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How To Throw A Ben 10 Birthday Party - The Story - Ben 10

Ben 10 Story behind:

What's better for a 10 year old boy than being able to turn into a superhero…being able to turn into several superheroes, of course!

It all starts while on a camping trip with his grandfather Max and his cousin Gwen. Ben discovers a strange device, the Omnitrix, which locks itself on his wrist. With the Omnitrix watch, Ben has the ability to morph into bizarre aliens like Heatblast, Upgrade, Grey Matter, Stinkfly, Ghostfreak, Razorjaws, Wildmutt, Fourarms, XLR8 and Diamondhead. Each alien has its own set of special abilities that Ben can use, while at the same time still maintaining his 10-year-old personality. With these powers, he can play the part of a superhero, righting wrongs, saving the world and getting into some good old-fashioned kid-style trouble.

The path of the super hero however, proves to be trickier than he first imagined, especially with the evil alien warlord Vilgax pursuing him relentlessly to retrieve the Omnitrix and gain these great powers Ben has found.

When he's not tangling with Vilgax's cronies or other earthbound villains, Ben is travelling the country in his Grandpa Max's van; a good-humoured, open-minded and unsuspecting mentor who wants to put a little more excitement into his grandson's life by taking him on a cross-country summer vacation. Ben and Grandpa are joined on their road trip by Ben's cousin Gwen, who is smart, level-headed and not exactly thrilled to be along for the ride. Still, as the voice of reason, she's invaluable in times of chaos, which is pretty much all the time.

The Ben 10 Online Store is where you can find the complete range of Ben 10 toys.

The store is run by Digital Stores Ltd on behalf of Cartoon Network. Visitors to the store are generally mums (18-40) looking for presents for their kids who are upto 7 years old.

How to Throw a Ben 10 Birthday Party:

Throwing a themed birthday party can be one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have as a parent and experience as a child. There are many different ideas you can have and need to follow to have a great party that everyone can enjoy. On this page you will learn more about what it takes to throw the perfect Ben 10 themed birthday party. We will cover some essential party planning tips like invitations and basic Ben 10 party supplies. We will also cover some creative Ben 10 games that are inexpensive if not free. With these different ideas you will be able to have the perfect Ben 10 birthday party that everyone can enjoy.

Ben 10 History Lesson:

For those parents who are unfamiliar with Ben 10 I thought I would first share a little history behind your child's favorite show so that you can better understand how to throw the perfect party. Ben 10 is a television show on the Cartoon Network that is in its second season and has grown in popularity including having its own video games.  The story of Ben 10 centers on the character Benjamin Tennyson. Benjamin journeys into the woods alone and discovers a device that attaches to his wrist permanently allowing him to change into different characters. Each of these different characters Ben can now transform into carry a super power to that specific character. Ben discovers that he then must use the different powers to battle evil. Within this actual plot you can receive a lot of different inspiration when it comes to making your child's birthday unique. However we will share a lot of different ideas found within the Ben 10 game ideas.

Ben 10 Birthday Party Supplies:

Creating a Ben 10 birthday party can be extremely simple with the help of party sites on the internet. The Ben 10 supplier I have found to have the best value to find party supplies is to visit Amazon.com. They offer a wide variety of ben 10 party supplies including party plates, napkins, utensils, hats, cups, temporary tattoos, disc launchers, banners and more. If you happen to be on a tight budget here are some ideas to still throw the perfect party. Ben 10 uses the colors of Green and Blue. If you supply the party with items that reflect these different colors you will be able to attract almost the same feel as if you had Ben 10 party supplies.

Ben 10 Birthday Cake Ideas

The theme of Ben 10 is the space/monster adventure Ben is on throughout his battles with evil. The cake you create should reflect the adventure Ben 10 goes through every day and that your child will experience on his special day. If you want to make a Ben 10 cake out of ordinary cake mixes I would suggest you add a nice green dye to the actual cake. This will make your cake a nice green color that reflects the alien surprise Ben encounters every day. You could also buy a Ben 10 cake pan to make a cake with the shape Ben has.

Another great option to creating teh perfect Ben 10 cake is to take Ben 10 action figures or anything that looks alien and add them to the top of the cake.

