Avocado Greek Goddess Dressing

This dressing is very easy to make and is tasty on all kinds of salads, especially ones that have some substance in the flavor department.  Try it on an arugula, fennel and grapefruit salad.  It would also be a nice accompaniment to shish kabobs, roast chicken, a burger, grilled shrimp, or a fish taco.

My mom asked me for this recipe, and I realized that I had adapted it from three or so other recipes online.  Guess I better write it down!

Ingredients  

• ½ C plain Greek yogurt

• ½ to 1 avocado

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 big handful of cilantro—stems and all

• Pinch of salt and pepper

• 2 T lime juice

• 2 T red wine vinegar

• ¼ C water

• ½ C olive oil (I used the light olive oil so as not to overpower the flavors)

Directions

• Put everything except the olive oil into your blender or food processor. 

• Blend up.

• While blending, slowly add the olive oil.

• If too thick, add more yogurt, water or lime juice.

• Adjust the ingredients to your liking.  It should be fairly strong, especially if  you're going to put it with a meat.

A Yokatta! Super Bowl Sushi

Of all the crazy things I could have done for Super Bowl food this year, I ended up with sushi.  The driving factor was that I had a small but pristine piece of salmon from Number 1 Son's Alaska fishing job sitting in the fridge just begging to become gravlax or something else equally raw and enticing.  

Succumbing to the excesses of my kitchen efforts, I also acquired some very nice blue swimming crab meat (in a small tub at the meat counter. . . no lie!) and a couple lovely avocados.  Foraging through the veggie drawer revealed some nice scallions, fresh ginger, and cilantro.   And I have a lifetime supply of seaweed sheets--leftover from many years ago.  A yokatta! (oh good!  in Japanese).  Fortunately, seaweed sheets store well.  

I have never made sushi before (that I recall--despite the amazing amount of seaweed sheets I had accumulated), so I did some research.  Here are some good websites:

http://makemysushi.com/How-to-make-sushi/maki-roll.html

http://www.foogod.com/~alex/sushi/rice.html

Low-down on Sushi Rice:  Authentic Japanese sushi rice is the koshihikari variety, which is not shipped out of Japan.  When we get sushi in US restaurants, it is made with Calrose rice, a variety developed to meet the westerner's insatiable desire for sushi.  You should not use other rice varieties like basmati or jasmine or sticky rice. They will not work  The whole point behind sushi is the rice. 

Make your rice and add the vinegar and sugar to it.  Let it cool naturally, not in the fridge or it will turn out very gelatinous.  And, from what I can divine, sushi purists treat the rice like a god:  carefully tossing it with the sugar/vinegar and not using metal utensils.

One thing you will want is a real bamboo mat.  One of the websites above shows how to do this with a damp dish towel.  That sounds good, also.  But if you can get your mitts on a mat, so much the better.

Method:

--follow the recipes for cooking the rice (1 1/2  C rice to 2 C water).  After, add 1/4 C rice vinegar, 1 T sugar, 1 t salt (good to heat this vinegar solution up to ensure dilution).   Let cool, and only toss with wooden spoon.

--wrap your mat in plastic wrap.
--put the seaweed with the rough side up. This ensures that the rice sticks.
--use your hands, dunked in water, to grab and place the rice on the nori (seaweed)

--for a regular maki roll, leave 1/2 inch at top of sheet of seaweed uncovered. This is the part that is going to stick to your roll.

-- for an inside out roll (rice on the outside. . . think California roll), you will cover the entire seaweed square with rice, then turn upside down on the mat before putting in your fillings.

For both:
--put your ingredients into the middle.
--use the mat to roll up the stuff.
--roll into plastic and put in fridge until ready to serve.  Then cut:  first into halves, then into smaller pieces.  A standard seaweed sheet will make 8 slices.

Advice:
--spicy add-ins are great:  siracha mayonnaise, drops of wasabi, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, a couple dribs of teriyaki, etc.
--your inside ingredients should be pretty:  square slices of salmon or avocado, brightly colored sliced carrots or peppers, etc.  

