Five Food Things for Friday – Pho, Friday Fish, and Italian Ice

Things have been slow around the Hungry Goddess kitchen. January and February have been filled with bouts of flu and other bizarre health issues that are, fingers crossed, resolving. Meals have been less than glamorous and included lots of soup, saltines, and huge cups of tea paired with Mucinex, cough medicine, and more tissues than seems humanly possible.

Dear March, I am so glad to see you. 

I knew I was feeling better when I started dreaming of recipes and making notes in my journal about ingredients; when my mouth started watering about baby veggies for Spring and huge salad bowls of nourishment. I think … I hope … that the wellness corner has turned. And just in time for Spring!

Sometimes I need a kick to get back into the writing, into the groove, so I am starting Five Food Things Friday. Five things that are enticing me, keeping me nourished, and centering me.

1. Being laid up for long periods gave me lots of web wandering time. One thing led to another and another and then I found this … Neighbor’s Table is on a love mission to gather people. And they make these amazing huge farmhouse tables and benches for just that purpose!

The site is simple and welcoming and includes some lovely stories. The Table Tokens (pictured above) caught my eye and I fell in love. They are little wooden tokens with things on them like clear plates, set table, say blessing. What a great hostess gift and invitation for a gathering that gets everyone involved in the meal!

2. Pho, Pho, Baby. When I lived in South Florida, we had an amazing Pho restaurant in Boca Raton, Basilic Vietnamese Grill. Rich and addictive Pho, lemongrass beef that was spicy and flavorful, and crazy good wings.

Pho is a Vietnamese noodle dish that can have a wide range of meats or veggies (rare beef, flank steak, meatballs, tripe, chicken, shrimp, seafood, veggies) and tons of delicious condiments like basil, bean sprouts, spicy peppers, herbs, onions, and veggies. Don’t forget the hot sauce, a mix of hoisin and sriracha that adds even more depth and flavor. Soup and broth have been mainstays in the past two months but I recently started craving something a bit more complex … it was the Pho calling.

Mom ordered the Pho Cookbook by Andrea Nguyen, the acknowledged Queen of Pho, and the kiddo is armed with the Pho edition of Lucky Peach magazine that he got for Christmas. Bones to make the stock and noodles have been acquired. Pho is happening soon so stay tuned!

3. Sunday Stills by Simi Jois on Turmeric n’ Spice – Simi Jois is not only an incredible food blogger but her photography is simply sumptuous. Her new photography series is Sunday Stills and the recent Magic of Steam was wonderful to browse.

As food photographers, we know how elusive those extra special and evocative elements can be. Simi also has  photography tutorials on her site.

 

4. This February and the beginning of March has been a little whack. Actually, a lot whack. Temps have ranged from the teens and the winter tundra to the 70’s and what felt like the beginning of summer. Could this also be why the plague has been hanging on?? That’s what my Grandmother would say. While I love my winter and have delighted in the frozen temps, I also enjoyed the warmer breezes and sitting on the front porch with my coffee in the morning while communing with the birds who totally fell for the fake spring.

The infusion of warm gave us an excuse to indulge in our summer favorite, Rita’s Italian Ice, which just re-opened for the season. On a balmy 72 degree night, the boys and I stood in line and indulged in Wild Cherry and Vanilla Custard, Mango Misto, and Swedish Fish Misto.

Welcome back, Rita’s, you made my Delaware Yumm hit list.

5. Healthy cravings also mean my body is seeking to reset and this morning, all I could think about was fish. When I arrived at the fish counter, it was packed … like three people deep packed. I was confused until Acme made an announcement about the sale on fish for Lent and then I remembered – Friday Fish! Catholic school and observing Lent were a long way back for me, but I am all about sales on fish. Ahi Tuna and shrimp were acquired for some new recipes.

For those who are keeping Lenten practices, I will be sharing Friday Fish recipes on Instagram and here are a few more fish recipes for your Friday fast:

• Shrimp with Spiralized Zucchini and Pasta in a Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
• Oven Roasted Salmon with Fennel and San Marzano Tomatoes
• Grilled Mahi Mahi with Jamaican Rice and Peas
• Baked Rainbow Trout with Roasted Vegetables and Lemon Rice
• How to Grill Fish with Recipes

Here is hoping that your March is delicious AND healthy. Cross your fingers for me 🙂 and keep in touch as I rev the kitchen back up for Spring, new recipes, an upcoming smoothie series, and podcast interviews!

Do you have five food things? Tell me in the comments!