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.

This recipe is from Cook’s Country April/May 2005 issue. They call it root beer float but when I think of root beer floats I think of root beer and ice cream so I’m calling this root beer jello floats.

Root Beer Jello Floats
2 (12 – ounce) bottles or cans of cold root beer
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream

1. Open only 1 can of root beer. Soften the gelatin by placing 1/2 cup of root beer in a bowl and sprinkling the gelatin over the top. Leave for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

2. Bring 1 cup of root beer and the 1/4 cup sugar to boil in a small saucepan stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until all the lumps are dissolved. Pour into a different bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, open the second can of root beer and gently stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of root beer trying not to deflate the bubbles. The idea is, since you opened the 2nd can later, it won’t be flat and you’ll have more fizz for a bubbly root beer cap. I could never manage that though. Refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 1 day.

3. When the root beer is firm, start your whipped cream. Beat the heavy cream with the 2 tablespoons of sugar until it holds soft peaks.

4. Spoon 1/8 of root beer jello into 4 cups. Top with 1/8 of whipped cream. Repeat with the rest of the jello and whipped cream and top with the cap of bubbly root beer. Or in my case just more jello since all my bubbles deflated.

I like this recipe though it was strange at first. I’m not used to jello being carbonated but it grew on me. Weird but in a good way. But I’m the only one who eats this. Alan thinks root beer jello is strange and Isabelle will only eat the whipped cream.

If anyone makes this let me know what you think, I’m curious to see other people’s reaction. Am I just strange in liking this?