Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar, always sneaks up on me. It falls around the end of January or the beginning of February and is right around the time I have recovered from the holiday buzz. This year is the year of the Ox. For years, I have been saying I will host a party for Chinese New Year, but it usually falls too close to my birthday and I don’t want to do all the work of hosting. I’m finally doing it this year and have devised quite a food line-up, combining some traditional things, with some of my own, modern creations, and some family style dishes. I love introducing new tastes to friends and enjoying it in the home feels right for a holiday that is traditionally spent with family. 

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6 Responses to “foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: ox-idental new year’s party”

1. Kyra Says:
   January 25th, 2009 at 11:24 pm

   What a great party Camille - you really out did yourself - As you know, we left well after 3AM sporting big smiles- full from yummy foods and warm from plenty of wine and good company. Thanks so much!!

2. joyce Says:
   January 26th, 2009 at 5:54 am

   That looks amazing!

   Hilarious that you refrain from telling your mom that you or anyone close to you likes anything. I once told mine that Ben liked BBQ pork buns. Too many pink bakery boxes later, neither of us can even look at one of those things.

   xo.

3. The Duo Dishes Says:
   January 29th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

   What an awesome spread! This was quite the party. Nice 24 post!

4. Nate Says:
   January 30th, 2009 at 11:03 am

   Congratulations on being selected to do a “24″ dinner. Your CNY gathering is awesome. You put so much thought and energy into the celebration! Just amazing.

   We also did a “24″ dinner, but nowhere near as elaborate. Just 6 of us and 3 dishes, including a Cioppino done hot pot style. Come check out our post!

5. _ts of [eatingclub] vancouver Says:
   February 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am

   Wow, great feast! (Found you via Foodbuzz/24.) I’ve added you to my blog reader. =)

6. slim Says:
   February 26th, 2009 at 9:55 pm

   im inspired!!..im so hungry now..i really really like baby bokchoey..but i never knew how to make it..ill come back for that recipe!

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I dare say, I am all food’ed out from the holidays and am now nursing a bad cold. We had more social gatherings than usual to attend this year, which all included fabulous food spreads. One after another… I gave up feeling guilty about the eating during the festivities, but I really need to kick this cold so I can even attempt to work off all the calories I consumed.

I think we officially kicked off our holiday celebrating when we were invited to a group of friends’ wine club that has been going on for a couple years. This time they were doing a champagne tasting and a gift exchange a few days before Christmas. 

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A couple days ago, on a mild November Sunday evening, some dear friends of ours, Clarissa and Ludo, hosted a magical, birthday celebration of food and relaxation with a modern, European flair. They have been going to Speranza on Hyperion Blvd. for a couple years since it switched over from a not-so-great place called Capri. I have lived in this hood for seven years and didn’t even notice the changeover, but had recently heard that it was super good and they had handmade pasta. Ok - say no more. If this is a place that Ludo would go to, (quite possibly the world’s pickiest Swiss man about Italian food) I knew it had to be outstanding.

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One Response to “hope, italian style”

1. bethany Says:
   November 26th, 2008 at 7:56 am

   Looked amazing, what a wonderful way to host a party!! I love their food it is delicious with a capital D!!!

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For those not in the know, the term ’sausage party’ is slang for a party or a crowd where the majority of the people are dudes. What do you do when your life is overrun with gay men? You can do what I do and co-host a literal sausage party for my friend Stephen’s birthday. This was definitely not an event for homophobic, vegetarians but you can’t please them all.

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4 Responses to “sausage party”

1. bethany Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 8:47 am

   cheers to stephen….and of course miss chu…amazing!!!!

2. susan Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 9:32 am

   girl you know how to throw a party! sausage themed sounds like a great idea. i went to a pork themed party once which was awesome. i want to do a bacon themed one, except i have the tiniest apt. anyways, kudos to your party throwing skills. it is definitely always a lot of work (and fun).