Ben 10 is an amazing show about using your imagination to follow the storyline. When you begin thinking of ideas for your child's birthday party you will need to keep in mind this same type of imagination. Obviously you can take the traditional games you have heard of before and adapt them to the Ben 10 alien theme. The first game I would suggest is Ben 10 alien shooter. In this alien shooter game you will need a few toy guns that shoot foam discs. These can be bought from your local Wal-Mart of even sometimes a few dollar stores carry them. You will then need to print pictures of Ben 10 aliens from your home computer. Attach these pictures to cardboard, and then set them up in random places throughout your house. You will then have each child run through your "shooting range" shooting as many aliens as they can in a certain period of time. The winning child will win a small Ben 10 prize. There are many different variations you can add to each game you have heard of or think of yourself.

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I am wondering if anyone can share a Pho Ben recipe with me.?

My family and I are wanting to enjoy more Vietnamese style dishes at home.

Making Pho at Home

By Andrea Q. Nguyen
Special to the Mercury News

It's convenient and fun to eat pho out, but nothing beats a homemade bowl.
What makes the homemade version dac biet (special) is the love and care put into the broth -- the cornerstone of pho. Multidimensional in fragrance and flavor, homemade broth will beat out those prepared in restaurants any day.

I've learned to make pho from listening to my mom and other women, reading cookbooks in Vietnamese and English, and emptying many bowls. Here are some insights:

1. Start with good beef bones: Avoid neck bones. Look for knuckle bones and leg bones that contain marrow. At Asian markets, you'll find beef bones cut and bagged in the refrigerated section. Vietnamese markets will sometimes have the leg bones at the butcher counter. You can specify how you want them sawed; ask for two- to three-inch sections.

From eating pho in Vietnam and observing how the cows there live low-key lives grazing in the countryside, I was inspired to make pho broth from the fragrant bones of grass-fed and natural beef. The experiments have consistently yielded amazing results, with the essence of beef captured every time. To find the bones, ask a butcher who breaks down large beef carcass sections into small retail cuts. [Also check these sites for sources for natural, organic or grass-fed beef: Eatwellguide.org, Localharvest.org, Eatwild.com]

2. Aim for a clear broth: This is achieved by parboiling and rinsing the bones, which greatly reduces the amount of residue in the broth. You may think you're pouring essential flavors down the drain, but you're not. The bones exude their essence during the three-hour gentle simmer. Cooking at a low heat also helps produce clear broth.

3. Char the onion and ginger: It imparts a wonderful brown color and deepens the overall flavors.

4. Leave some fat: Despite all the talk about obesity in the United States, I like some shiny globules of fat floating in the broth. They lend a richness that underscores pho's beefiness.

5. Serve it hot: To cook the raw beef and warm the cooked beef and noodles, the broth must be boiling when it's ladled into the bowl. But hot pho shouldn't be left to sit in the bowl. The noodles will absorb too much broth.

Posted Wed, June 9, 2004, copyright San Jose Mercury News

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Beef noodle soup (pho bo)

Makes 8 satisfying (American-sized) bowls

For the broth:
2 medium yellow onions (about 1 pound total)
4-inch piece ginger (about 4 ounces)
5-6 pounds beef soup bones (marrow and knuckle bones)
5 star anise (40 star points total)
6 whole cloves
3-inch cinnamon stick
1 pound piece of beef chuck, rump, brisket or cross rib roast, cut into 2-by-4-inch pieces (weight after trimming)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 ounce (1-inch chunk) yellow rock sugar (duong phen; see Note)

For the bowls:
1 1/2-2 pounds small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles ("rice sticks'' or Thai chantaboon)
1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin, London broil or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (1/16 inch thick; freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, left to soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water
3 or 4 scallions, green part only, cut into thin rings
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (ngo)
Ground black pepper

Optional garnishes arranged on a plate and placed at the table:
Sprigs of spearmint (hung lui) and Asian/Thai basil (hung que)
Leaves of thorny cilantro (ngo gai)
Bean sprouts (about 1/2 pound)
Red hot chiles (such as Thai bird or dragon), thinly sliced
Lime wedges

Prepare the broth:

Char onion and ginger. Use an open flame on grill or gas stove. Place onions and ginger on cooking grate and let skin burn. (If using stove, turn on exhaust fan and open a window.) After about 15 minutes, they will soften and become sweetly fragrant. Use tongs to occasionally rotate them and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin. You do not have to blacken entire surface, just enough to slightly cook onion and ginger.

