Perfect bouquet

Sonya Yruel Photography via Snippet & Ink.

Dad's Secret Garden

His hands have toiled every square inch of the tiny back yard, coaxing an ever changing array of vegetation from each nook and cranny. Throughout childhood I nursed a secret garden fantasy (a la Frances Hodgson Burnett) gazing into and playing in that yard. My sister and I shared a room that looked into the garden and dad purposely chose the most fragrant rose bush to plant under our window. The man is 81 and he still describes his plants with bright, open enthusiasm. Now that I have my own garden to tend, I aim to channel some of his instinct and deep sense of wonder while I move amongst the leaves and flowers.

Year of the Dragon

The Dragon is considered to be the most fortunate and revered in Chinese astrology symbols. This is a pretty big deal in China and other Asian countries. Chinese New Year traditions our family observe include making savory turnip cake, putting fresh flowers in the home and enjoying New Year's Eve dinner (tuan nian/reunion dinner).

Instead of cooking at home, we decided to eat out at ABC Seafood in Chinatown. It recently reopened -- refurbished, refreshed and under new ownership. Rumor has it David Lam sourced Master Chef Chui all the way from Hong Kong! Without reservations, we waited about an hour for our table of seven. And it was worth. every. second. The food was so fresh and perfectly seasoned. From the soup to dessert, each morsel was perfect. The service was also quite good - which is somewhat of a rarity in Chinatown.

• Abalone and sliced chicken soup
• French style X.O. filet Mignon
• Honey walnut shrimp
• Fried tofu
• Fresh lobster with ginger and green onion
• Poached chicken with garlic sauce
• Pea shoots with garlic
• Calamari with pickled mustard greens
• Green bean soup dessert

I'm lucky to get two New Year's celebrations. Growing up bi-cultural is kind of awesome. And just think, thanks to my Italian/Russian-Jewish-American husband, our future children will have their pick of up to FOUR cultures! ha.



Full photoset here.

Peony Moment

For about a week now, I've had the delight of opening my eyes to these blooms in the morning. The peony moment is so lovely but so brief.