party with the rabbit
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my friend Jackie (@divathatateny) and I were planning a Chinese New Year Potluck. Well, it took place this past Saturday, Feb 12, and we were thrilled with the turn out. Food bloggers, friends, and family came together to share dishes and conversation.
We used the Chinese New Year as a theme, asking everyone to bring an Asian inspired dish instead of Western potluck fare. Attendees told us what they were going to bring, so by a few days ahead of time, the menu looked impressive: dumplings, braised pork, chirashi, scallion pancakes, and much more.
A couple days before the event, I went to Jackie’s house to set up for the party. We hung red lanterns and traditional Chinese New Year signs with “auspicious” greetings. By the time we were done, the setting was a sea of red, much like a Chinese wedding banquet. On the day of the event, we spent few hours setting out glasses, making Chambord Ginger Pomegranate Sparklers and last minute additions to the decor.
People started to arrive and the buffet table quickly filled up with classic and re-interpreted Asian dishes. After a round or two of cocktails, softer beverages, and prawn crackers—we officially welcomed everyone and the feasting commenced.
from left to right: Chambord Ginger Pomegranate Sparklers, Prawn Crackers and thank you Chambord for the extra dose of festivity.
top left: Cold Sesame Noodles by Emily @EmilyHanhan
bottom left: Asian inspired Pot Pie by Nichelle @niche
right: view of the table (front to back) Cold Sesame Noodles by Emily, Braised Bok Choy with Chinese Mushrooms by Margaret, Scallion Pancakes by Waisum @urbanblitz
top row: Korean Bean Sprouts by Carol @NYCityMama
2nd row: Braised Lotus Root by Mariko
2nd row, large photo/right: Jackie @divathatateny and Mom doing last minute prep work under the red lantern
3rd row left: Shrimp & Ginger Skewers by Jason
3rd row center: Vietnamese Beef Rolls by Jackie @divathatateny
3rd row right: Eggplant Nam Prik by April @aprilsomboun
4th row left: Chirashi by Mariko
4th row center: food tags we’ve made, awaiting the arrival of the dishes
4th row right: Pork & Chive Dumplings by Laura
top row left: Red Cooked Pork with Lotus Buns Cilantro & Scallions by Kian @redcooking
top row right: Margaret @savorysweetlive slicing her Roasted Pork Belly
2nd row right: Roasted Pork Belly with Red Cook Flavors by Margaret @savorysweetlive
3rd row left: Pulled Pork with Asian Flavors & Hoisin BBQ Sauce by Grace @GracePiper
3rd row center: Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans by Jennifer @cucinapovera
3rd row right: Cilantro Chili Slaw by Charles @charleshope
top row left: Sesame Gold Nuggets by yours truly @hungryrabbitnyc
top row right: Triple Ginger Raspberry Cupcakes by Ken @hungryrabbitnyc
bottom row left: Chinese Sticky Cakes by Andrea & Jeff @highlowfooddnk
bottom row right: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries by Jackie @divathatateny
● Thank you Driscolls for supplying the juicy delicious strawberries and raspberries for our potluck.
Thanks to everyone who attended. Unfortunately I got side-tracked by hosting duties and wasn’t able to take photos of every guests’ offerings. Here are links for other posts, photo streams and recipes.
● Complete Potluck menu and list of participants at Diva that ate New York
● My recipe for Sesame Gold Nuggets
● Andrea and Jeff’s Potluck post + recipe for Chinese Sticky Cake at High Low Food Drink
● Potluck photo by Urbanblitz
● Potluck video by NYCitymama
● Potluck post + video by Grace Piper
● My recipe for Triple Ginger Raspberry Cupcakes
The fabulous photos are making my mouth water! Thank you for vicariously including us.
WHAT A FEAST! SO beautiful, and I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to attend!!!
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Such richness in the dishes. Real nice glimpse into your cny last weekend!! I know it takes so much to put a post such as this together. Wonderful job Wabbit.
Thanks so much for organizing the party! We had a wonderful time and left so full that we didn’t even eat dinner!
Makes me wish I lived in NY! Everything looks fantastic!
You kids in NYC have all the fun. Your feast looks spectacular.
What gracious host/hostess you and Jackie were! It was such a wonderful way to celebrate Chinese New Year. I’m glad to be a part of it, and in hopes that this will become a tradition. ;)
Gorgeous and I bet that was SO fun; it was a great idea. The dishes are all so perfect. Love it.
Lovely post!!!! I had so much fun working on this event with you. It turned out even better than I had hoped! I loved seeing the attention and care that everyone put into their dishes. I loved watching the table evolve and providing an opportunity for all these food enthusiasts to make a meal together! Everyone looked so happy to be spending time together and devouring the food! And you have really honored it with this beautifully crafted post. YOU ROCK!!!
Where did you get prawn crackers on this side of the pond?! This looks like a lovely celebration, and all the food looks spectacular!
Are you in London? You can get Prawn Crackers, cooked or uncooked, in any large Asian grocery stores or here on Amazon http://amzn.to/gPHYaw Give it a try, it’s fun to watch them pop open when you cook them.
Thanks for hosting the party! The selection of food was amazing! I still think about how good the red pork was. It was an amazing event.
I had such an amazing time! A big thank you and Jackie for organizing and making it a wonderful food experience. I look forward to more great times with you.
wow the food spread looks great!!! We had pot luck too on the exact date! :) Blog post will be up tomorrow :)
Yum! It’s like being there all over again! Love the post : ))
Color me GREEN with envy. What a great spread of delicious food and so beautifully presented here. And, of course, the best is sharing it with other bloggers. Well done!
These are the times I really wished I lived in New York. That looks AWESOME . . . .
It looks like such a wonderful time and joyous event. What a great idea for CNY celebration.
Wow, look at all those delicacies, this rabbit sure knows how to party! Or could it be that the stars just so happened to be all aligned in his favor this particular year? Hmmmm…. ;)
Lovely spread and best part is sharing with others! So wish I could be there with you & Jackie. I’ve done this so realize it’s quite a lot of work, you’ve succeeded effortlessly, congrats!
That’s an amazing spread. I especially love the little signs identifying each dish. Such blissful organization… GREG
PS Happy New Year!
Wow! Beautiful spread. And I love how you came together in celebration around such wonderful, shared food. Happy New Year!
I’m so jealous that you guys got to celebrate CNY in style! I missed out this year thanks to travelling, but it looks like you had a beautiful, delicious and awesome time ;)
Jax x
Ahhhh why don’t I live in NYC!!! I want to eat each and every one of those things!
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