Let cool. Under warm water, remove charred onion skin; trim and discard blackened parts of root or stem ends. If ginger skin is puckered and blistered, smash ginger with flat side of knife to loosen flesh from skin. Otherwise, use sharp paring knife to remove skin, running ginger under warm water to wash off blackened bits. Set aside.

Parboil bones. Place bones in stockpot (minimum 12-quart capacity) and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Boil vigorously 2 to 3 minutes to allow impurities to be released. Dump bones and water into sink and rinse bones with warm water. Quickly scrub stockpot to remove any residue. Return bones to pot.

Simmer broth. Add 6 quarts water to pot, bring to boil over high heat, then lower flame to gently simmer. Use ladle to skim any scum that rises to surface. Add remaining broth ingredients and cook 1 1/2 hours. Boneless meat should be slightly chewy but not tough. When it is cooked to your liking, remove it and place in bowl of cold water for 10 minutes; this prevents the meat from drying up and turning dark as it cools. Drain the meat; cool, then refrigerate. Allow broth to continue cooking; in total, the broth should simmer 3 hours.

Strain broth through fine strainer. If desired, remove any bits of gelatinous tendon from bones to add to your pho bowl. Store tendon with cooked beef. Discard solids.

Use ladle to skim as much fat from top of broth as you like. (Cool it and refrigerate it overnight to make this task easier; reheat befofe continuing.) Taste and adjust flavor with additional salt, fish sauce and yellow rock sugar. The broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other ingredients are not salted. (If you've gone too far, add water to dilute.) Makes about 4 quarts.

Assemble bowls: The key is to be organized and have everything ready to go. Thinly slice cooked meat. For best results, make sure it's cold.

Heat broth and ready noodles. To ensure good timing, reheat broth over medium flame as you're assembling bowls. If you're using dried noodles, cover with hot tap water and soak 15-20 minutes, until softened and opaque white. Drain in colander. For fresh rice noodles, just untangle and briefly rinse in a colander with cold water.

Blanch noodles. Fill 3- or 4-quart saucepan with water and bring to boil. For each bowl, use long-handle strainer to blanch a portion of noodles. As soon as noodles have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10-20 seconds), pull strainer from water, letting water drain back into saucepan. Empty noodles into bowls. Noodles should occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of bowl; the latter is for noodle lovers, while the former is for those who prize broth.
If desired, after blanching noodles, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds in same saucepan. They should slightly wilt but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnish plate.

Add other ingredients. Place slices of cooked meat, raw meat and tendon (if using) atop noodles. (If your cooked meat is not at room temperature, blanch slices for few seconds in hot water from above.) Garnish with onion, scallion and chopped cilantro. Finish with black pepper.

Ladle in broth and serve. Bring broth to rolling boil. Check seasoning. Ladle broth into each bowl, distributing hot liquid evenly so as to cook raw beef and warm other ingredients. Serve with garnish plate.

Note: Yellow rock sugar (a.k.a. lump sugar) is sold in one-pound boxes at Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. Break up large chunks with hammer.

Variations: If you want to replicate the splendorous options available at pho shops, head to the butcher counter at a Vietnamese or Chinese market. There you'll find white cords of gan (beef tendon) and thin pieces of nam (outside flank, not flank steak). While tendon requires no preparation prior to cooking, nam should be rolled and tied with string for easy handling. Simmer it and the beef tendon in the cooking broth for two hours, or until chewy-tender.

Airy book tripe (sach) is already cooked when you buy it. Before using, wash and gently squeeze it dry. Slice it thinly to make fringe-like pieces to be added to the bowl during assembly. For beef meatballs (bo vien), purchase them in Asian markets in the refrigerator case; they are already precooked. Slice each one in half and drop into broth to heat through. When you're ready to serve, ladle them out with the broth to top each bowl.

Chris Liebing & Ben Sims - Sambal Olek

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