Hannibal's "Got Their Game On"

Last Thursday, we attended the Annual Installation Dinner for the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce. This was a fabulous event at the New and Spectacular, Sunrise Event Center located on Trade Center Drive off of Sunrise Blvd., in Rancho Cordova. This was a wonderful event full of fun games, great music and event better food.

We pulled out all the stops for this event. We love the Rancho Cordova Chamber and will always do anything to make them shine. The theme of this event was "Sports" and "Games". We made our booth feel have a outdoor park vibe. With some tall wheat grass and glass pieces, our booth came alive with color and pizzazz.

With the big game around the corner, we thought it would be nice to have hearty finger foods and a yummy cold salad. Not just any salad, our Famous Broccoli Salad. By the way, how did your recipe turn out? With the salad we had scrumptious Mini Pulled Pork Hoagies. We feel these were the most popular item at the entire event. Maybe even more popular than the Guitar Hero booth. Maybe. The most fun aspect of our booth was the Andouille Sausage Daffodill. These were thick pieces of Andouille Sausage wrapped in a thin pastry. They were then cooked to a golden brown and placed on a wooden stick. The eye catching aspect of these, were that they were stuck into the wheatgrass and resembled flowers blooming from the ground. A true crowd pleaser. So many people were taking pictures of them and asking how to accomplish this look for their Super Bowl party.

There is still time to hire Hannibal's Catering for you Super Bowl party this Sunday. We can make your home like our booth at the Chamber event. Give us a call at 916-638-4363 or place your order online at http://www.hannibalscatering.com/.

Chinese New Year

(year begins on 1/26/2009)
(First Day of the Year of the Ox falls on 1/26/2009)

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. Each year is represented by one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. 2009 is the year of the Ox.


The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.


New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. A Chinese proverb states that all creations are reborn on New Year’s day. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of change ... out with the old and in with the new!.

In the Far East, this is also the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Farmers take this opportunity to welcome spring as they plant for the new harvest. Thus, the Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival.


Traditionally, family will visit each other which is a practice commonly known as New Year visiting. Friends and families will welcome the guests by serving them Circular candy tray (candy for sweet and circular for togetherness which are usually filled with dried fruits, nuts and sweets of all kind. Family and relatives give “Ang Pow” (red packets) containing newly printed money to the young ones.

Symbols of Fortune

Fruits and flowers are also an important part of the New Year Celebration and carry a symbolic meaning. Oranges and tangerines (good health & long life); tangerines with leaves intact (long lasting relationships; fruitful and multiply as in having children); persimmons (happiness and wealth).

Colors: Bright red (happiness); gold/orange (wealth & happiness).

Flowers that bloom on New Year’s Day will represent a prosperous year. Plum blossom stand for courage and hope, peach blossoms stand for luck, Narcissus and Kumquats represent prosperity, Chrysanthemums longevity and sunflowers represent the coming of a good year. They are well display in all Chinese homes and businesses.

Chinese New Year Cuisine

The celebration actually starts on New Year's Eve with the reunion dinner. Dishes consisting of Fish and chicken represent prosperity. Always present the fish and chicken as a whole. Do not cut them in pieces. The head, tail and feet (for chicken) must be presented to symbolize completeness. Long life noodles (rice noodle) represent longevity. Jai - a combination of food that represents good fortune. “Happy family” comprises of baby corn, carrots, Bok Choy, black moss, dried bean curd, mushroom, bamboo shoots, and scallion. Desserts include oranges, Chinese New Year cake (ni gao) and prosperous cakes (they look like golden nuggets). All of these foods are meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the family.

The fifteenth day marks the end of the Chinese New Year with the Lantern festival. The festival takes place with a parade of bright and colorful lantern of all shapes and sizes. The highlight of festival is the dragon dance which symbolizes the bringing of luck and success to the coming year.

The Staff of Hannibal’s Catering join in on the celebration and wish everyone
Gong Xi Fa Cai... A Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year!

Simple and easy Broccoli Salad Recipe

Many of you've emailed or phoned in requesting for our broccoli salad recipe. Hannibal's Catering is happy to share this recipe with many that have requested them. We are proud to announce that in 2008 The Sacramento and Modesto Bee published our recipe in the food edition. It was also published in numberous local magazine as well. One of many of our popular recipes for you to take home. Enjoy! Please give us your feedback and let us know how your Broccoli Salad turned out. Have a great weekend!

Ingredients

Salad:
3 bunches of broccoli (florets only)
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
½ cup toasted walnuts
½ cup chopped real bacon
1 cup diced red onion

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons of sugar

Instructions: Combine salad ingredients. Toss salad with dressing. Chill and serve.

10 Compelling Reasons to Hire Hannibal's Catering

Here are 10 facts to take in to consideration when booking Hannibal’s Catering:

1. We offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
With 20 years in the catering business, and thousands of loyal customers, our 100% satisfaction guarantee is one of the few in the area. Our focus is to insure that you, the customer, are proud of the presentation and food that we have prepared for you.

2. Enjoy the Benefit of Our Rewards Program
Place an order via our experienced service staff in the office or on-line and you will accumulate points. These points can be redeemed and traded in for coupons to use towards future orders.

3. An Award Winning Company
We’ve been voted consistently as The Best Caterer in the Sacramento County, competing with more than 50 other great caterers in the region for this title. We have been honored by the KCRA 3 A-List as well as the Sacramento New & Review as the Best Caterer for both 2007 and 2008. We were also recently bestowed the honor of the Best Caterer in Citrus Heights for 2008.

4. We Care for the Environment
It’s a responsibility Hannibal’s Catering feels is worthy of action. We are now offering at no extra charge, an option to use bio degradable (GREEN) products when you order from Hannibal’s Catering. We are now a “Sacramento Certified Sustainable Business”.

5. We Can Do Just About Anything You Want, At Any Location You Wish!
We have a fleet of delivery vans/trucks and professional staff to ready to handle your event at your preferred location.

6. Easy-To-Use, Fast Online Ordering
User friendly, simply point and click. Available 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week. Place your orders when it is convenient for you, anywhere you have internet access.

7. An Endless Collection of Foods on our Menu
We take great delight in having one of the most extensive and original menus in the Northern California region. We offer essential items, as well as full service packages and even a customizable option.

8. Managing Your Catering Orders
Reduce the time and effort involved in managing past and future orders. User friendly online calendar to view the entire year events, reorder with just one click. Invoice status report anytime you need them.

9. Free Meal Every Time You Place an Order with Us
Receive a free box meal every time when you placed and order of 15 or more guest.

10. Dedicated Customer Order and Support
Our committed Sales Staff are here in the office to help organize and coordinate your event.

Whether it is a luncheon for 10 or an annual corporate party for 5,000, we will exceed your expectations. Let Hannibal's Catering be the preferred caterer for you next event.