3. camille Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

   my dog ran out in the street to go play with his pal, buster at 8am. buster’s dad tipped me off on the new sausage and beer restaurant downtown. never too early for sausage talk.

   check it out:
   www.latimes.com/theguide/la-et-earlybird24-2008nov24,0,193164.story

4. Helen Filipow Says:
   November 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm

   Oh, to be on Miss Camille’s guest list!

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It’s working. Wallflour has inspired someone other than myself to have a garden party!  A few weeks ago, I got an email from my friend, Heather, about a garden party to take place at my friend Reid and Tommy’s house in Echo Park. It was as simple as sending out an email and asking everyone to make canapés to enjoy together on a Sunday afternoon. We take full advantage of the non-existent seasons in LA- Garden party in October? I’m planning to enjoy Thanksgiving outdoors as well.

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Kendall Jackson- en route to Healdsburg. This was our first official wine tasting stop on our drive up to Healdsburg from San Francisco and my best notes to date on what we liked and disliked. We also made some purchases and got a couple bottles to enjoy at the hotel. One that we all agreed on was the 2007 Vintners Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. We liked it so much, Bethany ordered a few cases for her wedding. Not that they had to sell us on it since they were already swiping the credit card, but they said in a blind taste test with 5 others of their Sauvignon Blancs, this particular one wins every time and just goes to show that the price of the bottle is not always a good way to gauge a wines value in taste. This one is $11 a bottle and with 20% off, a good deal indeed.

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2 Responses to “sonoma wine tastings”

1. Kyra Says:
   September 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm

   Yay! What a lovely recap - and yes indeed, it did get blurrier as the day went on. Healdsburg and Sonoma - definitely an ideal trip for food and wine lovers!

2. bethany Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 6:22 am

   WOW…Miss Chu what as fantastic review, I can’t wait to go back…your wedding perhaps (hehe).

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Upon returning from Sonoma and the long awaited bachelorette weekend for Bethany, a friend asked, “So which one of you slept with Sandra Oh?”  No, no, nothing of the sort happened and I will spare you all the gory details since I was forced into signing an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) at the airport, but in short, it was a sensational weekend, a couple extra scratches and bruises, joined a wine club, a few scuffles, a missed flight (this was not our fault!), an Excursion Limo (hehe), and a busted digital camera later, amazing meal after amazing meal, we have memories to last a lifetime.

On these trips with multiple people so many thing can go wrong. This is where the planning comes in handy. I made a point not to bring my laptop either, so I really had to plan ahead with the maps and the options and contact information readily available. I don’t rely on iphones since I wasn’t sure what network was available where we were headed. 

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I completely forgot to post this wonderful Sunday Supper I made a couple months ago. Now that summer flew by and is winding down, I better get on it. 

One Saturday night, I had decided to stay in, which seems to be happening more and more these days. I made a large amount of Moroccan spiced braised lamb shanks, knowing that I could freeze them and have ready-made dinners for the week.  Ok, I know this isn’t the most hot weather friendly meal, but sometimes you just crave things and personally, I would rather make my version than spend a ton at a restaurant and have it be sub-par.

Since I had made a huge pot of the lamb shank and also had just gone to the Hollywood Farmer’s market that morning, it was as good a time as any to have a couple friends over for a nice, early dinner and enjoy the daylight savings hours. I had recruited my friend, Wan, to come and help me make a tart that day so dessert was already in a good place.  I screwed some tarts up on my first try and he promised to share some of his secret chef ways with me.  

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Kate Whittle-Utter is home from college for the summer and had contacted me about wanting to help me out on Wallflour. Though she claims to want to learn more and everything about food and entertaining, from the sounds of things in her brunch article and menu she planned, she already knows plenty!  I was very impressed that she even cooked for 20 people (with the help of some enthusiastic friends) which is no small task and had fresh waffles and scones made from scratch. Turns out we have a lot in common-  she’s a natural planner and spearheads social activities among her friends, oh and she’s a perfectionist.  

These days, I tend to only serve a meal for 8-10 people, but she gives some great tips on how to make it doable for larger crowds. The overflowing crowd brings to mind my attempts of entertaining in my 2