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Plan a Chinese New Year Party to Ring in the Year of the Monkey

by: ARA

(ARA) - If you went to China to ring in the new year, you�d be overwhelmed by a frenzy of family, festivities, food and fireworks! On Jan. 22, as the Chinese say goodbye to the Year of the Ram, you can bring a little bit of China into your home by celebrating the beginning of the Year of the Monkey. A vivacious, inquisitive creature, the monkey indicates that the new year will be full of passion, liveliness and prosperity!

Chinese New Year festivities are just as dynamic and spirited as the monkey and are a traditional part of ancient Chinese culture. Bring Chinese New Year joy into the lives of your friends and family with time-honored cooking, colorful decorations and activities for everyone.

Get colorful!

Red and gold are traditional symbols of luck and prosperity. Red also frightens away evil spirits and keeps them from creeping into the new year. Nian is the new year monster known in China for terrorizing children around the new moon and is easily frightened by loud music and bright colors. The Chinese use dancing, firecrackers and red costuming to ring in the new year, and keep out Nian.

Decorate with traditional colors and themes by stacking red plates and cups at one end of a buffet table and allowing guests to serve themselves from the variety of entr�es laid out before them. For added flare, dust gold confetti over a black tablecloth. Wrap chopsticks (which can be found at your local Panda Express) in a red napkin and tie them together with shimmering gold ribbon. Grab your wok from the kitchen, fill it with the napkin sets and place it at the other end of your buffet. If your guests -- or any children in the group -- don�t know how to use chopsticks, see below for tips on teaching them how! Family-style dining is a convenient way to make sure your guests enjoy this feasting experience together.

Replace ordinary party gift bags with traditional red couplets. Your guests will love these small red envelopes which are usually inscribed in black with one of four Chinese characters signifying wealth prosperity abundance and long life. It is customary in China to give gifts in monetary form to denote paying off credit or debt. Enclose a small dollar amount in each red couplet, or fill them with gift certificates. Panda Express can provide you with gift certificates for any amount. You can also hang the couplets around your house as decoration and to ward off evil spirits.

Peonies symbolize love, affection and beauty and are known in China as �Flowers of Riches and Honor.� Float them in glass bowls or sprinkle them across your buffet table. According to the Chinese, if a peach blossom blooms during the new year celebration it is a sure sign of future good fortune. Try stringing a flower garland to ornament your mantels or doorways.

Adorn your ceilings with red and black balloons tied with long gold ribbons. Line your walkway with traditional Chinese lanterns to draw light and luck -- along with your friends and family -- straight into your home.

Get hungry!

An expert in blending Chinese tradition with American culture, Panda Express serves up the perfect amount of spice for the new year. If you want to impress your guests by preparing your own Chinese dish, just follow the recipe below for tasty and traditional Kung Pao Chicken. It�s easy to make and will fill your home with savory smells. If you�re looking for a truly hassle-free celebration, let your local Panda Express come to the rescue! The restaurant makes party preparations easy by offering Firecracker Shrimp on its catering menu. Succulent shrimp, colorful peppers and black beans are saut�ed with onion, ginger, garlic and wok-charred red chili peppers to create this festive dish.

The monkey is an impetuous creature and, much like the year ahead, it constantly sniffs out variety and rejuvenation. Make your buffet sparkle with an assortment of entr�es. Group unique dishes, like the Firecracker Shrimp, with old favorites, like Orange Flavored Chicken and Broccoli with Beef. Quantities can be prepared for gatherings of any size -- wokked fresh and ready when you are. Serve each dish large serving bowls on your lavish buffet table.

Get festive!

When your guests arrive, encourage them to take off their shoes and walk softly into your home. Walking tenderly invites a smooth transition into the new year. While it�s tradition to start any new year on a clean slate, brooms and dustpans must be stored out of sight before New Year�s Day to prevent good fortune from being swept away. Fill your home with loved ones, laughter and light. Enjoy the sweet smell of peach blossoms, the company of close friends and the traditional dishes of Panda Express. Kung Hay Fat Choy is Chinese for Happy New Year! Panda Express is Chinese for Yummy.

For more information visit www.pandaexpress.com.

