On my last post, that I did from my lovely phone, I said we were at my mom’s. We were celebrating her birthday. She had a barbecue at her house, a Chinese barbecue.

What in the world is a Chinese barbecue, you ask? Well, that’s what I call it. It’s a regular barbecue EXCEPT Chinese style. You get the regular grilled chicken, grilled ribs, and potato salad. It was sort of strange with carrot and ham. Those aren’t regular potato salad ingredients are they? Then there was another potato salad with dragon eyes. Oh wait. That’s the Chinese name. I mean lychee. Ok back to what I was saying. Regular barbecue but then you add some weird stuff that isn’t usually at regular barbecues. Like…

Grilled squid.

Common self heal fruit spike drink next to the Pepsi. It seriously says that right on the bottle. I forgot to try it. Probably tasted self healy.

Fish balls. Yum!!

Green bean soup with stinky grass. I kid you not. That is the literal translation. I tried to have someone, anyone, in my family to translate that into English. But no one knew the herb name, they just called it stinky grass. I should have taken a picture. My mom grows stinky grass in her yard. And when I say soup. It’s a dessert soup. Like Chinese red bean soup. So, when I say green bean soup it’s not green beans. It’s actually probably mung beans. Not like I really know, I googled it.

And of course tea. Doesn’t everyone have tea, in fancy little Chinese teapots, at barbecues?

And then of course since it was a birthday, we had cake. But not regular cake. Chinese cake, of course. From a Chinese bakery. Have you ever had Chinese cake? It’s usually fruitier. And not as sweet. Yum yum.

And because I didn’t know where to stick this last picture or how to finish this post coherently, here’s Nathan riding a radio flyer. A teeny one.

I know I said I would buckle down with the sketches. But I’m thinking about food right now. And well, if that’s where my mind is, that’s what I’m posting about.

Beef Taco Bake
From Cook’s Country October/November 2007
serves 4 to 6

2 (10 ounce) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (I usually use 20 ounce because that’s what they have at my store)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 1/2 pounds 90-percent-lean ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package low sodium taco seasoning mix
12 taco shells
3 scallions, sliced thin

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Cook beef in a large skillet over medium high until it’s no longer pink, about 5 minutes. While that is cooking, drain and save the juices from one can of tomatoes. Pour the tomatoes into a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Add beans, hot sauce, and cilantro. Mix together and then spread evenly. Then sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.

2. When the beef is no longer pink, pour off the fat and stir in the package of taco seasoning. Drain and save the juices from the other can of tomatoes. You only need 1/2 cup of juice. Add those tomatoes and the 1/2 cup of tomato juice to the beef. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened and almost dry. That will take about 5 to 7 minutes.

3. While you are waiting spoon 1 tablespoon of cheese into each taco shell and arrange upright in the bean mixture. Once the meat is done, spoon beef mixture evenly into each shell. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and top with the left over cheese and bake until the cheese is all melty, takes 4 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and eat.

I’ve been in the mood for beef and snow peas for days. But it’s such a bother to hunt for the recipe. And I know I told myself to put recipes up here or on Flickr but I haven’t been doing it. Why? Because I obviously want to make things difficult for myself.

Well, I’m doing it now. Finally.

Stir Fried Beef with Snow Peas and Cashews
From Cook’s Country, serves 4

1 1/4 pounds flank steak, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound snow peas
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews

This step is to make the steak easier to slice: Put the raw steak in the freezer for 15 minutes then slice with the grain into three longs strips. Then slice each strip into 1/8 inch slices.

Mix the steak with soy sauce and cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Whisk hoisin sauce with water and pepper flakes and set that aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add half of the steak and cook for 1 minute. Then toss until they’re a little brown on the edges. Set that aside and repeat with the other half.

Heat the last 2 teaspoons of oil and cook snow peas for two minutes. Then in the center of the pan add the garlic and ginger cooking for 45 seconds. Then toss in the steak.

Rewhisk the hoisin mixture then pour it into the pan and let it thicken for about a minute. Stir in the cashews and it’s good to eat.

Yum! I know what I’ll be making this weekend.