Fast and Furious

It’s been a whirlwind January, with work and lots of planning and execution for upcoming personal and work events.

I made a commitment to cook more and I’m happy to say that I’m actually doing it.  Back in the day, I used to make a weekly menu of what I would eat for dinner so that I could be a more organized shopper when I got to the grocery store as well as create a more balanced diet for myself.  I’ve returned to my original OCD habits and started planning meals according to my weekly work schedule and when I plan to be out for personal events.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve made short ribs, roasted salmon, peppercorn NY strip steak, poached ginger chicken, chicken & dumplings, French lentils, cauliflower gratin, steamed broccoli, shrimp & noodles….it’s been good to get the oven and stovetop working!!  Like exercising, I’ve been flexing my muscles back in the kitchen and remembering how to do things like make a béchamel sauce!

The next couple of weeks will revolve around work events.  I had a fundraiser today in northern CA with a Congressional Member of the Democratic leadership and although we had 4 weeks to plan the event (with the holidays and the New Year in that time period), we were still able to get 60+ people to the fundraiser.  YAY for our supporters!!  Next up, two more fundraisers in January with a whole lot more coming down the pike in February.

Along the way, I’ll be celebrating the Year of the Dragon along with the rest of the Asian American community and doing the annual rituals that will bring my family and I good fortune for the rest of the year.    My family will be hosting 30+ people for our annual dinner and I can’t wait to eat all of my favorite dishes. Every year my family makes a stuffed bitter melon dish that I think I have evolved enough to enjoy but alas, it just doesn’t work for my palate.  I need to go in with a more open mind!

I have back to back personal events in February.  My mom turns 70(!!) – in my mind, she’s always going to be 42 which is kinda scary because I’m close to that age myself!  So to celebrate this milestone, I’m throwing a party for her and my family.  Got the whole deal – rented out a room and got a car service to drive my family into DC so that they don’t need to worry about DC traffic or parking on a Friday night.  It’s good ole fashioned Forced Family Fun!

The next night, it’s the Annual Mardi Gras celebration.  Hubs and I will throw it down with New Orleans food and beverages.  We’ll do a raffle and people will walk away with t-shirts from Cafe du Monde, hurricane glasses from Pat O’Briens and a plethora of stuff they never realized that they wanted!  A contest is a contest!  Purple/Green/Gold will be the dominant colors.  As I’ve gotten older, the party has started earlier but that doesn’t mean that it ends any sooner!

I’m looking forward to the fast and furious nature of the next couple of weeks and I plan to enjoy every minute of it!