Celebrate St. Patrick Day -- Green muffins

I found this recipe on one of the blogs I follow. These mini muffins were amazingly delicious. I will for sure make them again and again, because my boys just couldn't have enough. They didn't even wait to swallow and stuff their mouth full of muffins. Perfect for St. Patrick Day treats too!

Pan fried red bean sticky rice cake 紅豆年糕

This is another traditional food, symbolizing money and good luck. Of course it's sweet -- but not too sweet. Well, I think you can control the sweetness if you make it your own. And, again, easy and delicious!

Shrimp in ketchup sauce 乾燒明蝦

It's not easy to find whole shrimps in the supermarkets in US. I bought some shrimps at the H Mart. When we got home and found out that they were with head attached, I immediately thought I could make this for the Chinese New Year. With the ketchup sauce, it is delicious. Kids will love it too! Who doesn't like sweet and sour?

Ba Bao Rice 八寶飯

This is another treat for the Chinese New Year. Because of the twins are still young, I couldn't do much this year. I asked my husband what he would like me to make, and this was his answer. It is made with many dried fruit (sweet and different colors) and sweet glutinous rice with taro stuffing. It fits us Chinese sweet tooth -- sweet but not too sweet. I know I didn't line up the pattern perfectly, but I am happy with a B+ this year!

Pan-fried turnip cake 港式蘿蔔糕

Chinese New Year falls on Sunday, February 10th this year. Many moms get busy preparing for food to celebrate the New Year, just like Christmas. The turnip cake is one of the festival food for the holiday. Although it is very time-consuming, all the work is worth it when you see the smile on your love ones.

Mini moon cakes 月圓人團圓

Time certainly flies fast. Soon summer is gone without a sign. To welcome the coming of fall, the Chinese is well known for the mid-autumn festival. As many of the Chinese holidays do, this one also has its own stories. It is said that there is a rabbit, a wood-chopper and a beautiful woman live on the moon, but all three stories are not related. I guess if you are interested, Wikipedia is definitely a good source.

Celebrating Duanwu Festival 慶端午

Duanwu Festival is one of the major holidays in Chinese culture. It has a very patriotic story behind it. Qu Yuan (屈原) was a poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom during the Warring States period (around 300 BC) in ancient China. He served in high offices, but he was wrongfully accused of treason and banished. The country was destroyed by another powerful enemy twenty-eight years later. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw lumps of rice into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi (粽子). The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat (龍舟) racing.

Double happiness 紅白報喜

This is a dish that I like very much since I was little. It's colorful and starchy. I guess little kids love soft and soupy food; it's easier for them to chew and swallow. Same idea; it is also good for elderly people. Starchy vegetables are like potatoes or yams (山藥). I like to add some carrots for more colors and nutrition.