A Phantastic Pho

"Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice is often served with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime, and bean sprouts are added to the soup by the person who is dining."



This is the soup that will be served in heaven. This is not a picture of the soup I made. I wish. My first stab at making this seemingly simple soup went surprisingly well. At least it was edible.

There is this great chain of restaurants in Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland called "Pho ___" (insert random number) They all have a different number; 75, 43, 88. I don't know if there is a system to the numbering, I just know they have awesome soup. The clear beef broth is flavored with onion, cilantro, ginger and various other spices I don't even know the names of. You pick two meats to put in the broth. There are also noodles. You are given a plate with bean sprouts, cilantro, lime and a carousel of sauces including Srirache and soy.

As I was wandering through the produce section of Jawad's (the local supermarket) I was struck with a moment of inspiration, or insanity. I saw all the ingredients in front of me and decided to try making Pho that night. Once I got my shopping bags home, I unloaded my loot. I had looked up a few recipes and decided to try the most simple one. I had even devised a plan to remedy the potential "Ewws" and "It's too salady!" responses from the kids.

So when I put the colander in the sink with the intention of draining the noodles, imagine my surprise when I looked down at my hands and saw that I was on auto-pilot and draining my broth down the drain! I lost about a quarter of my liquid gold! Oh well, there's always next time, right? Everyone actually liked the soup. It wasn't up to true Pho standards, but it'll do. We definitely will be trying this again.

The Power of Zero

I like that my kids are old enough to get themselves basic snacks. I love making them food & goodies, but sometimes it's nice when they get themselves some crackers & cheese. They've all had to take my "Proper Use of a Microwave" course before they are allowed to use it unsupervised.

Anyway on Saturday, about mid-morning snack time, I'm in my room and Grant comes running in, "Um, Mommy? There's smoke coming from the microwave."

What the what?! I sprint to the kitchen and sure enough, the microwave is open and there is smoke billowing from inside. There isn't any actual fire, so the girls and I scramble to open doors, shut other doors and get the smoke OUT! While I'm windmilling a dishtowel in the direction of the door, I notice Grant is nowhere in sight. I call for him and he slinks into the kitchen. I asked him what happened. He said, "I think I put 'three-zero-zero' instead of just 'three-zero'. I told him he's not in trouble, just pay attention next time. I'm not one to throw stones, I've put various food items in for 'four-five-zero' instead of 'four-five', etc.

Is the cheese on bread done?

Hidden Squash

I'm a genius. Well, someone else probably thought of this way before me, but I'm still pleased with the success I found.

Step 1: Microwave butternut squash.
Step 2: Mash butternut squash.
Step 3: Mix butternut squash into cream of chicken gravy.
Step 4: Pour gravy over noodles and chicken.

Then sit back and listen to the silence being generated by the four children as they inhale said concoction. Grant & Jacqui did raise an eyebrow when they saw that the "chicken & noodle" dinner was orange. I just told Grant that I made monkey brains for dinner and he was cool. If I had served fauxtatoes for a side dish, it would have been the healthiest dinner in the universe!!

Icing on the cupcake

I popped by my sister's blog the other day & saw a glorious sight. Well, just about any time I pop by is a glorious sight. I love seeing what my little niece, Taylor is up to and what they are doing. Katelyn always has good activity ideas. She's the director of 4-H for their county in Montana. Last week, the teen chapter made some a-mazing treats.

Maybe I'm over-exaggerating, but anytime you combine:

1} kids
2} an activity
and
3} food

the results aren't always favorable. The treat either ends up taking way too much effort for both parties (mom or kids) or it's really fun but really messy, etc. You get the picture. But this treat, oh, this treat seems to be the trifecta of perfection.

