::celebrate::

last saturday we host a party to celebrate my birthday.  this is the first time ever i celebrated  since i moved to the lowland.  when hubby encouraged me to host a party i hesitated because it's peak of the summer and everyone that i have know of are going on their annual summer vacation or busy during the summer vacation period.

with his encouragement, i invited some friends, some dear ones and family. i called for a garden party because it is summer and usually the weather is a guarantee. the entire planning and invitation happened in a rather short notice for the dutch standard, but i like things to be spontaneous, impromptu and not too rigid by schedule. 

then the preparation starts with the food ramblings and new job in between.  the real preparation only started two days before, between spending time behind my computer and in my kitchen.

the thing was, because the party was going to be a bit of mixed crowd gathering, with them being malaysian, dutch, chinese and indonesian  and me as my japanese friend describes me as " a malaysian, chinese, dutch and a friend she got to know in japan" makes a perfect inspiration for the menu list. 

i came up with this great idea of making the party international, too - by having me do some japanese influenced starters and desserts, malaysian style mains and leaving my MIL doing most of the BBQ galore, and my honey doing his star dishes and a guest making the cupcakes, while i would do 'things in between'. which i thought was brilliant, and a deal that totally made sense to me; when i have forty people around the house for a big celebration like this, it makes things so much easier if we share tasks. and besides, the concept of ' summer garden party' sounded a lot of fun to me. so I was in.
 

then comes the question: what dishes to cook, exactly? or more precisely, what was i expected to cook, having just lived in japan for a short time? then i have to admit that i'm not really used to cooking for a crowd like this. that was one thing, and i don't want to do the creche sushi thingy which gains recognition and popularity everywhere these days. and if i can be totally honest, none of these 'typical japanese sushi' really appeals to me, especially cooking part.

so, what options i might have here, i wondered. something that can please people in general, can be made with ingredients relatively easy to find in the lowland and preferably not too fussy to make. i had less than a week to ponder before i should make up my mind, then i looked through over ten thousand copies of photos from my recent trip around asia and good, delicious memories flow back to my mind... with a smile on my face, the menu list is conceived....

that was a light and gingery edamame salad, a salad my japanese friend prepared when she invited me over for dinner. the salad consists largely of cooked edamame (which everyone seems to love, in japan or elsewhere) and avocado,  the pickling vinegar from that pink ginger slices you'd no doubt find alongside your sushi - and topped with bits of roasted walnut and a bit of matcha salt, which is a mixture of sea salt and green tea powder.

i didn't take too many photos (as i entrusted a dear friend of mine to practice her hobby), despite of the rain, my BBQ crews continued to braise against the wind and rain to churn up some hot stuffs.. satays, wings, sausages, prawns besides the mains and starters...blessed is the BBQ crews working hard in the rain...

mean while in the house, there were lots of food, laughter's, chow down, catch up, giggling, munching, kids running around...

 while guests taking photos of the moments and exchanging FB messages...

not until the moment he brought out this cake and asked for everybody's attention. and a toss was proposed.

desserts are sweet, but not as sweet as this very particular moment....

and then the sweet time started with these...

summer flowers cupcakes from your talented girlfriend E. i hope she is not regretted to offer some help and i abruptly asked for forty cupcakes with assorted summer flowers toppings that i asked for.  lovely hydrangea, reminded me of my very last moments in tokyo. colorful bird of paradise, a reminder of home in tropical borneo island, where paradise bird is everywhere. grebera a summer flower in europe. and rose my favorite summer flowers that always sentimental and romantic to me...

 the cupcakes are eye catching and definitely wow-ed my guests and keeping the kids hands off the cupcake is a challenge.

i made this sakura mousse cake, inspired by my short but best life in tokyo, although sakura is no longer in season but this is still a gentle reminder of the best moments of life in japan. the time post the earthquake and tsunami, the time of my personal and spiritual great awakening. the time of mourning and then rebirth into new life spring forth with blossom like sakura flowers when i returned to tokyo right in the peak viewing season.  this cake has a special significance to me too.  the cake is effortless to compose but it brings forth the complexity of taste like an elegant and sophisticated lady.  

just simple three layers, the bottom layer of sponge cake with over dose of ume wine (plum wine), the mousse layer is made of de-skinned fresh flat peach in season, with double cream, yogurt and gelatin powder in a blender and to set in generous fruity white wine. the top layer is nothing more than gelatin layer of sakura flower, powder (to get the pink) and kirsch liquor.  it is adorable but kid unfriendly dessert. the cake was like a refreshing breeze on the rainy summer evening and in rival with the cupcakes, my birthday cake and among other desserts...

a birthday cake that i made for myself, inspired by the project rainbow back in the early day of marzipan and fondant craze. but i am not churning rainbow colors because that takes too much time and i like to have special taste and thus four layers (with some significance) each with a distinct taste of japan.  yellow pumpkin - pink sakura - purple sweet potato - green tea.  all japanese-y. coating the cakes in white whipped cream creates a surprise to everybody when the colorful innards revealed.

sakura and rose scented agar-agar, it a bliss to compose a day before and let it chilled in the fridge over night. a great welcome to the kids and adults alike. a great combination of sweet and saltiness...

i made so many types of desserts that i have to hold on to serve the cherry clafoutis until a much later time in the night...  i baked this in the morning and took this photo in the garden on the table set up for a "summer garden party"...

but it turned out raining the rest of the afternoon, but we still have this yummy cherry clafoutis indoor, with a dollop of vanilla ice.  some asked for second helpings and so it's gone in minutes...

you know what - i did stress myself out a bit, but it really was fun. and i hope it was so for everyone else, too. (i mean, the fun part, of course!). i did get a little tipsy at the end of the evening but it's a blast! and i feel so blessed for the best moments in my life. a husband who loves me, a new career awaiting for me to excel, a restored health and continuous healing, i can't thank God enough that i am living in overflowing of His blessings...and i am living in my best life now...

needless to say.i didn't open the presents and gifts on the spot as with the dutch tradition that night. these are all open the next day.  i am thrilled by the gifts i received, it looks like the time ahead is going to be a journey of yummy discoveries, some baking months and techniques to explore and i am excited!!  also some orchids to brighten up our home are very welcomed too. thank you for reading this far to the end (i do realize it's a long post) ...

but i am excited and embracing my age, and life definitely starts at the BIG 40, an age that i am not ashamed of because i am living in His will and in my best life now!