Venison Pho

Now that I'm not pregnant, I'm not scared to try new foods, and Jesse and I have recently gotten into the Pho thing. Today, I'm trying a crockpot recipe and looking forward to coming home to delicious delicious noodle soup. I've never used lemon grass before in my own cooking, and I'm excited!

(This recipe is adapted from America's Test Kitchen. So you know it's gonna be good.)

2 onions, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 TB olive oil

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups beef broth

2 cups water

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 TB soy sauce

2 TB sugar

1 stalk lemon grass, bottom 5 inches, bruised

4 star anise pods

4 whole cloves

2 pounds blade steak, trimmed. (We just used a couple venison steaks, because that's what we had.)

salt and pepper

8 ounces rice noodles

Garnishes! (This is the best part!)

2 cups bean sprouts

1 cup fresh Thai basil or regular basil

1 cup fresh cilantro

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 fresh Thai, serrano or jalapeno chili, sliced thin

lime wedges

1. Microwave onions, garlic and oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.

2. Stir chicken broth, beef broth, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and lemon grass into slow cooker. Secure star anise and cloves in cheesecloth or teabag and add to slow cooker. Season meat with salt and pepper and add. Cover and cook until meat is tender (9-11 hours on low, 5-7 hours on high).

3. Transfer meat to cutting board - cut into bite size pieces. Let soup settle 5 minutes, skim fat. Discard lemon grass and spice pouch.

4. Stir in the noodles, cover, cook on high until noodles are tender (time will depend on thickness of noodles.) Stir meat back in, serve with garnishes.

Monday Menu!

Monday is grocery day, and I'm a little crazy so every week I make a menu and snack list for the week. I don't plan what meal we eat on what day, because I like to stay a little bit spontaneous. Here's the ideas for the week:

1) Braised steak, butternut squash soup, baked zucchini chips
2) Burritos: Homemade refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers
3) Chicken & rice, baked carrots
4) Baked chicken legs, garlic baked broccoli, sweet potatoes
5) Spaghetti Squash

Snacks/desserts: baked oatmeal, candied almonds, rice pudding, baked apples

We'll see how it all works out. I'll post recipes if it's good! What's your on mind to eat this week?

Spaghetti Squash

We took the plunge and tried spaghetti squash. It makes a visually different spaghetti, but it turned out very tasty. And it was EASIER than noodles!

I halved the squash (I used two) and threw it on a lightly oiled pan and baked it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I was shooting for 30 minutes, but life happened.

Then cooked up my beef (1.5 pounds)/jarred spaghetti sauce (1.5 jars) while shredding the insides of the squash.

Mixed it all together and let it simmer 5 minutes to soften up the squash the last little bit.

The husband B, notorious picky eater, ate it right up! And my kids were done before I had time to settle the twins. Next time I'll try to get a picture so you know what to expect. :)

Dutch Quesadillas

We have this favorite story about our maternal grandmother, about how our grandfather hated pizza because whenever she made it, she made "Dutch" pizza, with all the leftovers on it - mashed potatoes, peas, whatever was in the fridge.

Last night, after eating the Tomato Soup, my husband made us some Dutch Quesadillas -

• Hot Jalapeno relish
• Provalone cheese
• Bacon

Fry up the quesadillas and dip in barbeque sauce. They were amazing. Spicy, smoky, cheesy.

What else have you Dutched up recently? ;)