Serving Essentials:
--wasabi
--soy/Tamari (my preferred) sauce
--pickled ginger (buy or make your own, see below)


Make your own pickled ginger:  since much manufactured ginger contains aspertame, you might as well make your own.  Peel a knob of ginger, slice thinly (by knife or mandoline). Immerse into a jar and cover with rice vinegar, a bit of salt, and a measure of sugar/honey, etc.  You'll want about twice the ration of vinegar to sugar.  Let set for days or a couple hours.  Serve on the side of the sushi as a palate cleanser.

Well, there you have it. Go forth, and may the sushi be with you. . . but not for a prolonged time. . .

Easy Scalloped Potatoes au Gratin

We had these potatoes recently when my family visited, and I realized that I'd never written the recipe down.  This is so simple.  The dish is rich and tasty, and it is a great dish to master for college students.  Bonus is that if you have leftovers, you can add them to a frittata  or just nosh on them the next day--if you end up with leftovers, that is.  :)  BTW, I prefer an equal mixture of half and half and milk for mine.  

I know, this is a bad picture, but you get the general idea.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced to ¼ inch.  (Peel if unappealing. . . pun intended).  Do NOT rinse the sliced potatoes.  (Depending on the size of the potatoes, this could be about 5 medium sized potatoes.)
• 4 T butter
• 2-3 C milk or cream or half and half.  Do NOT use 2% or low fat.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated nutmeg (a sprinkling)
• Crushed fresh or dried thyme (a sprinkling)
• ½ to ¾ C cheese of your choice (suggestions: gruyere, Romano, parmesan, gouda, white cheddar)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325
• Butter a 1 quart dish with 2 T of the butter (reserve rest)
• Layer sliced potatoes into the dish in an artistic manner of your choosing.  You can do 2 layers if you want, but feel free to toss extras if you end up with your masterpiece.
• Pour milk/cream over mixture to come just to the top, but not to cover the potatoes.
• Dot with remaining butter
• Salt and pepper lightly
• Grate nutmeg and sprinkle with thyme
• Put into oven for 35 minutes, checking to see how the browning is going
• When it is just starting to color (30-40 minutes into the cooking), sprinkle with the cheese
• Continue to cook until it looks tasty. Poke with fork to ensure it is cooked through.  If you have to cook longer, that is just fine.
• Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before serving

Ella's Outlaw Kumquat Marmalade

I’ve never met Ella.  She is an in-law of my in-laws.  Does that make her an outlaw?

Regardless, she is the sweetest person, and she made it known on Facebook that she was in possession of a bodacious amount of kumquats at her home in Florida, just hanging on the tree waiting to drop off and rot.  So, social media being what it is, we made a pact for her to send citrus from Florida to Washington so that I could make some yummy marmalade . . . and I did.

Kumquats are a weird and wonderful kind of citrus.  They are small—about grape sized.  The ones Ella sent me were gonad sized fruits.  Humongous.  The rind is sweeter than the pulp.  In fact, the pulp is downright sour, and the seeds are really sour. Recipes I found recommended using the pulp and seeds (encased in netting) to infuse the marmalade so as to create natural pectin.

What I ought to disclose now—before you get too far down this road:

This is a multi-day process to make kumquat marmalade.

Don’t get into this unless you have two days to devote.

This makes a tart marmalade.  If you want it sweeter, add more sugar.

METHOD:  After much internet searching, recollections of botched kumquat experiences, and trial and error, I ended with this process:

Prepping: 

·        Cut off the stem end—be brutal.

·        Quarter the fruit.

·        Pull the segment off the peel.

·        Put pulp/segment into the reserve bowl.

·        Put peel into the keeper bowl.

·        Slice the peel into strip.

·        Put the pulp into a net bag or cheesecloth. Tie off. Put into a bowl to catch juice. 

·        Weigh the peels.

·        Add the same weight of sugar to the peels.

For these big kumquats, I quartered and then sectioned them.  For smaller ones, you can cut in half and turn inside out.

Resting:  stir peels and sugar. Let set overnight. Set pulp aside in separate bowl. 

(The pulp and seeds make the pectin.  If you save them, you will not need to add any manufactured pectin.)

Cooking:

·        The next day put the peel/sugar mixture into a big pot.  Start to cook. 

·        Add any juice from the pulp/segment net bag collected overnight.

·        Place the net bag (still enclosed) with pulp and seeds into the bubbling peel broth.

·        Simmer for about 30 minutes, then squeeze and remove the bag.