Seriously attractive Thanksgiving treats and super easy. She said they're just chocolate cupcakes & sugar cookies. The turkey cupcakes just need:

- candy corn
- ginger cookie (pre-packaged, of course)
- twizzler string (for the wattle. though if that can't be found, I think red fruit roll-up would work)

And the corn starts as a sugar cookie. Then you just put frosting on and add:

- Reese's pieces
- green or yellow fruit roll-up

This looks so simple! I can even make time for chocolate cupcakes & sugar cookies. And my kids do know how to make both on their own! Double score! We're having a family with 2 kids and two Marines from the Naval Base over for Thanksgiving. This will keep them all busy whilst turkey preparations take place in the kitchen. Thanks, Katelyn for letting me steal this wonderful idea!

A Tale of Two Milks

"What's in a name? That which we call milk, by any other name would . . . still not be milk."

~ William Shakespeare (if he shopped at Al Osra)

A few weeks ago, when we were still in the fog of jet lag, we needed milk. Al Osra supermarket is just around the corner. Literally. The fridge was empty, it was 10 pm and we all wanted cereal. So, with new found freedom, we ventured out on our first grocery run. I have been amazed by the shopping here. You can find anything. Though usually it comes with a hefty price tag. A block of 16 oz. cheese is $8. Milk is $6 a gallon. We were not quite ready to dive back into the UHT milk pool, so we ponied up for some real cow's milk.



The containers pictured above were our cheapest options. We wanted the 'low fat' milk; (full fat milk here is serious fat. The best to have with an Oreo!) but there was only one container. And, quick Arabic language lesson here, in (egyptian) arabic, milk is laban. We read both labels. I could tell they were different, but I didn't know why. They both had 'milk' on them. Though why would they be spelling 'laban' in english, too? We were tired and hungry; so we got both and figured we'd mix the two together to make a sort of 1% milk.

Well, mixing the two never happened and two days later, we had blown through the first container of 'full fat'. At breakfast we cracked open the 'Laban' and poured it on Mairyn's bowl of cereal. One half bite later, Mairyn proclaimed, "This milk tastes like yogurt." I tasted it. Yep, it was plain yogurt.

*sidenote* They sell plain yogurt that is liquid-y for drinking, digestion, etc.

Spencer went back and examined both jugs. In the bright, clearheaded-ness of morning, it was obvious (to him). He said, "Oh yeah. They call yogurt 'laban' in the Gulf." Once he said that, the labels became obvious to me. In Egypt, yogurt always had a green label. Duh. Ok, good to know. Laban is now yogurt, not milk. Got it. We still used the yogurt. I just added some jam to a cup, stir well, voila, strawberry yogurt drink. The kids have actually requested that we buy this now, too. At least something good came out of our mistake!

Dra-gon

"Hey! Dragon. *Dra-gon* Not lizard, I don't do that tongue thing."
~ Mushu

Truthfully, that was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw these in the produce section at Geant.

It's a dragonfruit; or pitaya. I've discovered that they carry a lot of Asian fruits & products because of the high population of Southeast Asians. Here's what they look like on the inside.


Cool, huh? Though they look pretty, they are not that tasty. Maybe ours wasn't ripe enough (I wouldn't know how to tell) or just not a good fruit. I did notice that there were other varieties of dragonfruit listed on the wikipedia page.


Peeling & slicing the fruit was easy, the skin just came right off in one piece. It was semi-firm; I like the texture. I don't like to eat mushy fruit. Mealy apples? *blech* When you bite it, the little seeds popped kind of like poppy seeds in a muffin. But it tasted like dirt. We tried putting some sugar on it to see if it would improve the taste. It just tasted like sugar on dirt. But it's a pretty fruit & we had to try it once!

We cut up a more familiar piece of produce, pomegranates. Jacqui is the most fond of these little seeds. They make a great garnish for salads & I am so glad they get to be a staple in our meals again!!

Bountiful Baskets

Boy, I sure didn't know what I was missing! Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op that began in 2006. Two ladies started it {i'm not sure what state} but it has spread from a local town thing to 7 states; AZ, NV, TX, WA, WY, UT & ID. And it grew from each state having one or two pick-up sites to many, many towns having multiple sites. Rexburg alone has 16 sites. I just had to remember to sign up. That was the tricky part. There is a time frame of about 3 hours on Monday evenings. And the baskets go fast! I was lucky this week, my friend Rachel called & reminded me. I just wish I'd bought two! I know the grapes & cherries will be gone before the end of the day. And all those veggies are just calling for me to make a killer salad! Bon Apetit to us!

