Homemade Pho with Chicken, Baby Bok Choy and Chinese Noodles

Pho- pronounced (f-uh), kind of like an Asian chicken noodle soup packed with tasty veggies in a garlic-ginger spiced broth.  So good for the soul.  

I used homemade chicken stock, roasted bone-in chicken breasts (my fave) and left out the hot sauce because we had guests coming over.  Jenna's (Eatliverun) soup was so flavorful, I just couldn't stop slurping!

William Sonoma Apple Cake Muffin Top

Sometimes, you just need a muffin top.  No, not the modern term kind (that too many baked goods produce just over our belt line), but the crown of a perfectly baked muffin holding all the crusty goodness begging you to just take a little off the top.  Who needs the bottom part anyway?

This recipe comes from William Sonoma.  I believe they bake their cake in a circular cake pan (and included raisins- bleh).  My cake pans were too far in the back of my cupboard.  First world pregnant problems.  But the pie glass was within arms reach.  Why not?

Out came what looked like a muffin top!  Like a shallow cake.

Embarrassingly Simple: Broiled Salmon with Garlic Mustard Crust

After being out of commission for several weeks due to holidays, pregnancy, work, grieving loved ones passing, house hunting and travel... (whew- did I get it all?), I'M BACK!

No promises, mind you.  But most of you are quite forgiving seeing that I'm nearly 10 weeks away from delivering our son.  So I thought about warming the blog back up with an embarrassingly simple recipe.

This recipe was inspired by my cousin Sean, whom we spent some time with over the holidays.  He's a college student who likes to cook and welcomes the challenge of grocery shopping on a dime, eating quality food and being resourceful.  He was so cute to comment on how brilliant I was to suggest making chicken stock all out of stuff you typically throw away for a soup later in the week.

Sean loves salmon and enjoyed my baked garden salmon recipe.  I told him, "well if you think THAT was easy, you just wait till you try my broiled salmon recipe."  It's fast, painless and you probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen for the crusting!

This recipe makes one fillet, for my one cousin Sean, or for that one gourmet college student out there.