·        Simmer peel mix until it shows shimmering on cold plate.  Est. 30-60 minutes.

·        Test for pectin by dropping juice on a cold plate.  If it globs, then it is ready. 

·        Put into sterilized pint canning jars and process in water bath for 12 minutes (at sea level).  We are at 2,500 altitude, so I processed mine for 15 minutes.

Yummilicous marmalade all finished and ready for toast!

Wow!  What fantastic marmalade.  And just to show you how awesome I am, here's a picture of me and Flavor-Flav getting our timers out to make sure the marmalade is cooked just right!

Stopped on Chain Bridge on a Snowy Evening

Stopped on Chain Bridge on a Snowy Evening

After re-locating to the DC area from the California Sierras in the mid 1980s, we had an interesting experience with a small amount of snow.  I was teaching in Potomac, MD and living in Arlington, VA.  After work, I was to pick up my husband at George Washington University and head home.  On this day, my school was cancelled at 10 am, and everyone headed home.  Since it did not look like much weather to me and since I was to pick up hubby at 5 pm, I kept on grading papers.  At 4 pm I headed off in my trusty front wheel drive Hyundai.  There was less than 1 inch on the ground.  I recall having a vague  inclination to stop at the restroom prior to heading out, but really, this was promised to be no more than a 40 minute trip.  Well. . . I was wrong.  I could not get to GWU after 2 hours, so I headed home, confident that my Navy officer husband could navigate the metro and get home without me.  

I ended up on Chain Bridge around 8 pm. Now it was 4 hours since my identified bathroom break. Traffic did not move.. . . People ahead of me were observed shooting steamy streams out of windows or discreetly under doors.  The woods were a good 100 yards behind me--I was dead in the middle of the bridge.  I finally scrounged up a socket set from the trunk. And, yes, I peed in it.  I eased it out the door onto the bridge.  But. . . I had forgotten to take out the sockets!  quel dommage!  Several hours later. . . a steep hill and scenes from Dr. Zhivago.  Long story made short:  The sockets survived and hubby made it home through the sludge from metro to metro. But I think I had the greatest adventure of all.  

For anyone stranded on Chain Bridge. . . or anywhere else in the DC area tonight, I feel your pain.  

Stopped on Chain Bridge on a snowy evening

(S. Foster)

Whose choice was this I think I know.

I grew in landscapes filled with snow;

Where snow tires made space free and clear

Through forests forth to go. 

My little car must hang out here:

Those stalled without a driver near

Upon the Chain bridge and Potomac

The biggest snow storm of the year.

It purrs and perks amid the black.

A restroom is thing we lack.

The only vessel is a case

Of useless socket wrenches make.

The bridge is lonely, crowded space,

But I have time I have to race,

And hills to climb before home base

And evidence to still erase.

Cold Smoking Confab

The season when bacon is dear

And cold smoking reigns supreme.

You watch and you wait

For the perfect date

When the air is still and clear.

Pork bellies assembled in dreams.
Apple smoke perfumes the woods.
The hoarfrost makes crystal
Pine needles and mist all
Encased in icicle streams.

 
 

 

 

 

Eat More Kale

Broth Diary 2015

Well, I’ve put up some posts about Broth in the past, and after several years now of doing this almost weekly, I have come to some conclusions:

1.    Start with cold water.

2.   A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) works the best for carefree, quick and tasty broth.

3.   Raise chickens, or if not, buy whole organic chickens. The carcasses are what you will use.  Chicken feet and necks make amazing additions to broth.  Keep them if you are butchering or find them in your organic co op.

4.   Add spices and herbs to finish (after straining and while reducing--about 1-2 hours), not during the cooking.  My favorite additions for poultry broth are star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, allspice berries, cloves, thyme stems, red pepper flakes, and if needed some 5 spice powder.  If I’m feeling saucy, I might add a half lemon and a knob of ginger.  Favorite additions for lamb broth are bay leaves, cardamom, rosemary, lemon, cloves, cinnamon, more garlic, and cumin seeds.  Favorite additions for beef broth are bay leaves, garlic, red pepper flakes, cloves, oregano, thyme, coriander berries, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and dried tomato skins or powder.

