Hello Kitty Theme Birthday Party

It was my daughter's 5th birthday this past October and she decided on a Hello Kitty theme for her party. 

First up, decor! My daughter and I found an idea for a Hello Kitty lantern online and decided to create something similar. The supplies were a breeze - all you need is a white paper lantern, scissors, white/yellow/black/white card stock and tape.

With the card stock, cut out ears, whiskers, eyes nose and bow. We decided to outline the ears with a black marker and bow with a dark pink marker. Affix cut pieces on lantern with tape.

Next up, party favors! We invited friends of different age categories. We decided to give the older girls Hello Kitty bike bags, the older boys Canucks hockey pucks/Pokemon and the toddlers received Hello Kitty coloring books with glitter crayons.

My daughter hand wrote her guests names on a label and we added lollipops to the craft bag.

For my favorite part, the cake! I must admit that I was a little rusty with the cake decorating. There was initially a design in mind but the creative process and time restrictions snuck up on me!

The top tier was a mess. I simply ran out of time. It is supposed to be a silhouette of Hello Kitty and I think her face, in its entirety, would have worked better.

Now, my daughters actual birthday was during the school week. She wanted to bring sugar cookies as her birthday treat to the class. This is the sugar glaze design we decided on.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Skirt Steak With Kalbi Marinade

We were fortunate to be invited to a traditional Korean dinner last summer and I was very impressed with the simplicity of the unique entree that was served.

My friend had requested that I bring two heads of red leaf lettuce to dinner and I happily complied. She served a perfectly barbecued skirt steak (with a lovely Korean marinade) and brown rice. Later that evening, she shared that the marinade was kalbi. 

We had invited my husband's aunt and uncle for dinner around the same time and I decided to serve my guests a replicated meal.

I asked a local butcher for advice on cooking instructions and serving portion for our party. The instructions were to grill the steaks for no longer than 3 1/2 minutes on each side.

I served this beautiful skirt steak with red leaf lettuce and short grain brown rice. My flavors were of course not as authentic, but still comparable.
You can find the recipe for the marinade I found below. Please note that I marinaded the skirt steak overnight.

Recipe Courtesy Food Network Judiaann Woo

Ingredients

5 pounds Korean style beef short ribs*
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup mirin (rice wine)
1 small onion, peeled and finely grated
1 small Asian pear, peeled and finely grated
4 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-hot. Drain excess marinade off beef. Grill short ribs, turning once, to desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, if desired. Serve whole pieces as a main course or cut into smaller pieces, using kitchen shears, for a starter or party nibble.

Sprinkle brown sugar over beef and mix well to evenly coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing marinade. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Transfer beef into a large sealable freezer bag (you may need 2). Add marinade, press out excess air from bags, and seal. Turn bag over several times to ensure beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.