Pot Love

No, this isn't a post devoted to a love of illegal substances. I just had to make a special dedication to my pots & pans. Back in October, my Mom came to visit & 'suggested' (in a way only a mother can) that I needed some new pots. Some of my pots were kind of warped, but that is to be expected after 10 years of use, no? We had just gotten a new stove, the flat top kind, and when I would boil water or put something to cook, the pots would rock back & forth as if possessed by the demon of cookery. This, my Mom pointed out, would eventually lead to a cracked stove top. Yikes!

So we went to Sam's Club later that week and bought a brand new set of everything. And totally worth the $139. Every penny. It was a bit hard getting rid of my old pots & pans. It was like giving away my children. We had been through so much together; the triumphs & the failures. If pots could talk . . . But I have since recovered from my self-imposed loss and have learned to love again. Probably even more than before. These babies are non-stick. Truly non-stick. I have for you, Exhibit A.



This is what happens when you start Ramen for your 3 year old, then forget about it until your 10 year old sticks her head in your shower and asks, "Did you start cooking some Ramen?" Uh oh. I told her to go turn off the stove and I'd take care of everything. I was imagining the worst. Boiled over, burned to the pan and stove; an ugly mess. But behold, Exhibit B.



My clean pot. I did nothing to the pot or picture. After sitting and boiling away for who knows how long, I picked up the pot and slid the patty 'o' Ramen out onto a plate. Nice and clean. Completely amazing. These pots take a little extra work, i.e. I don't put them in the dishwasher, I handwash them with a washcloth. But when this is all the cleanup required, it doesn't seem like work at all. Just pure pleasure! Oh, and if you were curious, here's what 'Baked Ramen' looks like. Bon Apetit!

Cookies!

I tried my hand at royal icing. First time I've tried this recipe. I've stayed away from royal icing because I hated it; that nasty tasting, cement-like devil posing as frosting. Not like I make icing & cookies & baked goods very often. I find it's not worth the mess sometimes. I got some icing tips and tried this new recipe. Wow. I could frost all day! This one is my favorite design.

Here is the recipe I used. I got it from this blog, Sweetopia. Scroll down for the recipe if you go there. And go here --> How to Decorate Cookies <-- for great step-by-step instruction on frosting technique. And if you can't find meringue powder, it's just powdered egg whites. I used something called 'Just Whites'. You could also just use egg whites. But I wouldn't know the ratio. I guess you could look up another royal icing recipe and see the measurements. I think the biggest difference in this recipe is the adding of vanilla. (or lemon, peppermint or whatever flavor.) Follow the directions *exactly* and you will get perfect royal icing. I watered down half the batch and used it for flooding. It is royal icing, so it will harden like cement on anything, but just keep a bowl of warm water handy to plop a spoon or icing tip into. I am just giddy with the results.

Royal Icing Recipe

Ingredients:

6 oz (3/4 cup) of warm water
5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 kilogram (2.25 lbs.) powdered icing sugar

*** Note; if your meringue powder has no vanilla flavour (vanilla powder) in it, add a teaspoon of clear vanilla to this recipe.

Directions:

In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened…about 30 seconds.

Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.

Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.

Using the paddle attachment on the LOWEST speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.

Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.

Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency.

Food food food

Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to take some pictures before we devoured this masterpiece. This gem of a recipe was found on a wonderful foodie blog called, "Judy in Her Natural Habitat". It doesn't have a fancy name, but it's not needed. Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Macaroni & Cheese. The name melts in your mouth just as much as the dish.


Judy got this recipe from a restaurant and tweaked it even more from their version. (adding spinach & artichoke hearts) And, ironically, I think my overseas friends will have an easier time finding all the proper ingredients than I did. Gruyere, fresh goat's cheese, white cheddar, etc. This was really so so easy & fast. And, since I have picky eaters, I just made extra elbow macaroni & made regular mac & cheese for the kids.

