Aside from the rice vermicelli noodles and the rice wrappers, most of the ingredients are not set in stone. You’re not going to mess up if you don’t add bean sprouts, for example. The amount of ingredients may vary as well. I love cilantro, so I may opt to use more cilantro than basil – although, I must admit, I love basil as much as cilantro. It’s really about using ingredients that you love.

I’m also going to show two variations of this spring roll. One is made with shrimp because Mica loves shrimp and one is made with roasted chicken and crushed pork rinds because, well, who doesn’t love pork rinds?

Ingredients:
8- to 10-oz. package of rice vermicelli noodles
12-oz. package of rice wrappers or tapioca flakes

About half a head of Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
A handful of fresh Thai basil leaves
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves
A handful of bean sprouts
About 3 to 4 spring onions, cut into 1-inch lengths

For the shrimp spring rolls:
A package of cooked cocktail shrimps

For the chicken spring rolls:
2-oz package of pork rinds*, crushed/ground
2 or more cups roasted chicken**, cut in cubes

For the sauce:
2 cups water
1 to 2 limes
A tablespoon or more of salt
A tablespoon or more of sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
A tablespoon or more of chili sauce

* I love pork rinds, so I probably use more than 2 oz. I also like using the salt-and-vinegar-flavored pork rinds. You can grind them in a large mortar and pestle or a food processor, if you have one.

** Leftover roasted chicken from last night’s dinner is perfect for this or you can try KFC’s grilled chicken.

Directions:
1. Cook the vermicelli noodles in a pot of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain. Using your hands, pick up the noodles in small bundles and lightly squeeze them to remove excess water. Cut the bundles into thirds or 1-inch lengths, then set aside on a separate bowl or platter. (If the noodles are too hot to handle, rinse them first in cold water.)

2. Mix the lettuce, basil, mint, cilantro, bean sprouts, and spring onions in a bowl. Set aside.

3. If you’re making the chicken spring rolls, combine the chicken and crushed pork rinds in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. You can also add a sprinkling of sugar if you want to add a hint of sweetness. Set aside.

4. If you’re making the shrimp spring rolls, just put some shrimps in a small bowl, then set aside.

5. Now you’re ready to make some rolls. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip a wrapper in the water for a second to soften, then lay it flat on a large cutting board or any clean, flat surface.

6. Place a handful of the herb-and-lettuce mixture and some rice vermicelli on the wrapper about 2 inches from the bottom. (see above photo)

7. Fold the bottom of the wrapper once over the filling, then add 3 shrimps on top of the folded part of the wrapper (if making shrimp spring rolls) or a heaping spoonful of the chicken-pork-rind mixture (if making chicken spring rolls).

8. Continue tightly folding the wrapper until you’ve made a roll, making sure the sides are folded inwards.

9. For the sauce, heat about 2 cups water in a small saucepan until it comes to a boil. You are going to make a light sweet and sour mixture by adding salt, sugar, lime juice, and chili sauce to taste. Start by adding juice from half a lime and a tablespoon each of salt and sugar. Continue adding more salt, sugar, and lime, a little at a time, to adjust to your taste. When you’re satisfied with the combination of saltiness, sweetness, and tanginess of the mixture, add the chili sauce – again, to taste. Then add the minced garlic and simmer for 5 more minutes.

10. Serve the spring rolls with the sweet and sour sauce.

There you go! It really is easier than I probably made it sound. I encourage you to try it. I promise you, it’s great food!

I served the chicken nuggets with some broccoli, apple slices, and brie cheese. (Excuse the lack of focus on this picture. Lately I’ve been groggy all the time, probably from chugging cough syrup every 6 hours.)

Ingredients:
chicken strips, buttermilk, breadcrumbs, Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese, salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic

Directions:
I got the idea for this chicken nuggets recipe from watching Everyday Italian, back when we still had cable. First, you marinate some chicken tender strips in buttermilk for an hour up to overnight in the fridge. (It’s better if you pound the chicken strips first so they’re nice and thin.) When you’re ready to cook, coat the chicken strips in a mixture of breadcrumbs and Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese. Pan-fry the strips until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper.

To make sure the chicken strips are cooked through, I put them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes after frying. (If you pounded the chicken strips thin, you shouldn’t have to worry about not cooking them through in the pan.)

Serve the chicken strips with a garlic-balsamic dipping sauce. To make the dipping sauce, mince 2 to 3 cloves of garlic. Put the garlic in a small bowl and add about 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. Slowly whisk in about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil until the sauce emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper.

All you need to do is make the stock ahead of time and prepare the fixins so that your guests can build their own pho. I’ll guide you on what you need so you can give it a try in your own homes.

This is Lar’s pho after she built it up with the fixins and the condiments.

The beef stock, in my opinion, is the heart of this dish. If you’ve never made beef stock before, it is really simple. (Of course if you’re vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for beef stock.)

Basic Beef Stock for Pho
About 5 lb soup bone with marrow
About 8 quarts water

1. Combine soup bone and water in a large stockpot.
2. Bring to a boil. If foam starts to rise, skim it off.
3. Partially cover and simmer for about 2 to 3 hours.

