Ringing In the Year of the Horse

Gung hai fat choy! 

Last night we rang in the Chinese [Lunar] New Year with friends and a traditional Chinese feast.

I intended to snap a photo of the bountiful spread just before we dove in, but we were having too much fun and I didn’t want to be that hostess. (i.e., Myself. These are new friends, after all. I try keep my cuckoo in my clock until people get to know me a wee bit better.)

Here is everything for the meal staged and ready to throw down. It takes a lot of prep-work and planning, but the cooking itself is fast and furious. I made the fried rice early and tucked it into the crockpot on warm, since I have limited burners on my modest kitchen cook-top. In addition to the rice we enjoyed Moo Goo Gai Pan, Pepper Steak, Lemon Chicken and Stir-Fried Cabbage. (Recipes here.)

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For a simple and light dessert (we were stuffed to the gills after the main meal) we served orange sherbet with fortune cookies. Oranges are traditional gifts/treats shared on Chinese New Year representing good fortune and prosperity for the year ahead.

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After the meal we headed outside to light off of authentic Chinese lanterns, a part of the tradition typically celebrated at the end of the week long New Year festivities. Lest you worry that we ignited a local forest fire here in Bozeman, please know that we got an additional foot of snow last night. The lanterns only descend once they extinguish completely.

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Blessings to you & yours in the year ahead! We are most looking forward to traveling to China in the next few weeks to bring home Little Brother. We are currently waiting on our visas and official invitation to travel.


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