This post was sponsored by Ling Ling, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I’ve always loved learning about different cultures. I started off majoring in anthropology in college. I wanted to instill that same interest in my children. From the very beginning, I’ve always tried to instill an open mind in them. We have exposed them to other cultures through festivals, projects, and even cooking new foods.
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Chinese New Year
This year, we learning about Chinese New Year with a delicious meal. Chinese New Year is an important holiday in the Chinese culture. It’s the celebration of the lunar new year and runs from February 5th through the 19th. Sometimes it’s called the Spring Festival. It’s a time to visit with family, go shopping, eat delicious food, and shoot off fireworks.
Did you know that during Chinese New Year people spend more than twice the amount that Americans spend during Thanksgiving?
My family loves Chinese food, so this is a great reason to have a delicious meal. During the New Years Eve meal, it’s very common to eat dumplings, and potstickers are just that!
One of our favorites is Ling Ling potstickers with their authentic Asian recipes with so much flavor. The Ling Ling potstickers are always my go to for Asian dinner nights. I love that they come with the perfect dipping sauce and so easy to prepare for my family.
I make stir fry as our main course and then serve potstickers, spring rolls, and fried rice as sides.
There are 12 signs in the Chinese Zodiac, and each year is a different sign with lucky characteristics for those born that year. This year for the 2019 Chinese New Year, it is the Year of the Pig. I always enjoy reading the Chinese Zodiac, probably because I’m a Dragon. To celebrate the Year of the Pig, we decorated our own cupcakes and turned them into pigs.
Year of the Pig Cupcakes
Supplies:
- cupcakes with pink frosting
- pink taffy candy
- candy eyes
- mini chocolate chips
- strawberry marshmallows
- pink candy hearts
Directions
Cut the marshmallow in half. With the sticky side up, place the marshmallow in the middle of the cupcake.
Insert a candy heart on either side of the head near the top.
Poke in 2 mini chocolate chips to the middle of the marshmallow (they stick to the sticky side) to create the snout.
Add the eyes right above the marshmallow.
To create the tail, melt the candy for just a few seconds in the microwave. Then, roll it into a snake.
Curl the snake into a pig tail.
We inserted the pigtail at the very top of the cupcake behind the frosting.
This is something the whole family can do together. My kids, and even my husband, had a fun time putting the pig cupcakes together while I was setting the table with our dinner. It’s something everyone can get involved in.
Have a fun dinner learning and celebrating Chinese New Year with your kids. Don’t forget to pick up some Ling Ling Potstickers for some authentic Asian flavor for your meal!