According to the latest SPC storm reports there haven’t been any severe reports near my target for today (Hugoton KS), but radar views earlier in the day had a number of storms passing near the town. Also, that area is now under a severe TS watch.Base…

When we first became empty nesters, we started eating out a lot, at least once a week and sometimes more. We could go wherever we wanted, didn’t have to consider the pickier palates of teenagers, and could afford nicer places when it was just the two…

“Unemployment insurance is just that – insurance. It is a program that is provided by employers for employees who are laid off through no fault of their own.”
-Del. Albert Pollard (D-99)
from the DPVA:
Virginia Democrats are taking the campaign for Virginia’s stimulus money to the streets.
This Sunday, Democrats will launch neighborhood canvasses in the districts of nine […]

Here are a couple of beer events happening soon in Fredericksburg that sound like they will be a lot of fun.Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner at Kenmore InnThe Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders web page carried the announcement of a beer dinner on Friday April 2…

Check it out at Fred2Blue: Catherine Crabill Responds to Washington Times Article
You just can’t cure stupid, that’s for sure.

I have come to believe that Pho is about as perfect a dish as can be. Warm broth made from beef bones and other good-for-you spices served with rice noodles, scallions, thai basil, bean sprouts, cilantro, hoisin sauce, lime wedges, and sriracha sauce (if you like a little spiciness, which I do). Why bother to make Pho when it is cheap and good at most Vietnamese restaurants? Good question as I still go out to eat for Pho fairly often. The answer is because what I made at home was so much better, and most likely more nutritious. I used fresh rice noodles, and the best ingredients I could find. The result was spectacular. I even ate it for breakfast.

For all you vegetarians I hate to disappoint you because I do love veggie dishes, but great broth comes from bones, and Pho’s essential ingredient is great broth. Also bone broths are really good for you.

They key to Pho is the broth and there lies most of the work. It has to simmer for at least 3 hours with the bones, spices, onions, lemongrass and ginger. Most of these I found at the Asian market, and the bones I picked from Cibola Farms in Culpepper as we get the meat for our bison sliders at the wine bar there. Technically I used bison bones, but no matter the result was just as good and they pasture raise their animals which is really important to me for health and environmental reasons.

The recipe I use is basically this one except for one key difference. I roasted the bones (20 minutes at 450 degrees), ginger and onions before simmering them for the broth. I can say without a doubt this lent an added richness that made the extra step worth it. I also use 1 tablespoon raw sugar (to the overall pot of broth) which like salt, helps to bring out the flavor of the spices. Going to the Asian supermarket will get you all the ingredients you need including the fresh noodles.

Wine pairing: 2008 Linden Vidal/Riesling.
Here is a great example of where it is OK to break the white wine with fish, red wine with meat rule. This ever so lightly sweet white with high acidity was the perfect complement to the beefy , spicy broth and greens in the Pho.

Via comment, Catherine Crabill responded to Timothy Watson’s discovery of a Washington Times article in which she says the federal government, not Timothy McVeigh, was responsible for the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing in 1995:
I am that Catherine Crabill. That was a part of my story. I was an advocate and am an advocate against the usurpation of power by […]

Could you hear the whine in the title above? The weather this month has been so wet and cold that I’m not sure if pollen or mold is causing everyone’s allergies to kick up. At any rate storm chasing is off the radar screen for the immediate future as…

Teabagging John Adams: Or, a Brief List of Things About Which I Have Recently Become Enraged; Cocking A Snook Too! – I can’t find the motivation to write anything interesting – and 18 year olds are writing awesome take downs of the tea bagging rebels without a clue. Maybe blogging is a young persons game.

Fredericksburg Real Estate – Question and Answer Category
Question: I am looking for a home to purchase.  I am looking on the Internet and finding homes, but when I call my agent, we find that most of the homes I found online are under contract.  Why is that?
This is a great question, and it presents a […]