2022 Lunar New Year - Dinner for 2

A humble nod to Chinese culture to welcome the Lunar New Year!  Inspiration was sought everywhere.  I learned a lot by putting together this table, mostly that my inventory of Asian dishes is sadly lacking.  Still, it was fun to discover so many new things about Chinese traditions.

In traditional Chinese culture red symbolizes good luck and wealth.  So, out came napkins, ramekins and water goblets.

The dragonfly is a symbol of prosperity, good luck and harmony.  The Kim Seybert napkin rings are still a favorite, and seemed to work well with the red napkins.

My mother bought me this trinket box back in the 70s, in a Chinese import store on Clark Street, in Chicago.  I still remember vividly that shopping expedition with her, and the discovery of the little box in the midst of fans, slippers, silk purses, and a myriad other tchotchkes.  It was intended to hold my fortune-telling cards, however, it turned out to be a tad too small for them.  I still love the little box with the flying swallows, and it usually lives in my dresser, where I keep my special treasures.  I remembered it today, as I was running around trying to find Asian things for the table, and although it served no purpose whatsoever, I set it on the table to look at because it makes me smile and reminds me of my mom.

A few years ago, the owner of the nail spa I frequent, gave me this envelope as a token of appreciation and to wish me luck on the Year of the Rooster.  Apparently, despite its peculiar appearance, it's legal tender.  The search for inspiration continues.

The mandarin orange is an important symbol of the Chinese New Year.  The small, round fruit looks like the sun, and is a symbol of abundance and happiness.  Mandarins should come with stems and a few leaves, which is part of the symbolism and denotes freshness.  They are frequently given as gifts during this period to wish the recipient a long life and fertility.

I placed the mandarins in a Blue Calico plate.  The plate was manufactured in the pottery district in England, however, the cherry blossom pattern is evocative of Asia, where the flowers grow in abundance.

I just learned today that in a traditional Chinese table, you are not supposed to place a knife.  Supposedly it's bad luck to cut your noodles.  Imagine my chagrin when the noodles in my takeout Pad Thai came already cut!  This restaurant is not following the rules!

So, the menu consisted of Char Siu (Cantonese BBQ Pork), which I made myself, Chicken Pad Thai, Shrimp Dumplings, Egg Rolls, and Steamed White Rice.  

Then, to finish the meal, we shared almond and fortune cookies, and those delicious mandarins.  Oolong tea was served in my little red ramekins.

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Gold Chargers - Marshall Field's many years ago

Black Dinner Plates - The Dollar Tree, many years ago

Red Water Goblets - HomeGoods

Red Ramekins - Emile Henry, available through their site or Amazon

Napkin Rings - Kim Seybert

Fork - Treble Clef, by Gourmet Settings

Happy Easter!

My children's schedules continue to be as crazy and unpredictable as ever, so this year we celebrated Easter with an early morning breakfast.  The table was set the night before . . .

First thing first:  My husband/sous chef checking e-mails before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast . . .

Some pretty egg-shaped salad plates in soft pastels . . . 

The soft paisley green napkin by Ralph Lauren goes on top . . .

These fun hopping bunny napkin rings appeared in last year's Easter table, too.  Click here to see that post.

I love all the different textures on the table, the homespun squares on the tablecloth . . . the bird's nest chargers . . .

Beautiful tulips . . . Spring is here!!!!!

Then the Easter bunny did his thing and filled the table with candy!

He even brought chocolate umbrellas and hung them from the flower vase . . .

Here are our two “little” boys, who never seem to grow too old for candy . . .

And now, Mama can sit down and have a cup of coffee . . .

And before long, my oldest goes back to college with a batch of cupcakes for his buddies . . .

Happy Easter to my family and friends!  God bless you!  The Lord is Risen!  Alleluia!

Details:

Nest Chargers - Pottery Barn

White dishes, cups and saucers - Traditions by Apilco from Williams-Sonoma

Pastel egg-shaped salad plates - Pottery Barn

White ramekins holding M&Ms - BIA Cordon Bleu, Amazon

Napkins - By Ralph Lauren at HomeGoods

Napkin Rings - Pottery Barn last year

Green water goblets - The Dollar Tree

Tulip-shaped wine glasses - IKEA

Parfait glasses (holding jelly beans) - Bed Bath and Beyond

Flatware - My everyday from Costco

Mini salt and pepper shakers - Crate and Barrel bought eons ago

Natilla (pronounced Nah-tee-yah)

Here's the recipe for my Cuban Vanilla Custard. Thank you to my co-workers for all your kind words, but you will see how easy it is to make:

Ingredients:

5 C. milk (I use whole milk, but if you prefer, you can use 2%)
1 C. sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 T. vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
½ C. corn starch

1. In a saucepan combine 4 C. of milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla extract and salt. Cook on medium heat until it simmers, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the milk.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining cup of milk, egg yolks and corn starch. A small whisk is most effective for mixing the corn starch into the milk and egg mixture.
3. When the milk on the stove is simmering, add the milk/egg yolk mixture to the pot, straining it through a fine sieve to catch any undissolved corn starch.
4. Continue to cook on medium heat until the pudding thickens, usually no more than 3-4 minutes. The whisk will come in handy again to make sure that no lumps are formed.
5. Remove from heat and ladle into ramekins while still hot, as the mixture cools it gets harder to pour. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and chill.
6. Call the kids and/or husband to the kitchen and dispense spoons so they can scrape the pot clean.

Two tips:

1. Separate the egg yolks before you put the milk on the stove. You don't want to get distracted by the eggs when you should be keeping a close watch so the milk doesn't scorch.
2. Use a non-stick saucepan if possible. I use a Calphalon dutch oven and a silicone whisk so it doesn't scratch the pot.

These squash-shaped ramekins, a gift from my friend Susan, make a timeless comfort food seem a bit more seasonal. Let me know how it turns out.