I don't measure! I'm sorry! I just add till things look even and taste right. That's probably why I'm a horrible baker. My alterations to the recipe are as follows: I used all white cheddar instead of part white cheddar part gruyere. Amounts? I used way more than just a half cup of cheese. I like cheesy! I used all cream cheese; lack of fresh goats cheese. And when combining macaroni & the sauce, add more heavy cream. And instead of Italian parsley and granulated garlic, I used garlic salt. And I decided to forgo the garnish. Let's face it, I just wanted that goodness in my belly!! Go to Judy's site for step by step pictures & instruction! She'll hold your hand the whole way! Cheers!

Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Mac & Cheese
Judy In Her Natural Habitat: The Kitchen

Adapted from Salty's Mac & Cheese
Serves about 8

Ingredients
12 ounces elbow macaroni
1/4 cup white cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup gruyère cheese, shredded
3/4 pound Dungeness crab meat

10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, drained really well

14 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Cream base
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chèvre cheese - Cypress Grove Fromage Blanc only
(if you can’t find this cheese – double the cream cheese)
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
pinch white pepper

Breadcrumb topper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped

Garnish
3 ounces arugula
1tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil

Prepare pasta: In large soup pot cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in colander and set aside.

Prepare Cream Base: In medium sauce pan over medium heat add heavy cream and heat. Add chèvre cheese and cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Fold in spinach and artichoke. Set aside.

Prepare Breadcrumb topper: Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Set aside.

Prepare garnish: In small bowl toss arugula with lemon juice, olive oil and salt.

Return drained pasta to large soup pot. Add cream base and heat over medium heat until hot. Add white cheddar and gruyère cheese. Fold in crab. Pour mixture into shallow casserole dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb topper over pasta. Place in oven and broil until golden brown. Remove from oven. Top with arugula and serve immediately.

May-OH-naise

Mayonnaise, it may not stir excitement in many minds. It doesn't really do much for me. But when I spied the expiration date on the side of my Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil, my heart leapt. Not because I realized that I had been spreading spoiled sauce on my sandwiches, but because I could keep spreading mayo from this container until 16 March 2010!!!



I am so accustomed to buying my condiments with maybe a week or two to spare, and that's if there was a date! That's just what was available, and I dealt with it. But now that I don't have to, I feel luxurious. I feel privileged. I feel like I'm back in the States. It's the little things, really.

Day One

We are on the verge of a new adventure. We may be one Spencer less in the family, but we will carry on. He left for Iraq late last night and we got up early and hit the road. I'm taking it easy meaning NOT driving 9 hour days. We've stopped in Streetsboro, OH which is 6 hours from Northern Virginia. And we really lucked out. I will forever praise TripAdvisor.com. They have never let me down. I wasn't completely familiar with the Wingate by Wyndham brand of hotel, but I love it. This is a great place. Indoor swimming pool, in-room fridge, microwave, free wi-fi and the room is huge!

After two hours of swimming, we went across the street to the SuperWal-Mart. Yep, right across the street. While we were snagging some Kid Cuisines in the freezer section, Jacqueline decides to drop. She was exhausted. We were all up late, saying good-bye to Spencer, and then we were up at 6:30am. Dashing back across the street, I enticed her with promises of pudding and pizza if she just stayed awake. She did. They were thrilled with this little treat and everyone inhaled everything. I made myself a provolone, turkey & ham on ciabatta bread. I may or may not be eating chocolate covered doughnuts that were intended for the kid's dessert. I'll share. Eventually.

P.S.
Spence just called me and he got there safely.

The Answer

Poutine



What is it?

I know, real cliff hanger. Everyone is dying to know what it is. My story with poutine began last Friday. We got up and needed breakfast. As usual. The place where we were staying didn't provide breakfast, so we had to find our own food. We found an IHOP in town and so motored on over. Only problem is that it was just barely opened in town; hence, it was the most popular place in town. At 10am. So we went to the McDonalds that was basically deserted and actually has something the kids like for breakfast. Eliza was a bit disappointed when she looked at the menu.