Teach Your Friends to Use Chopsticks

First: The sticks are attached, but sectioned up the middle. Simply pull each end away from the other. Don�t twist them apart or try a fancy way of snapping them; you wouldn�t want a few splinters to hinder your dining experience! Once separated, you can rub the sticks together to smooth any rough edges. Step 1) The Base Stick: Place one stick so that it is cradled between the base of your thumb and forefinger. Hold it in place with the tip of your middle finger, as though you were holding a pencil.

Step 2) The Pivot Stick: Position the next chopstick so that it is pinned against the side of your index finger by the end of your thumb. Make sure the ends of the two sticks line up.

Step 3) The Pick-Up: Holding the base chopstick firmly in place, place a small amount of pressure on the Pivot Stick using the tip of your thumb as its base and your index finger to entice movement. The chopsticks should move like a pair of tweezers with the end of the Pivot Stick moving toward the end of the Base Stick. Slowly try to pick up a big piece of Orange Flavored Chicken, and then go for a small bite of your Kung Pao Chicken. Once you�re a pro, try for a single grain of rice!

Courtesy of ARA Content

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14 Easy Cooking Tips for Meat and Poultry Slow Cooker Recipes
by: Anjali Dawson

The first Christmas we spent with my in-laws in their new country home, my mother-in-law wisely gave me a slow cooker. Her thoughtful gift helped Dan and I enjoy the most convenient of all cooking methods, even with our long work days and commute.

I'll always treasure the memories of delicious aromas wafting through the front door as we stepped into the house after a long day at work and a nerve-jangling commute in heavy traffic.

Most of the slow cooker recipes I used were based on meats and poultry. Here are 14 easy tips to make your slow cooker recipes tasty and safe:

Tip # 1 - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacteria in food are killed at a temperature of 165�F. Meats cooked in the slow cooker reach an internal temperature of 170� in beef and as high as 190�F in poultry. It is important to follow the recommended cooking times and to keep the cover on your slow cooker during the cooking process.

Tip # 2 - It is best not use the slow cooker for large pieces like a roast or whole chicken because the food will cook so slowly it could remain in the bacterial "danger zone" too long.

Tip # 3 - Always defrost meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker.

Tip # 4 - Meats generally cook faster than most vegetables in a slow cooker.

Tip # 5 - Trim all fat from meat and poultry. Fat can increase the temperature of the liquid in the slow cooker and decrease the cooking time. This will cause the food t be overcooked. Fats will also melt with long cooking times, and will add an unpleasant texture to the finished dish.

Tip # 6 - Cooking at higher temperatures will generally give you a tougher piece of meat. for all day cooking or for less-tender cuts of meat, you may want to use the low setting.

Tip # 7 - The slow cooker recipes are best used with the tougher cuts of meats.

Tip # 8 - For the best color and texture, ground beef is best browned before using, except in meatloaf or other similar dishes.

Tip # 9 - It is not necessary to brown meat before slow cooking, but it gives more depth of flavor in the food and removes some of the fat, especially in pork, lamb and sausages. If the meat is lean, well trimmed and not highly marbled, it doesn't need to be browned.

Tip # 10 - For roasts and stews, pour liquid over meat. Use no more liquid than specified in the slow cooker recipes. More juices in meats and vegetables are retained in slow cooking than in conventional cooking.

Tip # 11 - Dark meat takes longer to cook, so if a whole cut up chicken is used, put the thighs and legs on the bottom.

Tip # 12 - The slightly coarser texture of corn-fed, organic or free-range poultry is ideal for slow cooker recipes.

Tip # 13 - Most meats require 8 hours of cooking on LOW. Use cheaper cuts of meat - not only do you save money, but these meats work better for slow cooker recipes. Cheaper cuts of meat have less fat, which makes them more suited to crockpot cooking. Moist, long cooking times result in very tender meats.

Tip # 14 - Farberware FSC600 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker oval design accommodates oversize roasts, whole chickens, hams, and/or ribs. It features a large, 6-quart capacity stoneware liner, which nests inside a chrome slow cooker base and the auto setting switches to a lower 'keep warm' setting after cooking food.

For those who are not concerned about cooking in aluminum the West Bend Versatility 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker will work well to cook meats. It has a removable aluminum insert that can be used on the stovetop to brown meats and caramelize onions before slow cooking. The bottom unit can also be used on its own as a small griddle. Its dishwasher-safe insert has a nonstick interior and an included roasting rack.

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