Easy Slow Cooker Pho with Tofu and Vegetables

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.

ByMichelleNovember 12, 20132Comments

Main Course Recipes

Korean Inspired Coca-Cola Braised Pork in the Slow Cooker

It's almost February. We're in the thick of winter, when a slow cooker should be getting a real workout. But strangely, I haven't been using mine that much. I like doing soups and chilis on the stove, but the truth is, the slow cooker is almost a magical appliance. You throw in a few things, cover it with the lid, abracadabra and 6-8 hours later, you have something amazingly delicious. It took this Coca-Cola Braised Pork shoulder to remind me just how magical it can be. I'm not even going to feign modesty and say, "Oh, it's pretty good, you might like it." I'll just say it, this pork shoulder is super tasty. It's not just good, it's gooooooooood.

ByMichelleJanuary 30, 201211Comments

Main Course Photo One-offs Recipes

Molasses & Sriracha Pulled Pork

This past weekend may have been the unofficial end of summer, but we celebrated our 3-day weekend with a sandwich that knows no season -- a pulled pork sammy. I've been known to cook up pulled pork sliders for the Superbowl, for birthdays or for no good reason at all, other than that pork shoulder was on sale. But this being the unofficial end of summer, it called for something a little special. So I busted out this recipe for Molasses & Sriracha Pulled Pork from Lindsay over at Rosemarried.

ByMichelleSeptember 5, 20111Comment

Main Course Recipes

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos & Pineapple Salsa

Sometimes the standout in a meal surprises you. I expected the main topic of this post to be the chicken tacos we made using this recipe from the Flying Pig food truck, but what I want to talk about first is pineapple salsa. I don't know if it's because this Spring has been very un-sunny and I'm jonesin' for a Hawaiian vacation, but this pineapple salsa really struck a chord. You'd think I never had a fruit salsa before. It was the perfect complement to the tacos.

ByMichelleJune 21, 20112Comments