What’s great about  Chinese New Year is that it always lands somewhere between late January and mid-February, and I love that timing. Think about it - if you celebrate Chinese New Year, you basically get two shots at a fresh start each year instead of just one.

Here's what I mean: You kick off your New Year's resolutions on January 2nd. By the time Chinese New Year rolls around, it's like a progress check. Are you still hitting the gym like you promised yourself? Maybe you realized that working out every single day was a bit ambitious, and scaling back to three times a week feels more realistic.

And that's totally fine.  I believe goals should be like climbing stairs - taking it one step at a time - rather than trying to shoot straight to the top. Even if you fell off the wagon after that first week of January, Chinese New Year gives you that perfect "okay, for real this time" moment. That's the beauty of CNY - it's like a built-in reset button for your year.

Looking for a hearty dinner to warm up these cold winter nights? I stumbled across Carolina Gelen's one-pan garlic couscous recipe that perfectly hit the spot. Like most of my cooking adventures these days, I found this gem on social media.

The recipe looked straightforward enough - protein and carbs in one pan, what could go wrong? Let’s just say the first run was a bit more exciting than I expected. Pro tip #1: when searing chicken thighs skin-side down, make sure they're completely dry and watch your oil temperature. I had the foresight to have a grill to screen myself against the splatter and at that point I realize Pro Tip #2. 

Pro Tip #2: You are not married to the stovetop. If things get too hot, simply lift the pan off the heat. You're in control of the heat, not the other way around.

The real flavor of this dish builds in the sautéing the garlic and onions, then toasting the couscous before putting it into the oven. For this run of the recipe, I wasn’t trying to peel 15 gloves of garlic, so when I saw Elephant Garlic at the Trader Joe’s, that seemed like a good time to experiment.  It gives a milder, less aggressive garlic flavor that I actually preferred.

The tin foil tent finish in the oven steams the chicken to fall-off-the-bone perfection. Combined with the couscous and the dill vinaigrette, every bite is perfectly balanced. 

Definitely worth trying, but remember my earlier warning: pat those chicken thighs dry before they hit the pan or risk getting some pretty painful burns.  

"YA YA" might just be my favorite track off Cowboy Carter. As a longtime Beyoncé stan, I'm hooked at how this song captures what I love most about art: taking something classic and transforming it into something new, while celebrating what made the original special in the first place.

Americana music - think Elvis, The Beach Boys, Tina Turner, and that whole 50s/60s Rock 'n' Roll era - often gets dismissed as "Boomer music" these days. But I will be the first one to tell you that these classics stay around for a reason. Like Beyoncé, I've never been one to stick to a single genre. While my Asian friends might be vibing to Illenium, I’ll be cranking up Guns N' Roses when I've got an appetite for destruction.

The moment that descending guitar riff kicks in at the start of "YA YA," you know you're in for something badass. It's the kind of song that makes you want to dance in your car, perfect for jolting yourself awake in the morning or energizing your commute. The track reminds us that life in America has never been fair - but like the song suggests, you gotta keep the faith.

Happy (Second) New Year,

Kevin L