HotDish is Closing up Shop!

I have been thinking about closing this shop for awhile now and I thought I would wait out the holidays just to make sure. But there hasn't been much going on in there. Also I have not been feeling like my crafty self lately which means I do not have the energy anymore to work that hard and spend so much money to make the aprons for so little return. I gave it a try for more than a year so I think I gave it my best. There's lots of aprons out there and I like mine best, but I guess it's all a matter of opinion. I don't have a sweatshop so I can't charge those super low prices I've seen in other shops and I still barely made a profit. So that's it . I am not sure how soon but you all have at least a month before I erase everything. I've dropped all the prices on the aprons to enable you to spend. :) C'est La Vie!

Knitting my own "design" sucks!

I am trying to knit a scarf for a friend. I committed to knitting this project about this time last year. I put it off because A. I have AD/HD and i put lots of things off for reasons that are not apparent to me. and B. because I knit him another scarf and the flute tote bag (previously posted) before I started on this one and I thought I had lots of time because I had all summer (during which I didn't knit at all for anyone). I thought this project would be easy because basically it's a scarf with big blocked letters on it. Only two colors, shouldn't be that difficult right? wrong. I don't know something about matching the letters to make sure they are all proportionate is making me fussy. I've already frogged a letter out once and I am starting over again. It's the letter "A" and I can't get it right. Not to mention this scarf is a huge pain in my ass cause it's all about spools everywhere and I didn't realize that when I said I would make it. I've never done that before, and it's a mess! I am just learning as I go. Which may mean there is a much easier way to do this and I will not know until I spend a year trying to knit this thing. Now I keep finding reasons why I cannot work on it, like I am too busy having fun on the weekends, etc... but I have 14 MORE LETTERS TO GO!!!!!!! Holy crap I will never get this done. You are welcome to tell me any info you know to make this easier. I'm already using clothespins for spools..... oh and I cannot disclose what it says, it's top secret for now.

Pho King & Queen :)

Well I haven't posted a lot lately. Too distracted with all these crappy holidays and weird weather we are experiencing in my part of the world (avalanches, mudslides, floods, snow, etc..). Thought I would share with something Jarrod and I have been making a lot of lately.
Pho soup, if you never had it, you must try it. I would suggest getting some at your local vietnamese restaurant before venturing into the process it takes to make this wonderful deliciousness yourself. You need to taste it to know what it's supposed to taste like! But if you try it and you like it as much as we do, you may be saving yourself some serious moola by making your own. Not to mention all the garbage that comes with the take out order, that is what motivated us (though I supposed you can bring your own containers when you order it to go, just make sure you have a couple big ones).
We started with our turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. The usual would be to use a chicken, but hey it doesn't really matter. Pho lends it's beautiful flavors to all sorts of meats so use what you like. You can make a vegetarian version of this but I honestly don't think it will taste the same (good maybe though) and I really like vegetarian as often as possible but this just doesn't seem the same without the stock.
 If you do go the veggie route I recommend getting some broth like Imagine's "No Chick Broth" or just one of your favorite broths and using 1 part broth to 1 part water to get the flavor right before you add the other spices and such. Also try tofu in it or better yet, fried tofu. I've adapted a few recipes to create this one. After you have made it a couple times, you will want to adjust the seasonings to your own taste. Add more coriander, or less anise, more dish sauce, less sugar, whatever you prefer.
Pho is pronounced "fuh" though if you read it like it's spelled most people will know what you are talking about. The most typical, basic pho is made with beef, but since I don't eat beef this is the version we make, Pho Ga. I sometimes like to grill shrimp or scallops (amd slice the scallops when they are done) and then throw them in with the chicken or just use the seafood as the protein. My husband doesn't like seafood in his soup though so it's usually a mix for me. I think the seafood is delicious in it.
This will make a lot of broth. If you end up with a lot leftover (which I recommend making enough for leftovers- double it) you can store the broth in the freezer and anytime you want more it's that much faster. You can buy stock, but it won't be the clear enough (and will have other ingredients) to be the best for pho. To get it "right" you need to make your own and strain it.