Appletini @ MindSay

Mmmm.  Today I ventured out of my 'comfort cooking zone' and made Beef Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) from scratch.  It isn't so much that it is difficult, as that it takes a very long time to make the broth.  I told josiejunk that I would cook dinner tonight, but I needed to come over early as the broth in the recipe called for 6 hours to 'simmer'. 

 

I went to our Asian grocery store and picked up all the necessary items to cook Pho.  The beef oxtail took a while to cook, and really, it could have simmered even longer for taste's sake.  But all in all it came out pretty good!  Even josiejunk's husband was impressed, which is a good sign - but he did help me "kick it up a notch" at the end, to make the broth better.

 

We topped off the good meal with some good white wine and home baked chocolate chip cookies.  I think Alex ate about 10 cookies - he kept yelling for more cookies as soon as he finished the last one.  Then it was time for his bath at Auntie Josie's house, so we gave the kids a bath and then put them to sleep - well, at least one to sleep, as Alex refused to be read a bedtime story.

 

Then it was time for josiejunk and I to indulge in some Appletini's - and boy does Josaphine make a mean Appletini!  It was scrum-didili-umptious!  Thanks goes out to lizardbeth for the appletini sugar for the rims and appletini mixer!  Yummy!

 

Needless to say I called my husband to drive us all home (he was at a basketball game that night) as I had one to many appletinis!  Hooray for my designated driver!

Ok, so it wasn't actually me who got naked, but my daughter and kikuye's 18 month old son that ended up naked in the tub, but the evening was still fun!  It all started this morning, when I decided that today was the day that I would make Valentine Day cookies with the kids (Sarah and Big Alex) and I invited Rana and her two girls, Noor & Masa, over as well.  So, when Kiyuke (Annmarie) called later in the morning I invited her and her son, Baby Alex, over too.  It was going to be a party!  Yay!  Annmarie decided that since her hubbie would be abandoning her for a bastketball game she would bring foodstuff over and prepare homemade Pho (vietnamese beef noodle soup) for us.  Cookies and comfort food, how much better could this get.  The kids had a blast decorating the cookies, there was frosting and sprinkles everywhere.  I had chocolate chip cookies flying out of the oven.  FYI...don't leave an open jar of frosting and nekkid cookies around Annmarie, all I can say is that woman loves her some cookies and frosting ;)  Anyway, by the time Garrett arrived home from work, Rana and her girl's had left, and Big Alex was picked up by his dad.  Annmarie and I cracked open a bottle of wine, and watched as Garrett finished preparing dinner.  It was delicious!  And guess what we had for dessert...more cookies, and some appletinis.  Got to luv them appletinis!  And my cookies were frickin delicious!  There's nothing better than eating lots of yummy food and getting toasted with your friends!  Appletinis for everybody! ( OMG, how many times I'm I going to use the exclamation mark!!!!)

I'm frustrated because I can't make a decent appletini.  I shouldn't have to pay $9 for a decent appletini at a sleazoid bar.  Not that I could have one anyway, because Garrett wouldn't go with me, and I can't go by myself (it's a DUI issue not a confidence one, at my age and as long as I've been married, I could give a rat's ass about walking into a bar by myself, ok separate issue back to appletini's)  Anyway, this bar I've been too makes the yummiest appletini's.  We went there for a neighbor's birthday party and I had 5 of them in short order because they were so yummy!  Anyhoo, here I sit sipping my crappy appletini and typing away my appletini sorrows as Garrett reads Sarah bedtime stories.  It's a rockin time at the B homestead tonight.   

 

Note:  I re-read my post and realized it may sound like I've had a DUI issue in the past, but that's not the case.  I just meant that I wouldn't drive if I had been drinking.  I've never had a DUI, just wanted to clarify that.  :)