A slow-simmered beef broth base, with rice noodles, fresh bean sprouts, fresh Thai Basil, lime, and Hoisin sauce.

My wife also adds Sriracha and cilantro to hers; I'm recovering from a bout of diverticulitis, so Sriracha is out for me, and I can't abide the taste of cilantro, so that will be missing in mine as well.

Dessert is Pistachio ice cream.

Because the mother of a good friend of ours is Vietnamese, and she prepares the base for us. And that, as I understand it, is a relatively time consuming process. I don't know exactly what's in it, but it isn't a simple, straight forward beef broth. We add the extra goodies, which we get from a local Thai market.

Her mom is in her late 80's, and still going strong. She lived in the north of Vietnam prior to the partition that followed the end of the French Indochina War. Her family (practicing Catholics) were forced out following the partition, and they relocated to Saigon, where our friend was born. "Ba" speaks practically no English, but is fluent in French. And she makes a potent Nước chấm, which she enjoys sipping straight from a small teacup.

Our friend worked for an American assistance program that provided support and education for Vietnamese orphans; she was evacuated to Guam, then the US, during the fall of Saigon. Her brother was a Captain in the ARVN.

I don't recall how long it was following the war's end that she was able to get her mom into the US. Her brother arrived quite a bit later than Ba; captured by the North Vietnamese at war's end, he spent ten years in a "re-education" camp.

It's an interesting family; warm, loving, accepting, and with some pretty harrowing stories to tell. A real counterpoint to the current administration's war on refugees.

Drinking Nuoc Cham straight is hair curling!

If I had a Vietnamese grandmother living next door I would be happy to do things on my own. Barring that, I will continue to get my Pho as take out from several excellent restaurants nearby.

Those bastids!

Anyways, I'm having an assortment of leftovers. Shrimp creole, a meatloaf sandwich, and leftover steamed broccoli. This will free up some storage containers.

The leftover NY Strip I'm saving for tomorrow, as steak fajitas.

I appreciate the righteous indignation!

green salad and home-made applesauce.

I put a small pork tenderloin in the oven. Salt, pepper, garlic, sage, rosemary, olive oil and fine milled flour.

There were a lot of these in the store and very inexpensive. I am guessing they were trimmed off Super Bowl ribs.

For sides it will be leftovers. There are sweet and white potatoes wedges, green beans and I'm not sure what else. If nothing appeals, then there are frozen veggies too.

That is Ukrainian pigs foot aspic. Freaks out many but I consider it comfort food.
I make it periodically for myself.
Went out today to get the horseradish that it requires.