to celebrate
The lunar new year is almost here (15 minutes!). Our friends left a little while ago, full on food, dessert, conversation, laughs, friendship. No recipe tonight, but I’ll include links to recipes for the dishes I served. Then you can sit back and scroll through the day in pictures. Gong xi fa tsai! Jing nian quai le. Wung shir ru i.
the menu
scallion pancakes
chinese potstickers
hot pot
rui tsai (lucky ten ingredient vegetables)
chocolate bags
beautiful new snow this morning
fruit and a red envelope, for my late sister
wrapping dumplings
rolling dumpling skins
oh, let’s make another plate – i’ll bet they’ll be hungry
the puppy arrived!
so little and cute
kaweah doesn’t know what to do with such a tiny pal
ready for some hot pot: sliced flank steak
lucky vegetable dish and pot stickers
beth is a pro with the chopsticks
andrew tucks into his new year’s eve meal
puppy konked out after all of the play – sooo tired
but she woke right up when we let kaweah out of the office
someone is going to sleep very well tonight
January 26th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Happy Niu Year to you, too. Yeah, I have been too busy myself and haven’t had time to keep up with your blogs and others; hopefully, I will have more time this year.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:57 am
What wonderful pictures! The new puppy is soooooo cute! I love these shots with both Kaweah and the puppy…
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Cheers,
Rosa
January 26th, 2009 at 1:31 am
NAppy New Year Jen! Adorable pics and I just love the Chinese Fondue evening!
January 26th, 2009 at 1:31 am
I mean Happy!!! I have not had a drop I swear!
January 26th, 2009 at 2:08 am
Happy new year to you, too!
January 26th, 2009 at 3:20 am
Ha ha Meeta…LOL! HNY Jen…gorgeous pictures & a real cute liuttle doggy!
January 26th, 2009 at 4:20 am
Happy New Year. I love to see and learn about tradition in every culture. Loved your post.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:40 am
How precious!! What did you name him/her?? Happy New Year!
January 26th, 2009 at 6:09 am
Happy New Year, Jen! The food looked great and how fun for Kaweah to have a visit from the little pup.
January 26th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Every last bit of this is precious. (This was such a lovely tribute to your sis, too/) Celebrating, remembering, enjoying and sharing.
Happiest of New Year to you, Jen!
January 26th, 2009 at 8:39 am
What delicious fun! I hope Kaweah thought the puppy was fun, too. It looks like it!
I should have a jiaozi party one of these days, instead of just breaking down and getting frozen ones to sate my craving.
Xin nian kuai le! Hua xue kuai le! (That’s “Happy skiing!”)
January 26th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Happy Moo Year to you too! Those are really some wonderful pictures, makes me really wanna taste some of your dumplings right now!
Wishing you lots of prosperity, luck and health in the new year! :)
January 26th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Happy New Year Jen!
January 26th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Happy New Year – I love that puppy! (I love Kaweah too) but that puppy…so cute!
January 26th, 2009 at 9:42 am
so good – looks like a warm and wonderful time.
January 26th, 2009 at 10:03 am
can’t get enough of your fabulous pictures and stories! love visiting. launched my own food blog earlier this week and would love if you dropped in!
cheers,
*heather*
http://squirrelbread.wordpress.com
January 26th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Happy New Year, Jen! Wow, I am always in envy of your very lucky dinner guests! Best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!
January 26th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Gong Xi Fa Cai! Nian Nian You Ye!
January 26th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Happy New Lunar year to you! Lovely pics. The hot pot looks like something my husband would loooooove….
January 26th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Happy New Year!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:31 am
A Happy and & Healthy New Year to you!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:32 am
oh this is wonderful! i can’t believe in between your hectic days, you still prepare full steam chinese new year specialties! how lovely those goodies… reminds me of the new years we had when we were young; the food; the red envelopes, the new dress, the visits to the relatives; you did a wonderful job; your pals are very lucky!
as to kaweah’s new companion; wish you all the best; lots of luck, happiness, companionship and good health.
GONG XI to all
January 26th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Happy new year Jen! What a great spread of food… the dogs had a blast didn’t they? Adorable!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Happy New Year – what a cute little puppy.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Happy New Year Jen. Looks like a lovely celebration with good friends.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Happy new year, Jen!! There’s nothing like ringing in the new year with delicious food, great friends and playful puppies, of course :)
random: did I tell you I tried a 1000 year old egg a couple months ago? I remember you did a post about it a while back and I thought of you. By itself I wasn’t a huge fan, but it was more doable paired with a piece of bread. My friend (who brought me the egg) got a kick at watching my facial expressions while I tried it :)
January 26th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Happy Chinese New Year! I simply love hot pot.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Happy New Year! I hope your year is as lovely as the photos in this post, and just as full as friends, loved ones and PUPPIES :)
January 26th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Happy new year of the ox! Did you put a coin inside the dumplings? I love your dumpling posts, and how you share the wonderful food of your culture with your friends. And Kaweah made a tiny friend! It is going to be a great year.
