dinner with our chinese friends

This is a hodge podge post.  First, I want to show you my very first Christmas tree.  That is, in my apartment with my ornaments (ok, Michael's apartment too, but he doesn't have any ornaments on there).  26 years old and I've never put up a tree before!  

pretty pretty

Couple of interesting facts about this particular tree:  Number one is that Michael and I would not even have it at all if it wasn't for his Chinese friends at work.  They decided to retire their old tree and get a new one this year and asked if he wanted it.  We both decided yes.  I put it together (and decorated it) all by myself on Saturday while Michael was at work as a little surprise.  This is probably why I bought all the wrong lights (for the second year in a row - last year I came home with a box of those lights you put on bushes instead of a string).  I realized once I had the thing together (not an easy feat, mind you) that I only had a single string of 20 lights, so off I went to the pharmacy for more.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize until I got home that I had bought 3 more strands of lights that all had a plug on one end only, instead of both ends so that they can all be linked together.  Still, with some perseverence and smarts (ha), I got the lights to all light up.  Thanks to an extension cord hidden in the back that goes 3/4 of the way up the tree.  Ah well.  Anyway, I am super proud of my tree effort.  As you might have noticed.

Sunday, two of our Chinese friends (Billy and Kevin - their American names, obviously) wanted to go to the mall to do some shopping, so I gave them a ride.  I had thought that they promised to make us dinner afterwards for the ride giving.  Apparently, Michael and I both were mistaken...or they just changed their minds at the last minute.  The last minute after we had gone grocery shopping and had gotten ingredients for only Chinese food.  So Michael was in the hot seat, because I was way too worn out from being in a crowded mall to cook.  He got a little nervous because, well, cooking Chinese food for Chinese dudes is a little intimidating.  Especially since, like, those dudes cook for a living.  I would say he did an admirably wonderful job, though, because this is what we ended up with for dinner:

lots of veggies and fried tofu over soba noodles

Doused in sriracha and soy sauce because they weren't cooked with and spiciness or salt, really, because one of our buddies has an ulcer.  (*ahem* I prepped the green beans and entertained our guests while he was cooking, I wasn't being a total lump, I swear.)

Here's the individual components.  Everything was cooked separately, and then combined on our plates.  Excuse the flash, our kitchen is small and was filled with rambunctious boys, so I had very little time to stand very still and not use flash until after my plate was filled.

soba in front, baby bok choy cooked with green onions and sesame seeds in the back

bottom: carrots and oyster mushrooms w/ginger, middle: fried tofu, top: green beans w/black bean sauce

It all tasted terribly fresh and delicious.  I think Billy and Kevin liked it all, but it's hard to tell because they were speaking to eachother in Chinese the whole time they were eating and neither one speaks a whole lot of English.  Still, all in all it was a really fun time and I've honestly never had more gracious guests in my house.  They were great!

The last main point of this post is to give out a biscuit recipe.  I gave this recipe to Becks of I am not a Rabbit fame (scroll down a ways and you'll see my biscuits featured in that post) because she's British and didn't know what American biscuits were all about.  Consensus?  They rule.  Someone else out there wanted the recipe from her, and I told her to please go ahead and let them have it and that I would post it on my blog for good measure.  In case any other non-Americans wanna know what they're like and would like to try a great (I promise) recipe for them or if you already know and love biscuits, you can try out my version.  Actually, it's my mom's version.  I think she veganized it from a cookbook, but I can't remember which one!  Anywho, here's some biscuits for your face.

Whole Wheat Biscuits....  oh wait, sorry they're actually called:

Biscuits Supreme

 

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or 1 cup ww 1 cup white

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

 

Mix well.  Cut in 1/2 cup shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a well in the center.  Pour in 2/3 cup SOYmilk all at once, and mix just till moistened.

 

Turn dough out on to floured surface and knead lightly.  Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness.  Cut into rounds.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 min.

Makes about 10.

Meh, copied and pasted this from an email from my mom and now everything is in this font and I can't change it back.  Blogger's interface is SO not user-friendly.  Anyway, enjoy your biscuit making and the first week of December.  If that's even possible.  Blegh, cold weather!  I'm making SOUP tonight, yes yes yes.