Growing up not far from Little Saigon, pho shops all had numbers -- Pho 79, Pho 84, but somewhere along the line pho went mainstream and so did the names of the shops. So let's get the jokes and gimmicky names out of the way upfront.
"What the Pho?" -- Kids in my class were using this one as far back as junior high -- in the late '80s. Now, it's a noodle shop in Bellevue, WA.
"9-0-2-1-Pho" -- This is real. And yes, it's in Beverly Hills.
"Jenny Pho" -- Also real. In Issaquah, WA.
And of course, the king of all Pho shops...well, there's an, um, king and he don't serve burgers.
Creating a good pho broth takes hours, but there's no reason you can't do it. Put aside your worries about leaving a pot simmering on the stove unattended overnight, because you can make a good traditional pho broth in the slow cooker. I never would have thought of it, and then a lightbulb flicked on over my head when I saw the recipe on Serious Eats.
Walnuts. Ruiner of fudgy chocolate brownies, scourge of chocolate chip cookies, I’ve tolerated you, but there’s no love lost between us. You’re slightly bitter and unless you’re incognito, almonds and…
This week kicked my butt. I knew it was coming, but it still owned me. Knowing the days would be long, before work I was either making couscous and farro and prepping vegetables or getting my workout in. Two dinners this week were salads -- whipped together variations of chicken, spinach, some grain or other, and whatever citrus or dried fruit was in the pantry. One night I managed to sauté some chicken and roast cauliflower, but by Thursday, I had no ideas, so Wolf brought home a Costco pizza. Then Friday, I was on my own. With no grocery shopping happening either, a can of black beans saved me. I made Can You Stay for Dinner's black bean quinoa burgers. It turned out to be the genesis of something bigger – a chicken, black bean and quinoa bake.
As a cook, my grandma was a product of her generation. Raising kids in the 50s and 60s, she cooked both from scratch and from boxes and packets as convenience foods came on the scene -- say chicken and dumplings, with Bisquick dumplings. Some days when I was a kid, she'd start dinner at 2 pm and other days she'd whip together a one-skillet meal in half an hour.
Green beans and tomatoes always remind me one of her one-pan dinners served over rice. She’d sauté chunks of onion with garlic and either chicken or pork in a little oil, then add canned tomatoes and some green beans, cooking until the beans were tender. Salt and pepper was the only seasoning. It was simple, and it cemented green beans and tomatoes for me. This Israeli couscous salad takes inspiration from that dish with just cooked green beans and a roasted tomato vinaigrette, brightened with a trio of herbs.
New gadgets are fun. I was leafing through (more like studying) the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine and saw this Zoku Quick Pop Makerthat makes popsicles in less than 10 minutes. It's been out for awhile and reviewed in a bunch of places -- here's theKitchn's take -- but I'd just missed it somehow. Sure, you could just use some Dixie cups and popsicle sticks, but oooh, a new gadget! Ten minutes, not two hours! And yeah, it's $50, but oooh, new gadget!
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