"Mommy," she whispered, trying not to be rude, "what are we going to eat? They don't have any pancakes."

I explained to her that flap jacks were the same thing as pancakes. She was satisfied with that response. Then, I spotted the poutine & small drink combo and just had to ask the cashier.

"What is poutine?"

She said, "Oh, I love it when people ask this. First, what do you think it is?"

So I looked at the picture and then another one over in the lobby. Hmmm, fries and maple syrup?

"No, but good guess. It's gravy and cheese on top of the fries. And it is the best. We'll start serving that at lunch if you want to try it!"

We were too early for lunch and didn't make it back to Mickey Ds later in the day. Oh well, sounds good. I'll have to try that the next time we go to Canada!

Saturday in Annapolis

No, we don't have any ties to Annapolis or the Naval Academy. We just like it. A lot. I love Annapolis. The Bay and the old streets and houses. It just feels good there. We went around the Naval Academy Museum, and the campus. The weather was just perfect. Some people were complaining that it was a little warm. "A little warm"? C'mon, you're talking to a Cairo family here, we can take the heat. We finished up the day at Buddy's Crabs & Ribs. A visit to Annapolis is not complete without eating there. We hit the classic Saturday buffet. And it's not the bad kind of buffet, it's the greatest. And I was in the mood for crab legs as well. Truly, you really have to be in the right frame of mind to eat fresh crab. A lotta work for not a whole lotta meat. But it's the sweetest, buttery-est (is too a word) mouthful that will ever pass your lips. Spencer went to the other end of the spectrum and had the fall-off-the-bone ribs. Win-win situation in my book. Oh, and kids eat free. Win-win-win.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, ah, a holiday that is really fun to say! Cinco de Mayo. Did you know that in Mexico, it is a "voluntary holiday" (oooh, something else fun to say) and is "not an obligatory federal holiday". It celebrates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French forces. A good reason to celebrate, but why, I ask, in America? For us, it is probably just a reason to go eat some good Mexican food. And since we have been seriously deprived of that in Egypt, we decided to go get our fill. We were knocking around Provo this week and popped in on our favorite local Mexican eatery, Los Hermanos. They are good in their own special way. I had the ever satisfying Chicken Chimichanga (say that 5 times fast) and Spence sampled his longtime fave the Smothered Beef Burrito. The kids filled their faces with the abundant chips and salsa and also branched out to the Chicken Taquito. All raved, everyone was satisfied, a good Cinco de Mayo.

Closeted Foodie

I think I'm a foodie. I'm no connoisseur of food & drink; I do love the stuff. Big fan. I can't bake a loaf of bread to save my life and my cookies always suck, so I'm no baker. I do enjoy experimenting with different dishes & recipes. I usually put my own take on whatever recipe I'm using. But I'm not a chef. I visit TasteSpotting every day. Sometimes a few times. It's my food porn and I'm addicted. I found this great link today. Yummo. Uh oh, I can't believe I just said that. Rachel Ray says that and I refuse to repeat anything she says. She's ok, I've just never made any of her "30 minute meals" within said time limit. Just sayin'. And Martha, well, she's ok as well. I admit I do have a book or two of her's and will buy 'Living' & 'Real Simple' from time to time, but she just doesn't live in this world. For example, an excerpt from a recent mag article about packing for travel.

" Whether I'm traveling by car or by plane, . . . A leather duffel & a suitcase on wheels (mine are by Louis Vuitton) are sturdy & flexible."

Seriously? And really, who names their property? Turkey Hill? Okay, I digress. This post didn't begin as a homemaking maven magnate bashing. I found Homemade Girl Scout Cookies recipes. Yay. I probably won't make them, (because I'd eat them all) but I can look at the palate-pleasing pictures and drool. TasteSpotting, check it out. I am an enabler.

Samoas
Thin Mints
Tagalongs