Cleavers galore!

Anyone need a cleaver?  A whole new batch came in to the local asian market.  Must be Strong, must not buy knives I don't need.

Strange-Flavor Peanuts

What something very cool and different as a little snack?  Then you have to try guai wei hua ren, or Strange Flavor Peanuts.  See that little bowl of nuts up above?  Those are the the strange flavor peanuts and they are so addicting.  They have a sweet and sour/spicy taste and every few of them as a zing from sichuan pepper corns.

They are a great little snack all on their own, but I love to make them as a little treat for guests to munch on while I'm getting the rest of dinner going.  The original recipe came from Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking by Fuchia Dunlop but I've made some tweaks to fit my taste and hopefully some of you as well.  Keep reading to find out how easy they are to make.

Pork Tacos at Home

Saying I have issues with tacos is an understatement.  I started off life with the fried hard shell tacos with ground hamburger and was happy.  Then I moved to Southern California and experienced something outside of that Americanized chain that will not be named.  And it was like seeing new colors.  And I'm not even talking about fish tacos yet!

More often than not some of the best tacos you will ever have will come off a truck or a small resturant where lovely smells come out of.  But, you might not have such things in your neck of the woods or maybe you want to introduce your friends to something more than hamburger with some chili powder tossed on to it.  Well, here is something yummy and with a little work you'll be craving these things all the time.

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