5.   Onion skins (red and yellow) make the broth deeper colored and flavored.  For really deep color, add mushrooms.  Don't  use potatoes to make broth.

6.   It’s OK to add a tablespoon or two of fish sauce to your broth to bring up the umami.  No one will know. 

7.   Before simmering, beef and lamb bones benefit from a hot trip in the oven on a tray. . .about an hour at 300.  Shmear with tomato paste if you are into super rich red meat broth.

8.   Using bones your family already gnawed on is perfectly OK.  I know, I know. . . but there is no way any bacteria could survive a pressure cooker.

9.   Salt after reducing.

10.  You do not need to buy expensive cheesecloth.  Get a loose weave kitchen towel and use that.  Just rinse it in the sink, ring it out and toss it in the washer when done.

11. Storing:  freezing in straight sided jars is best.  Use pint or 3/4 quart jars or other straight sided jars.  Regular quart jars have a shoulder/neck that is smaller.  When you want to thaw the broth, that neck will be a problem . . . a bottleneck to your scrumptious broth going into your recipe.  You can also pressure can this.  Follow directions, but keep in mind some folks think pressure canned broth is less nutritious.  I think it’s pretty tasty anyway, and I do some of mine this way. The point is that you CANNOT water bath broth.  That could lead to tragedy.  Don’t do it. DON’T DO IT.   If you don’t yet know the difference between pressure and water bath canning, then please just FREEZE it.   (Ok well, now that we finished that liability section, we can move on.)

12. Taste it!  It had better taste good before you store it.   If it is bad tasting—and this happens occasionally if you are experimenting—simply give it to your dogs.  They’ll love it.

13.  LABEL the jars with something descriptive:  Super Chicken and Turkey Broth, Asian Chicken Broth, Goose and Stupid Guinea Hen Broth, Sort of OK Basic Chicken Stock, or Mild Beef and Onion Broth.  Date it by month and year (if you remember).

14.   Good luck and may the broth be with you.

Beet It with a (Carrot) Stick Soup (Borscht)

(or roasted beet soup with carrots and onions)

Everyone was making borscht this week, and it made me envious.  I have a whole bunch of roasted beets that were frozen from the 2014  harvest, and I had hardly made a dent into this treasure trove.  So, armed with my 1 lb of frozen and roasted red bull's blood beets, I embarked on this odyssey.  Carrots are the surprise partner in this satisfying soup that I expect will be just as good cold the next day.

1 lb roasted beets (peeled and rough chopped)
1 gigantic carrot, peeled and rough chopped (about 1 C)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 T rough chopped garlic (Hmm this is a pretty rough dish!)
4 C chicken broth
1/2 C water (if needed)
2 T lemon juice
1 t fresh chopped thyme (plus more to garnish)
salt and pepper
1/4 C creamy blue cheese dressing


Beets roast in their skins in oven for 40 minutes at 375 or so.  Test to see if tender by poking with a fork.  If done, cool.  Then slip off skins and chop into quarters or so.  Set aside.

Put carrot, onion and garlic into saucepan with butter and olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Saute for 5-10 minutes until onions begin to cook.  Add chicken broth and simmer until carrots are completely done (about 10 minutes).  Add beets and simmer until all veggies are fork tender and warmed through.

Put in blender or use immersion blender to blend all ingredients together.  If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water.  Add lemon juice and thyme.  Taste and re-season with S&P if needed.

Serve in a bowl with a teaspoon of blue cheese dressing on top (stir it with a chopstick or toothpick or knife to make a cool, swirly design).

Serves 4

(I know, I know:  the picture doesn't have the cool, swirly blue cheese dressing.  I originally took the picture to enter into a vegan contest--using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth, and using miso instead of butter.. . . and, of course, dairy is not vegan, so I left out that great swirly stuff.  But trust me, you want that swirly blue cheese dressing.  It makes the soup  burst with flavor.)

A ha-ha postscript.  Mr. Artifact thought this little pear deserved some attention, so he offered him some soup.  In case you did not know, pears do not eat beet soup--failed experiment.

I8% Italian Biscotti

(1985 from Mom)

My mother makes the best biscotti.  She started making this in the 80’s, so this is not an historic family recipe handed down for years.  (For that, you’ll need to see her great grandmother’s lebkuchen.)  

