Plain chicken broth is boring.

Being sick is crap. I'm achy and uncomfortable, hot and cold, and increasingly annoyed that our one bathroom is up a set of the steepest stairs pretty much ever made. At least I'm a ton better today than yesterday, when the best part of my day was getting to eat soup in bed. I just feel terrible that the hubby seems to have caught it, too.

Good news? All either of us want to do is lounge, so we've each claimed a couch and seem to have settled in for the long haul. It's a big football day-fantasy playoffs-and we're stoked to see how much we(he) wins. But since I have the attention span of a hamster when it comes to football, I've also got a new book (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) to entertain me. You gotta love zombie slayers in petticoats.

Bad news? Being sick makes me want pho. And my place is closed on Sundays, even if I had any intention of changing out of slippers and walking the 30 feet to my car.

I actually finally tried to make it myself a couple days ago...and it wasn't a terrible first attempt, but it makes me crave the real thing even more. I'm not going to put the recipe, since I've got quite a bit of perfecting to do when it comes to the broth. I'm just kicking myself now that I didn't save any of the enormous amount I made.

I used chicken broth as the base rather than make my own stock, and I didn't have the right ratio of spices (which were anise, cloves, cinnamon, onion and ginger, which I was somehow totally out of), so it was a bit bizarre. But all our garnishes were impressive, so it was edible. So I'll keep trying. It gives me something to strive for, I guess...I won't lie, I was really hoping to nail it(pout).

But luckily for my ego, I also made some candied nuts to take to my parents' house, since I offered to do a fancy salad for Xmas dinner. And those, I nailed. (I think my dad's exact words were "If you ever just want to bring a vat of that stuff over...") And it was yummy. I think I make mine a bit differently than a lot of people, but the way I do it lets the nuts get toasty. Just make sure not to let it overcook and burn.


Candied Nuts
About 3 cups nuts (I like a combo of almonds and walnuts)
About 1.5 cups sugar
dash vanilla
dash allspice
good shake cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 cup craisins

In medium saucepan, combine nuts and sugar over medium heat. Add vanilla, cinnamon, all spice, and salt. Stir constantly until sugar has melted and evenly coated the nuts (It takes a good 10-15 minutes, so have something good on tv to entertain yourself). Add craisins, and mix well. Turn off heat and immediately spread onto wax paper. Let cool, and break into small pieces. It keeps well in a big Ziploc.