I'm on my third day of listening to engineering/sales (mostly engineering) meetings between our vendor and customer. One highlight was a gentleman from Texas trying to explain the phrase "more than one way to skin a cat" to the Czech engineers. I'm glad my mic was off because I started laughing very hard when they asked, "Do you often skin cats in America?"
I know watching the Timberwolves this season has been a chore. KAT gone, Rudy regressing, Mike Conley aging, ANT while still great isn't GREAT, some uninspiring team play a lot of the time, but they are still above .500 in the table and that is a whole lot better than most of this franchise run.
Am I settling for mediocre play? Perhaps. but it sure beats being out of playoff contention and watching a ton of college basketball to see who might be the next team savior.
We all still love Naz Reid though, right?
He still seems cool and all, but I still just can't get myself to care with KAT gone and Glen still around. Maybe if the ownership thing gets settled the good way I'll come back.
This, of course, being a reply to Mag's question about Naz Reid.
Phew! I was worried you were trying to say there's more than one way to skin a KAT.
*groans*
bravo
Anyone around these parts ever make pho? Tips? It just feels like this would be a nice dish to add to my repertoire, but it's obviously ingredient heavy and I don't love the idea of a bunch more spices sitting in my cupboard not getting used except for this dish.
I’ve made a not in any way traditional pho at home and found that it’s way more work than the pay off. YMMV, of course, because I have about a dozen pho joints in proximity.
So you’re suggesting Philos phogettaboutit?
*groans*
I'm assuming not a lot of places to get Pho in Redwood Falls area, but all you need is one decent Vietnamese restaurant. But I'm with Meat on this one. Hard to make plus, I could literally get Pho at a different place every other day for a month all located within a 5 mile radius of me.
Yeah, I think the nearest place is probably Mankato, and I'm not sure that one exists anymore.
Aristotle fell in love with the stuff when we had it in NY on her trip, so I've been wanting to make it for her at home.
I’ll take the contrary opinion and suggest you attempt this at home — with Aristotle’s help. If you do it in a large enough quantity, you can freeze the broth and pull some out for a later meal that you supplement with proteins of your own choosing.
Basically, pho is a broth you build flavor in over a longer cooking time. Making it at home isn’t a weeknight meal unless you’re home to tend it throughout the day, but as a weekend family project, it’s totally manageable. And I think it would make for a good cultural enrichment opportunity for any child who participates — a chance to glimpse into how others prepare food that is common in their culture but less familiar in our own. I doubt I make pho as well or as often as my Hmong neighbors up the street, but I like to think that making it at all is a reminder that we share a community and a national identity that isn’t a monolith. And encouraging curiosity about other folks’ cultural practices and foodways is definitely something I want to do in my own home.
You’re going to need a few whole spices, but I don’t think you should feel burdened to be “authentic,” particularly as that’s a fetish about food that rarely stands up to scrutiny when you look at how cultural exchange influences the development of dishes. It might not taste the same as the pho you had in New York, but then again, pho styles differ between Saigon and Hanoi, too.
Consider starting with a well-documented recipe like Kenji’s that takes the guesswork out of what you’re doing. Read it through a couple times so you feel comfortable, and then invite Aristotle to help you make some of a dish she fell in love with to share with your family. I can’t think of something more nourishing.
Ooh, I think I like his recipe better than the one I had! Fewer, easier spices, and more accessible cuts of beef.
Totally agree about the doing it with the kids - we've done a fair amount of that, from recreating Bake Off favorites to experiments with grilled cheese to perfect the method. Not as many dishes from other cultures though, so this would be a great addition in that vein.
After you make the recipe CH suggested, this Smitten Kitchen chicken pho recipe seems worth a look. I haven’t made it, but I’m a big fan of her recipes generally. (And fun fact, she and Kenji have a delightful podcast together!)
Now I'm hungry for Pho.
hj, where'd you hide your
TwitterX comment? It's in the sidebar...I think I'd like to know what the "and many more" is, and also look at the tax implications. I could go either way with that offer.
I think he put it in the wrong Cup, deleted it, and posted in today's Cup but the sidebar had cached the old one.
Yeah, exactly. I got delayed reposting by a work matter. Posted now.
that darn work!! *shakes fist*