The Birthday Recap!

Happy Weekend all!!  Thank you so much for all the Birthday Wishes you all have sent me the past few days ~ you all really know how to make a girl feel loved!  I have had such a fun few days celebrating my 39th Birthday and it all started off with The Husband actually mailing this incredibly cure Princess Birthday card to my office.

It has a pop out princess crown that I was “supposed to” wear all day…..ummmm, yeah, that didn’t really happen even though he talked to the other girls in the office to try to get then to convince me to do that lol.

My boss and co-worker took me out to Norma Rose Tavern to celebrate my birthday and successfully completing a pretty big project we have been working on for the past two weeks.

We have pretty much determined that every single time we go here, we have to start with Frank’s Frito Sliders….they are these amazing, juicy little burgers that are made with crunched up Frito chips, onions, taco like spices and topped with melted pepper jack and avocado relish……the kicker, the homemade soft buns they served them on.

I balanced it out with their Tavern Chopped Chicken Salad ~ Grilled Chicken, candied pecans and pears on top of arugula & endive with this tasty lemon olive oil dressing.

Instead of dessert ~ we decided salty, crunch, fries were a much better trade off.

After work, my birthday celebrations kicked off by meeting some friends at Hisui Japanese Steakhouse…..We went for the Teppan Grill, but, started with a sushi appetizer.

Quite possibly my favorite new roll ~ The TNT!  It’s the fresh jalapenos on top that add a delicious, spicy, fresh, pepper crunch.  The roll in the back is my usual Joe Roll…..delish!

Each Hibachi dinner includes everything you see below and it’s such a great deal.  It doesn’t hurt that if you go on your birthday with 3 friends, you meal is FREE!

Miso!

Crispy, crunchy, sesame salad.

Our Chef was pretty entertaining….we all decided on Fried Rice because well, you can eat steamed rice any time at home.

Oh and it’s pretty amazing!

My “clown” kept popping in the pictures like this every time I snapped them lol….

As he cooked the veggies, he started off with a Volcano Onion…..

I picked chicken and shrimp for my entrée, but, you also get 3 shrimp to start as an appetizer too.  I think the shrimp are my favorite thing….

Then again, the veggies and sprouts were a very close second.

How cute is it that they put a little umbrella in my ice cream?  It’s a good thing the restaurant is loud so not everyone could hear all the singing

I am pretty sure you all know I love sushi and could eat it multiple times a week…..My family knows me so well because on day two, we went to Ichi Maki in Rancho Cordova just so we could all share sushi!

I think it’s hilarious when they do not have their sushi boat going, they, stock it up with beers.

The usual starters…..Miso ~ perfectly salty, hot and it totally hit the spot.

Edamame…

One of my all time favorite side salads ~ I used to get this salad topped with Teriyaki Chicken when I worked by Ichi Maki several years ago.

The orange on top is a combination of carrots & crispy sweet potatoes….it is packed with veggies (tomato, cucumber, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage) and it has a delicious miso, ginger, sesame dressing.

This might be the one thing I look for now at every single sushi place I visit….ready for it???

Cannon Balls!  Jalapenos stuffed with Salmon & Crab (think crab cake), breaded with tempura and fried…..spicy, crunchy, sweet, salty and amazing and not just because anything fried is amazing!!!

Tempura shrimp for the guys (is it funny that most of them do not eat sushi, is it a girl thing?)

I am super proud of The Husband and my dad for actually trying the sushi though!

We ordered 6 rolls for the table to share ~ My two favorites were here.

In the Front ~ Sumo Maki ~ Shrimp, avocado, spicy tuna, bell pepper, cucumber, white tuna, tuna, Hamachi and masago

In the back ~ The Hurricane ~ shrimp, tuna, white tuna, snow crab, masago

Then again, the two rolls my sister picked were pretty tasty too.

On the left ~ Jalapeno Maki ~ jalapeno, avocado, crab, cream cheese, deep fried

On the right ~ Lion King ~ Kani, avocado, salmon then baked

All dipped in soy sauce packed with wasabi and sriracha to add a little extra heat.

They brought out a big Mochi Ice Cream Plate for all of us to share for my birthday.

My Mom took over the camera while I blew out my candle and open gifts.  Here are a few snap shots while she tried to get my nieces and nephews to take pics with us….The Husband totally got them going though….instigator!

My nephew and niece not only picked out gifts for me, they also made cards.

My 5 year old nephews card (he used his finger prints to make the balloons on top)

And, my 9 year old nieces!

I honestly feel like my birthday just gets better each year….age is only a number, it’s really how you feel on the inside that matters. 

My 30’s have been some of the best years of my life….I plan on finishing them in style and kicking off my 40’s by being Fit and Forty! The best years are still yet to come.

Catch ya’all later with this week’s menu and a back on track day!