there's something good waitin' down this road

I'm a vegetarian. Mostly.

Maybe some day I will delve into the tangled mess of my brain to try and explain my lifestyle choices, but in the meantime, I want to share an amazing (and mostly vegetarian) recipe that I made with my dear friend Laura a few days ago.

If you have never had pho, then you are seriously missing out. Luckily, I'm here to help.

According to Wikipedia: "Pho is a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup."

Silly Wikipedia.

Pho is one of those beautifully adaptable soups that can use whatever you have lying around. Traditionally, it is made with beef and beef stock, but it could just as easily be made with chicken, or left meatless. And is comforting and delicious no matter what. Are you ready to try it?

We will begin by making the broth.

In a large stock pot, simmer 1 gallon vegetable (or chicken, or beef) broth over medium-low heat. Chop two whole onions and peel and smash a 1-2" piece of fresh ginger. Sauté onions and ginger over medium heat until soft and add to broth. Put 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 stick cinnamon, and 4 whole star anise in a seasoning pouch and drop into the pot. Add 4 tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons fish sauce (told you it wasn't strictly vegetarian!), and a pinch of salt. Allow to simmer 15-25 minutes or until you are happy with the level of seasoning. Remove the seasoning pouch and continue warming broth over low heat for another 25-30 minutes.

While the broth is simmering, prepare 1 pound of rice noodles according to the instructions on the package, and prepare whatever goodies you want to put in your pho. We stuck with tofu and veggies, but you can pretty much let your imagination run wild.

Once the broth and noodles are prepared, assemble your bowl! I like to put the crunchy vegetables on the bottom so that they cook just slightly, or if raw vegetables aren't your thing, you could steam them first.

Pho is traditionally served with about a million toppings, including Thai basil, Thai peppers, culantro, onions, bean sprouts, scallions, various spicy sauces, and a lime wedge. My amazing Asian market was out of the herbs and peppers, so we substituted plain old sweet basil, cilantro, and jalepeños, and it was just as tasty.

I also posted this at TastyKitchen.com (an amazing recipe resource) which provides printable versions of all recipes.

Go make pho and have fun!

Cheers!

the greatest thing since bread came sliced

Today I want to share a recipe with you that is near and dear to my heart.

In my family, on your birthday, you get to choose any meal you want for dinner. And since the time I was first able to talk, I've been choosing my mom's macaroni and cheese. Oh sure, there have been deviations from time to time, when I wanted to seem more grown up. But this meal is still my ultimate go-to, happy, comfort food.

It's not even particularly complicated. You'll need some milk, your favorite kind of pasta (I love campanelle for this. It looks like little trumpets!), butter, Wondra (or other super-fine flour), and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

Begin by boiling the pasta.

After 7-8 minutes, begin to check the pasta regularly until it's as done as you like. Use a silly-face slotted spoon. (Courtesy of my awesome baby sister.)

I like my pasta slightly al dente, not smushy at all.

When you're happy with the pasta, drain and rinse (I know, I know, this isn't recommended anymore, but it won't be my mom's macaroni and cheese if you don't. Trust me.) and set aside. It should be relatively cool and very sticky by the time you're done making the sauce.

Heat two cups of milk in a large saucepan over low heat and carefully whisk in 4 tbs. of Wondra. No lumps, people!

Once the flour is fully incorporated, turn up the heat and allow the milk to begin to thicken. Once it's slightly thick, add 4 tbs. butter. Allow the sauce to boil for 2-3 minutes, remove from the heat, and pretend there's a picture of me dumping in 12 oz. of shredded chedder. The sharper the chedder is, the better the sauce will be. Mix in the cheese thoroughly, allowing it to melt.

Once the cheese is thoroughly incorporated, slowly add the cooled pasta into the pot of sauce and stir. (I know, my mise en place has orange cheese, and here I clearly was a dork and forgot and used white. Forgive me?)

Allow the macaroni and cheese to cool slightly (it will thicken as it cools, which is what you're waiting for) and serve with plenty of fresh ground pepper.

And applesauce.

Really cold, unsweetened applesauce.

Trust me. I would never steer you wrong.