be inspired and start creating

I am constantly inspired to keep on writing and putting my stuff out there. As more and more people come into the Wonderful World of Casie I find that a positive light shines on us all! I was tagged in the following note on Facebook today and very touched.It says: “Inspired by this great lady tagged in this note I decided to create a blog. I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while, but never realized how easy this was. well I am quite happy with this decision. mucho gracias” Stay tuned for Inna’s blog. I’ve been reading her notes on FB for some time and am truly excited for her new writing space! Congrats girl!!

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This Pho-tastic one is for Inna!

I changed my status to ‘Casie is having pho for lunch today.’ I love, love, love pho. I have it AT LEAST one a week. My friend Inna asked if I was making it myself and to share recipe. I’ve never made pho. I’m sure it’s complicated and for $4.99 at the pho place by my work, I’d rather just order it. However, I may decide to make a pho so I browsed online for a recipe and found one. This is for you Inna!! Prep time is 15 minutes and cook time is 45 minutes.What you need: Beef Broth: 1 small onion, chopped 1 2-inch stick ginger 2 pounds beef bones 12 cups water 6 star anise 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 pound lean, tender beef Noodles: 1 16-ounce package dry, flat rice noodles (pho) Garnish: 3 scallions, thinly sliced 1 large onion, thinly sliced 10 cilantro sprigs, finely chopped 1 cup bean sprouts 10 sprigs basil 10 sprigs fresh cilantro (ngo gai) fresh red or green Chile pepper, thinly sliced Accompaniments lime or lemon quarters fish sauce hoisin sauce hot chili sauce Prep:Broil onion and ginger until they look burned. Using back of cleaver, smash the ginger and set aside.Wash beef bones, place in a large soup pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and immediately pour off this “first boiling” water and discard. Add another 12 cups of fresh water and again bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Add the broiled onion and ginger, star anise, salt and sugar. Over medium-low heat, simmer for 30 minutes. Slice raw beef into thin strips and set aside.Remove bones from broth and strain out vegetables and seasonings. Soak noodles in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain. In a soup pot bring two quarts fresh…

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