If you want to keep it lean, prepare the day before. Refrigerate overnight and when you’re ready to use, skim any hardened fat from the surface before putting it back on the stove to reheat. (The soup bones I use are so lean, I barely get any fat at all.) You can keep the beef stock in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Now, when you go to the meat market and ask for soup bones and get ‘dog bones’ instead, don’t wreak havoc. They’re the same thing. Of course, it won’t hurt to verify with the meat market guy … or gal.

A few minutes before the party, you can prep the fixins. I have fixin suggestions to make either a beef pho or a seafood pho … or a combined beef-seafood pho. It’s a really flexible dish!

Pho Fixins and Condiments
1 lb rice stick (Banh Pho Thuong Hang)
Medium to large onion, sliced

For Beef Pho:
About 1/2 lb beef sirloin or New York strip, thinly sliced
(To cut it nice and thin, leave in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.)

For Seafood Pho:
About 1/2 lb shrimp, cooked
About 1/2 lb squid, cooked
About 1/2 lb crabmeat, cooked

A handful of Thai basil
A handful of cilantro
A handful of spring onions, sliced
About 2 cups bean sprouts
Lime wedges

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce
Bottle of oyster sauce, served on the table
Sriracha hot chili sauce, served on the table

1. Keep the beef stock simmering. Add sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce to taste. Add the onion slices.
2. Soak the rice stick in warm water for 5 to 8 minutes or until softened.
3. Cook the beef in a colander submerged in the stock just until it changes color. Transfer on a serving plate.
4. Arrange the basil, cilantro, spring onions, bean sprouts, and lime wedges on a large platter.
5. Arrange the condiments, platter of fixins, and various meats on the dining table.

Lar cooking the beef in the stock with a colander and chopsticks.

Assembling the Pho
Time for the party! Soak the rice sticks again, for each serving, in boling water for a few seconds. We like to use 2-quarts serving bowls as soup bowls. Transfer the rice sticks in the bowl and pour 2 or 3 ladles of beef stock over it. Let each person assemble his own pho, according to his liking. Then eat with chopsticks, slurping is encouraged!

Lar, and her husband Dave, introduced me to Moscato. My favorite, so far, is the Gallo. Pho and Moscato with great friends – good times!

Our bottle of Gallo Moscato and Troy grabbing some basil from our fixin platter.

Lar also taught me how to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls. I’ll share that next week :)

Peanut Butter and Banana Wrap
1. Spread peanut butter on a flour tortilla.
2. Place a banana, sliced in half lengthwise, on top.
3. Drizzle with honey.
4. Fold like a burrito.
5. Toast or pan-grill on the stove.

This year, we made some for unsuspecting recepients, like our mailman who tirelessly brings packages to our door and Ms. Melissa from Rinoa’s Friday night Story Time at B&N.

The first time I made the pudding, I reserved some for my neighbor, but my family enjoyed it so much that they even ate the neighbor’s share. Then a few weeks ago, I helped Troy whip up a batch to share with his coworkers.

Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding (edited)

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1-1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

1. Mix the sweetened condensed milk and water in a large bowl until well combined. Add the pudding mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before continuing. (It is very important to allow the pudding mixture to set properly.)

2. Whip the heavy cream in an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

3. To assemble the dessert, arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of a large wide bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering two more times. (Although here, I used a Pyrex casserole dish.) Garnish the top with wafer crumbs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight before serving. (I think the longer you wait, the yummier it gets.)

The sandwich in this picture included portobello mushrooms (of course), roasted red bell peppers, roasted zucchinis, onions, tomatoes, fresh oregano, provolone cheese, and goat cheese in an onion bun.

I actually have two ways of marinating the mushrooms, and they’re both really simple. I either marinate them with balsamic vinegar or Mama Sita (a Filipino barbecue sauce you can find in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores). I think both the balsamic vinegar and the Mama Sita should be a staple in any pantry – they’re great marinades for beef, pork, and chicken too.

The bell peppers I roasted straight on the stove until the skins were charred black. Then I just peeled off the skin. The zucchinis I roasted in the oven.

I put provolone cheese and fresh oregano because that’s what I had in the fridge. And goat cheese, well I had that in the fridge too plus I love goat cheese on steaks, so why not on beefy portobello mushrooms? :)

Onion buns – because that’s what Troy bought that night. But I would have loved to use ciabatta also – that’s my favorite I think.

Oh! And I reduced some balsamic vinegar and drizzled some on top before closing the sandwich.

There you go. Yum!

I had stale bread which I used to make breadcrumbs. (I just toasted the bread in the oven for a few minutes and pulsed it in my food processor until it resembled coarse breadcrumbs.) I mixed the breadcrumbs with a combination of freshly grated Parmesan and Asiago cheeses. (Love that combination!) Then, after I seasoned the pounded porkchops with salt and pepper, I dipped each one first in flour, then in egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture.

After frying them in a butter/vegetable oil mixture, I sprinkled the chops with lemon zest and fresh thyme and oregano.

Now, my family is multicultural and this dish is perfect in satisfying everybody’s palates. The way I served it, I call the meeting of three cultures. The dish is Italian and I served it two ways – as a sandwich (American-style) for Troy and with rice and roasted vegetables (kinda Filipino-style) for the rest of the family.