At some point (1985 to be precise), I got the recipe from her.  With no recipe card handy, she wrote it on the back of a Christmas postcard.  I have been making biscotti from this fading card for decades now. It is almost too blurred to read.  So, I decided that this recipe deserved to be documented on the Butternut Place Blog.  And, here it is!

My mom just received her DNA results.  We had all assumed that she was 100% German.  Imagine our surprise to find that she is 18% Italian.  No wonder these biscotti are so good.

2 C sugar

1 C melted butter

4 T anise seed

4 T anisette (or 3 t anise extract)

3 T whiskey

2 C walnuts

6 eggs

5 ½ C flour

1 T baking powder

Mix all in the order given and chill for 2-3 hours (important).

Preheat oven to 375.  

first baked loaves, resting

On a greased baking sheet, shape dough with hands to form flat loaves that are 1 ½ inches thick  and 2-3 inches wide and as long as fit on your sheet.  This makes 2-4 loaves depending upon your sheets.  Place no more than 2 loaves on each sheet.   

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Then cut into diagonal slices that are ½ to ¾ inch thick and place on greased sheet cut side down, close together.  Return to 375 oven and bake for 15 

minutes or until lightly toasted.

Store in airtight container.  Makes between 3 to 6 dozen depending upon how big your loaves are/how small or large your slices are.

cut and ready to dunk into a glass of red wine or coffee

Kit's Jambalaya

 (serves 4, or 2 voracious fishermen)

2 T butter

Shrimp and sausage ready to go!

2 T olive oil

1 T special BA spice (or Emeril’s)

1 C long grain rice (uncooked)

½ C chopped onion

1 T minced garlic

2 cans Rotel

2 C chicken broth

1 C V8 (2 small cans)

½ to 1 C frozen, sliced okra (no okra?  use peas or zucchini or just do without--it will be fine)

8 oz wild caught shrimp (raw or cooked—peeled—about  10 big ones)

8 oz Polska kielbasa or andouille, sliced in bite size pieces—(these are already cooked) (about 2 sausages)

Salt and pepper if needed

Melt butter and oil in saucepan.  Add onion and garlic.  Sauté until cooked through.  Add rice.  Stir to coat and let sauté a bit (1 min or so to let it absorb flavors).  Add special spice, broth, V8, Rotel, and okra.  Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Toss, then add shrimp and sausage. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve.

onions and garlic in butter and oil.

bubbling broth!

Cooking til done!

Chili with Beans (easy dump recipe)

the basic chili with beans mixture--not  real pretty, but tasty!

(serves 4 at least)

• ½ C diced onion (1 small onion)
• 1 lb ground beef 
• 1 can S&W black chili beans--do NOT drain (If you cannot find this, use regular black beans and add 1 T pico de gallo spice)
• 2 cans Rotel chopped tomatoes (regular spice or mild, depending on your preference)
• 4 T butter or oil
• S&P
• OPTIONS—see below for floating tacos, hot dogs or plain chili!

General preparation:  

Heat butter or oil and add onion.  Stir until beginning to cook.  Add ground meat and brown (about 5 minutes).   Add beans and Rotel.  Cover and simmer until hot (5-10 minutes).  Taste:  add S&P, more chili if needed.

OPTIONS:  

• Floating tacos:  serve over Fritos, top with shredded cheese, lettuce, avocado and  ranch dressing (or just sour cream

• Coney Island dog:  slather over a hot dog with bun and add cheese and raw onions

• Plain old chili:  serve in a mug for regular chili with cheddar cheese and any topping (onion, avocado, etc)--or none at all.

This freezes great.  Just put into a plastic container or a baggie and freeze.  Lasts about 3 days in the frige; lasts until the Apocalypse in the freezer.  Just reheat (may need to add 1-2 T water).  

Ensalada de la Gente--Salad of the People

Disclaimer:  No!  this is not salad made of people (re Soylent Green--an amazing movie!).

This is a variation of a recipe I created for a family Thanksgiving in 2002.  You can also add lettuce, tomatoes and avocado to serve.  (The dish doesn't store well with lettuce, tomato and avocado, so if you plan on eating it over several days, just add these later at serving.)

