This recipe is from The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo. Although it specifies green beans, it is my experience that dishes of this type are usually made with yard long beans, which are more commonly seen in Chinese markets. I think either type of bean is O.K. to use in this recipe. Tienstsin preserved vegetable is chopped celery cabbage preserved with salt, garlic and spices. That will give you an idea of what to substitute if necessary. Kimchi, maybe? SZECHUAN DRY-SEARED GREEN BEANS In this dish all the ingredients are dry and chewy, with a lingering flavor. It is unusual and delicious. The beans are wrinkled but crisp, and each is speckled with a little adhering meat and preserved vegetables. Serves 4. 1 1/2 pounds green beans 1 cup oil 1/4 pound ground pork 1 tablespoon minced Tientsin preserved vegetable Seasonings: 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon chili-pepper oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion greens Rinse and dry the green beans; break off the ends and cut in bite size lengths. March-chop the ground meat a few times to loosen its formation. Chop the scallion greens. Put everything in separate piles on your working platter. Measure out the seasonings into a small bowl and mix well. Heat the cup of oil in a wok or large, heavy skillet until it foams a cube bread instantly, about 375 degrees. Scatter in the green beans and deep-fry until they are wrinkled and a little blistered, stirring constantly, and lowering the slightly if necessary. Pour beans and oil into a strainer over a small pot. Return 3 tablespoons oil to the pan, scatter in the meat, and stir quickly in poking and pressing motions to break the lumps. Stir until it begins to brown; then add the preserved vegetable and stir well. Shower in the green beans; stir in scooping and turning motions a few times. Add the seasonings, then the scallion greens. and stir vigorously in sweeping motions until the liquid is absorbed by the ingredients. Pour into a hot serving dish.

Eggplant idea: peel, and slice into 1/2" thick rounds. Lay in a single layer on an olive oil greased baking sheet. Spray the eggplant rounds heavily with olive oil (comes in a can like PAM). Turn them over, spray again. Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning blend. We like Louisiana style seasonings. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about ten minutes. Soo good! I highly recommend the Pung Tung Long eggplant. It is never bitter and absolutely delicious. I have two plants and we cannot keep up with the production. We've had lots and lots of pole beans, though this heat is finishing them off in a hurry. I prepare them similarly to the eggplant. I toss them whole in a bowl with a little olive oil till they are lightly coated, and sprinkle them with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper. I put them in the 425 oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Toss, and sprinkle with just a little bit of brown sugar (about 1 Tablespoon). Back in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes more. You want them to be lightly browned and shrivelled, but not dried out or toast. This is our favorite way to eat snap beans. The Ball canning jar company publishes a booklet on canning that is absolutely wonderful. Its instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow. Canning is honest to goodness easy. Don't be afraid to try! (The Ball Blue Book can be downloaded on the web.)

LOL....Patti, I love fish but fish sauce sounded too yukky to me too. I could't find the plum sauce so I used Hoisin sauce. It's really good, I use it alot in stirfry. I did see fish sauce and passed it up! these were really good though....I think you could use any sauce really, teriyaki, etc.

Thanks for your response, done again. There are 2 full baths upstairs & a 1/2 bath downstairs. Both the full baths are nice sizes & get lots of light. Both are dated--I need to get some pictures & post in another thread. However with the work we are doing on them, I think they'll look fresh & pretty. The biggest negatives in the baths are dated tile (especially in the guest bath) & fiberglass tub surrounds. Biggest negative of all, for me, is that the master bath has a garden tub but no stand up shower. Yes we have met with several realtors & gotten opinions--the opinions, interestingly, are varied--much like those in this thread. No one, though, has advised full blown tear-outs/renovations. You very well may be right on the "all or nothing." We all know how it is--upgrade one item & then all the other things that need doing seem to stand out more. Comps? Yes. And this is where it gets confusing...the comps are all over the place pricewise. Both "sold" comps & those "for sale" currently. Looks like I need to make yet another thread & ask for some help on this.