Pho-Venture

Part of my reality is that I’m A L W A Y S on the brink of being sick.  My colds never fully develop, or never fully dissipate – I blame the 46 ten year olds I hang out with on a daily basis.  So I’m really interested in brothy soups like miso, or my two favorites Pho and Udon.  This past week I've consumed these soups consecutively. 

{Pho} 

A Vietnamese broth soup with thin linguini shaped egg noodles, thinly sliced beef, bean sprouts, scallions, and basil leaves.  The best part about Pho is the beef.  The broth is served boiling hot with the thinnest slices of raw beef- they’re essentially paper-thin.  The broth cooks the thinly sliced meat right in front of you so the soup is infused with the delicious fats from the beef.   The soup is served with an overflowing plate of basil, sprouts, jalapeño, and lime wedges, and a separate bowl containing the broth, meat slices, noodles and scallions.  

So much beef you can't even see the noodles! <3

{Udon} 

A Japanese soup with the longest, thickest, softest wheat flour noodles I have ever tasted.  Traditionally Udon is served with seaweed and chopped scallions, known as Kake Udon.  I have been on a beef kick and opt for the Niku Udon (Udon, Beef, Scalion & Seaweed) or the Kare Udon (Udon, Scallions, Sliced Pork, Seaweed)

Those noodles though 

Notice the color of the broth - I add so much Sriracha to my soup I have to beg for extra broth to dilute the spice

Both are priced within $10-$12 and each have distinct flavors and textures.  I would die to have a hybrid of Pho herbs and spices with Udon noodles, and all the sliced beef I could imagine :)

At the honey Pig in Atlanta - Korean BBQ 

Shout out to  my bro Brian Mott for introducing me some of the most amazing food I've ever had - still haven't found Pho better than my first bite in Atlanta <33

xx Katie

I LOVE Coconut Oil

I’ve discovered the best kept secret – buy coconut oil and use for EVERYTHING (almost)

I picked up this jar from Whole Foods for about $7 and have used it in place of a variety of items:

-       Use as a deep hair conditioner 1-2 times per week

-       Soften cuticles

-       Rub on knees and elbows

-       Mix with a little brown sugar for an amazing body scrub

-       Swish in mouth to help reduce gum soreness from flossing (this made me want to die the first few times; it get’s easier I promise)

I’ve also seen a few people share an article about ‘Oil Pulling’ on FaceBook.  I verified the validity of Oil Pulling through Snopes, and determined it most likely would not cure my hangover, detoxify my body, or rid my skin of any trace of blemish.   

Nonetheless, coconut oil may not cure any medical ailments, it is still an all-in-one beauty product I swear by.

-xx Katie

New Project - Cook Book

Since graduating from college, I have gained a new passion: cooking.  Once I stopped living a lifestyle where the norm was to eat spaghetti six nights a week, White Cheddar Cheese It’s for dinner, or cheese fries/Taco Bell at 2am, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed finding delicious recipes, and even experimenting to create my own.  

While I have admittedly had some disastrous results (my stepdad still won’t trust me to deviate from a recipe after eating my zucchini soufflé muffins) I have refined my craft to learn how certain foods should be prepared, and which ingredients should never be mixed together. 

I’ve decided that I would begin writing a cookbook – a hybrid of original Katie creations and recipes I’ve grown to love replicating.  I hope once my notebook pages fill up, the majority of my cookbook has many Katie Creations.  -xx Katie

Thanks to Target & it's dollar section for the coolest crafting materials

Adding Salmon Piccata & Perfect Sautéed Spinach

-xx Katie