This post was sponsored by Ling Ling, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
In honor of Chinese New Year, Ling Ling Asian Foods and Chef Katie Chin hosted an evening of cooking and crafting at Parties That Cook in San Francisco on January 22. The idea was to give bloggers recipe and craft ideas to celebrate Chinese New Year, which is widely commemorated throughout the Bay Area. My kids even get a day off from school to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
A Little Bit About Our Hosts
Ling Ling is best known for their freakin’ delicious chicken or pork potstickers, but they make other incredible frozen food options that you can find at many supermarkets. Last year, at a similar event, I got to try their delectable fried rice dishes from Japan and China and was blown away because their Chinese Style Vegetable and Yakitori Chicken fried rice tasted like take out and I’m not talking taken out of the freezer. This year I got to try their Drunken Noodles and Yakisoba Noodles, which were all kinds of YUM.
Chef Katie Chin is an Asian food expert, cookbook author, tv personality, blogger and working mom that knows how to get food on the table quickly for her busy household. Ling Ling partnering with her couldn’t be more natch.
What happened at the event?
Basically, we got to cook, chill and craft as a group.
The takeaways?
Recipe and craft ideas that are perfect for Chinese New Year or really any time of the year.
Like what?
My goodness, aren’t you impatient?! I’m kidding. Keep reading because I’m about to share my favorite recipe and favorite craft of the evening.
Asian Marinated Veggie Skewers Recipe
I always like to keep a few frozen meal options in the freezer that I can supplement with some veggie sides for those nights when ain’t nobody got time to think about what to make for dinner, but everybody still gotta eat.
Chef Katie Chin showed us how to make some incredibly easy and healthy sides to go with Ling Ling noodle, potsticker and fried rice options. I loved her take on marinated skewers, so that’s the recipe I’m going to share with you.
- 8 large wooden skewers
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon green onion, white and green parts, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 8 fresh shitake mushrooms
- 1 yellow squash, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 2 small red onions cut into sixths
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes.
- Make the marinade: In a small bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients together. Gradually whisk in the sesame oil. Set aside.
- Alternately thread the tomatoes, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, onion and bell peppers onto the skewers.
- Pre-heat a grill or grill pan to medium heat and brush with oil. Brush the marinade over the vegetables.
- Cook skewers on the grill or grill pan until vegetables are tender, turning and basting vegetables with sauce mixture occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.
Take a look at this video to see just how easy it was for us to get a feast on the table.
RELATED: Ling Ling Fried Rice and Hand-Rolled Scallion Pancakes
Once we were done getting our grub on, Chef Katie was kind enough to crafty with us. She showed us how to make lovely cherry blossom paintings.
Cherry Blossom DIY Painting
This is a great craft to do with your kids and the results are lovely. Chef Katie made her painting on paper, but imagine how gallery-worthy it would look on canvas.
Supplies:
- Black and pink acrylic paints (I’m sure tempera paint would work just as well)
- Paper or canvas to paint on
- Empty plastic soda bottles
- Paper plates to put the paint on
- A brush (sponge or otherwise) for painting
Directions:
Start off by painting black branches on your paper or canvas.
Dip the bottom of a plastic soda bottle in the pink paint and then press it onto the ends of the black branches you painted. You can use a paintbrush to add more detail if you like. Once you’ve added pink cherry blossoms to all the ends of your branches, you’re done!
Hit play on the video below to watch Chef Katie Chin demonstrating the process.
Cute, right?
Stop by the Ling Ling Website to find out where to buy Ling Ling products and Chef Katie Chin’s blog for more inspiration.
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