

This time, I put a little banana in it!!!

One more thing, this is not only my boom... also his...


Ms. Pacman
When we went to a Wal-mart... we found this.
We can play pac-man, race game... etc... total 5 games in it.
Every games, we both remember when we were kids... it does not matter in US or Japan.

He was good !! but I NOW KEEP the TOP on Pac-man!!!(￣∇￣)v
He has not beaten me yet!!
I got a Top score of a racing game... ( he was crazy to get top score for that!! because he did race and also pit crew at NASCAR before) but he did!!! He got a TOP SCORE!!!!

I had not been able to play for a while... we played with the game on last Monday.
I DID beat him again!! I got THE TOP now┌| ∵|┘└| ∵|┐┌| ∵|┘└| ∵|┐

Our Daughter, Nina, plays ,too!! well she just WANTS to play, so she tries to get a console!!

Blueberry

We have a blueberry tree(Tree?? or Bush??) in our back yard.
A previous owner of this house planted years ago.
First year, I just picked and eat them. They were so good!! ^_^V


Last year...
We had many blueberries!!!
YEAH!ヽ(▽￣　)乂(　￣▽)ノ YEAH!!
(sorry if you do not have Japanese fonts... I am going to use Japanese Face marks)

See?? We got so many!!!

THEN... I wanted to try to make Jam... and a pie.
I used to work at a Crepes (like a French pancake) restaurant years ago( I was a manager!)
BUT!!! I was not good at dessert... so I found a simple recipe!!


I though it would be easier to buy a pie crust.
What was I thinking??? I tried to make one (￣￣￣∇￣￣￣;


Ladies and gentleman... My First time Bluebery Jam and PIE!!!!


Looks good!!!!!!!
I did not add so much sugar on it.. but very sweet and GOOD!!!!!
Pie looks good Right?
BUUUUUUUTTTTTTT!!!!
I did not have a kichen scale that time - -;
I used a postal scale which was only measured by 16oz.
On the recipe, ALL MEASUREMENT was... GRAM!!!!!!!!

but looks good right?
Taste was good!!
except... Pie crust was... like a rock T_T
My father-in-law came over and wanted to try... but I said"sorry, you couldn't eat"..

Because... he does no have teeth!!!! (￣▽￣; )

This year, The blueberry tree is not so much good... but I saw them!!!
They are still small and green...

Umm....... I have not decided if I try both of jam and a pie this year...
(I got a kichen scale now,though)