·   1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 C corn (from 2 cobs—cooked, or a small can/drained, or 1 C of frozen corn that is thawed.  I like it roasted on the cob.)
½ C chopped pepper (red, yellow, etc.)
½ a jalapeno chopped fine
½ red onion diced
1 C chopped cilantro
¼ C lime juice (from 2 limes or bottled)
S&P

   1-2 t Pico de Gallo spice

    3 T olive oil

    Combine all and let set for at least 15 min before serving.

Asian Shrimp Noodle--PHO

Problem:  

How to create a reasonably authentic Vietnamese Pho for Number 1 Son to make on his Alaskan salmon fishing expedition?

This picture below is of Mr. Artifact approving of the solution. And it must be good. 
He is wearing a Greek fisherman's cap! :)

Considerations:

Keeping in mind that boiling water on a boat is verboten and uber dangerous; knowing that fishermen don't have time, patience or stomach for rich foods that require retirement to the salon for brandy and cigars; understanding that nutrition, hydration and salt/electrolyte intake are essential for peak physical performance.

Viola!  I think I my be developing something that will work.

Mr. Artifact and I test drove this tonight, and it seemed "do-able", tasty and nutritious.  Of course, Mr. Artifact warned that if this resulted in his demise that he had not yet refilled the transmission fluid or oil on the Herbie, so no one should attempt to drive it in the event he expired.

Basics gathered: sauces, veg and noodles

Cut the veggies into smaller bite-sized piecs.

Important:  lime, garlic and the protein!

Main ingredients:

• about 12  raw or cooked shrimp (I prefer raw, cleaned and shelled--frozen section is great or catch them!)  You could substitute any meaty fish like salmon, or chicken or thinly sliced steak or pork.

• 6 oz mixed stir fry veg (broccoli, carrots, snow peas) from the refrigerator section.  You can get these fresh also, in which case you would chop up about 2 C total. . . or. . . go with a frozen mix of same variety.  (The grocery store fresh veg come bagged in 12 oz  packages.)  Make sure to chop into soup size pieces if they are large.

• 1 bundle Udon noodles (they come in a pack of 3 bundles)

• 4 C chicken broth (one of those big square boxed broths is about 4 C)

• 1 T peanut oil (or other clear vegetable oil)

• 1 t sesame oil

• 1 t chopped fresh garlic

• 1 T Korean hot sauce

• 2 T fish sauce

• 1 T soy sauce

• 1/2 t five spice mix

Garnish:

• 1/4 C chopped cilantro
• lime wedges
• 2 diced green onions on the diagonal
• (you could also add avocado!  I did not have any . . . alas!)

______________

Pre cooking tips: helpful and paranoid:

Getting ready for fishing or an extended picnic or just planning for the weekday? The noodles will last a week in your fridge once cooked.  YOU NEED TO DO THIS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.  Why not do it on shore?.  This makes cooking so much easier if you can just pull out a baggie of pre-cooked noodles.

Here is how to do it:  when you are on shore, cook the Udon noodles, drain, cool, and put into a baggie for use on the boat.  Noodles cook for 12-13 minutes in lightly salted water.  Drain, cool (run under cool water) and bag.

a useless picture of noodles boiling.

cooked and bagged noodles for the chippie who is on the ball.

• chop up cilantro, green onions and quarter the limes.  Put in baggie  (These will last about 4 days.)
• chop up veg and the garlic and put into baggie (a 3-4 day window)
• shrimps should be frozen before taking on board unless you get them fresh.  If fresh, eat or freeze within 24 hours.Thawed/fresh shrimp last about 24 hours.  .. don't fart around with raw meat.  Freeze if it will be longer.

________________

Process:

• heat peanut/veg oil and sesame oil in large saucepan/pot 

• Saute veggies and garlic for 2 minutes until veggies start to color more deeply

• Turn OFF heat and add hot sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and five spice

• Add shrimp (if raw. . . if they are precooked, add when you add noodles)

• Add chicken broth

• Heat to a simmer/slow boil

• Add noodles (and shrimp if it is already cooked)

• Continue to simmer/boil 1 minute

• Take off stove. . .let set 2 minutes

• Ladle into big mugs (you might want some tongs to grab out the noodles)

• Add cilantro and green onions (if you have avocado slices, now is the time to add them)

• Serve with extra hot sauce

• Enjoy!

The finished pho with garnishes.  YUM