Taking a stab at making... phở ?

Sometimes, L and I will go out to a meal and think to ourselves, "We totally could have made that." And we go home and try. And if we can actually pull it off, it's terrific because we're usually able to do it at 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of a restaurant.

Well, one of our favorite things to eat is phở. But wait. Phở seems like the kind of thing that takes years to perfect. Proof? All of the disappointing phở places that exist. But 1 out of 10 has broth that takes to the next level. Super rich flavor. Velvety, substantial texture full of melted and integrated collagen. The perfect combination of spices to highlight pure beef flavor.

And then there's the cost. When you do find a go-to phở joint, you can get a steaming bowl of your favorite for $7-8. Would it be worth the cost and effort of going through the lengthy process to extract that amazing elixir from a batch of beef bones?

Easy Super Bowl white chili with chicken

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and that means it's time for something hearty and delicious. But with a super busy week and everyone in the household getting over sickness, we knew we'd be keeping things pretty low key. We needed something super easy to make, but where the shortcuts wouldn't sacrifice the most important thing: flavor.

That calls for white chili with chicken.

This is a perfect dish for a cold winter's day--and even better when the game of the year is on. It's a combination of fresh and canned ingredients, with layers of flavor from the different types of peppers. If you've got 20 minutes to work with, you'll be good to go. Another great recipe from the folks at Serious Eats. The only changes I made from their recipe were the addition of the tomatillos for flavor and thickening, cutting the amount of beans in half, scallions, and holding the cilantro for the end.

crispy bass, oxtail "carnitas"

Spent the weekend experimenting with a simple fish soup made from beautiful freshwater bass, ginger, tomatoes, shallot and thai chili--simple, rich and soothing nourishment for a foggy, drizzly weekend. I was simultaneously working on a big batch of pho broth, oxtails and marrow slowly melting into an epic pot of liquid collagen.