January 26th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Happy Niu Year!
January 26th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
What a nice dinner. Yum + fun.
Happy New Year.
January 26th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Sonora’s STILL tired! She’s been sleeping all day! And I’m STILL full! … except maybe if there was a chocolate bag around….
Thanks SOOOOO much for the good eats and good company, Jen. Sorry to y’all who just have to experience it through pictures…
January 26th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Happy Chinese New Year to you too Jen!
Cute little puppy!
Love reading fellow Chinese because I didn’t realize it before that our Chinese rituals and traditions are different from others and for them it’s something different while for me its just the way we were raised.
January 26th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
OMFG – doggies and Chinese food? What in the world is better than that?!!! I would be in heaven!!
As I type this I’m boiling red beans on the stove for a late dessert (Mike got back from his travels today so I did a mini-Chinese meal for him tonight). I guess I can eat the red bean soup, hug Lucca and it’s almost the same, right?
Hell no! :P
恭喜发财!!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Gong Xi Fa Cai as the Hokkiens say… We ate out at this really dirty place with shitty service, but the Chinese food is good and cheap. Ay yo.
I would love to be invited to your house someday, sigh… I would invite you to mine for Cinco de Mayo, Aye Dios Mio we would eat good.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Happy New Year Jen!
Wow….that spread is just fantastic! I made a stir fry in your honor tonight and the scallion pancakes…delicious! I love the red envelope for Kris and thank you for the explanations you gave me earlier about traditions.
Oh and the puppies….melting my heart!
January 27th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Happy New Year! Can I please be invited to your feast next year? I’d eat all the dumplings and hot pot I could get my hands on! That all looks SO good!
January 27th, 2009 at 6:02 am
Happy new year, Jen!
Wow, that is such a wonderful feast! The Chinese part of my family (my sister-in-law, her hubby – the Chinese one – and their 3 kids) celebrated it going out for dinner. I don’t think they had anything nearly delicious as your menu! :D
xoxo
January 27th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Beautiful jiaozi pleating. And what a spread!
Happy Niu Year! =]
January 27th, 2009 at 10:24 am
What a wonderful feast! Everything looks so delicious. You’ve made my mouth water and I can’t even fix myself a snack because I’m laid up with an injured ankle. No fair!
That sweet puppy is beyond adorable! What a cutie! Kaweah looks a little shellshocked, though! ;)
January 27th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
happy new year, jen. the puppy is adorable.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Love the day in pictures! Happy New Year and lots of luck to you all…
January 28th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Everyone – Happy New Year! Thanks so much for the new year greetings and good wishes! Just fyi – that is not our new puppy. It’s our friends’ new puppy (but she sure is cute, isn’t she?!) Her name is Sonora.
Meeta – *sure* you haven’t had a drop ;) xxoo
Aran – yes, I think the dogs had a *great* time! Thanks!
Tony – you are braver than I, my dear. I can only stomach those eggs with soy sauce and lots of tofu and other goodies. Good on ya for trying it :)
Passionate Eater – no, I don’t do the coins in the dumplings because the last thing I need is more dental work – ha!
BethBeth – !!! So glad you guys could come up. It was great fun. Sonora is such a good pup. We’ll have to do more fun stuff soon :) xxoo
Lisa – I bought some red beans at the Korean store, but haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with them ;) Hope you guys celebrated and had a great time!
Tartelette – Oh, I knew you’d spank those scallion pancakes! Easy peasy, right? Can’t wait to cook some Chinese food for you someday :)
Susan – sweetie pie, I am so sorry about your ankle. You totally need to chuck those heels and get some practical footwear. I promise you can still wear Italian, like La Sportiva or Scarpa ;) xxoo Get well soon.
January 29th, 2009 at 3:34 am
I would have liked to taste this fantastic chinese feast! These pictures make me hungry ;)
January 30th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Botacook – thanks :)
January 30th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Awww! The puppy is adorable!! Fantastic looking dumplings as well.
February 1st, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Maggie – the puppy is totally cute ;) Thanks!