If you haven’t visited our site in a while, you’ll find that things look a little different around here! We’ve updated our banner, added some new travel pages for Beijing and Grenada, and included a recipe index too. You can subscribe to the blog by email or RSS feed, or connect to us through our new Facebook page. When you “like” the Facebook page, you can also sign up to get notifications so you don’t miss any new posts — including a family pho recipe we’ll be sharing later this week!
As you might know, Becca is a designer by trade and owner of Lavender’s Blue Designs. Not only is she the one who created our new blog design, she’s also the talent behind the cute foodie Valentines back in February and, of course, Elijah’s first birthday party. And now, to go along with our site’s new look, she’s created a set of art prints featuring a beloved food of ours — pho!
To celebrate the site’s new look, we will be selecting TWO winners to each receive an 8″x10″ art print of his/her choice! You can enter the giveaway any time between now and next Tuesday. The giveaway will close in one week, at 11:59 p.m. EST, on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
The prize is open to anyone worldwide. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling us what’s in your pho.
See additional details below:
In addition to the giveaway, these prints are also available for purchase in the Lavender’s Blue Etsy shop. From now until May 15th, Becca is offering free shipping within the United States.*
Each print is available in two sizes in the shop:
8″x10 – $22
11″x14″ – $32
These are high-quality giclee art prints, printed on super-smooth, coated 100% post-consumer recycled paper featuring a few natural surface imperfections. Process chlorine free (PCF). 170 gsm/ 62 lb.
*Please note that the giveaway is open to readers worldwide. For the time being, however, art prints purchased through the Etsy shop can only be shipped to a U.S. address. As you might know, both my sister and I currently live abroad, so being able to offer international shipping is important to us. Right now, Lavender’s Blue works with a wonderful printer to fulfill US orders, and we are currently looking for a similarly reliable printer who can ship worldwide. We hope to have this option available soon for all our international readers. For the giveaway only, we will personally ship the art prints to two winners anywhere in the world.
Be sure to check back later this week when we’ll be sharing our family pho recipe! We’ll also tell you what’s in our pho. :)
*Edit: The giveaway is now closed. Thanks for your comments and entries! Winners will be announced soon.
I was introduced to Pho by Becca’s friend, Esther HsuBorger, a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. I moved to Indiana, where sadly there aren’t any Vietnamese restaurants nearby. So, I have been telling myself, I just need to find a good recipe online and teach myself how to cook some Pho. While I don’t have my own recipe to share, I am excited to find your blog and try out your posted recipes! Thanks so much!
Hi Julie! Esther is one of my favorite people to eat pho with! :) We’d love to hear how your recipes turn out, so keep us posted!
OH so cute! Also LOVE the banner up top!!! (Though it doesn’t fit on my screen and is way bigger than the rest of the website…?)
I love pho!!! I can’t decide which design I like better… probably the one with all the ingrediants flying around. I will need to get this for a friend’s housewarming!
Thanks for stopping by, Alvina! What a bummer the header looks weird…I’ve had a few ppl tell me that too, but for some reason, it looks “normal” on every computer I’ve tried. We’ll take a look and see what we can do. Thanks for letting us know!
I also liked you guys on Facebook! :)
I LOVE “THE ANATOMY OF PHO” POSTER BECCA!!!
rare beef, meatballs, TONS of basil, Siracha, Hoisen, wtih egg noodles, and lime please! :D
Thanks, Nancy! Can’t wait to see you this summer. Maybe over pho? ;)
I love eating pho, though I’ve never made it before–I hope to learn how on y’all’s web site :). I’d say I love some lime leaves, bean sprouts, and fried tofu cubes. As Julie knows, I’m not too adventurous with my eating lately, so anything that resembles comfort food makes me smile :). I love the new look on the site, and look forward to stopping by often! :)
what about all the stinky tofu you ate last week?? i feel bad you had to sit in front of it… :)
**Whoops, I meant to say Thai basil leaves and lime juice. This is why I need to learn from y’all what I’m eating when I eat pho ;).
I only eat my dad’s pho! (i guess that’s why we’re cousins!) maybe ask me what’s NOT in it. :) I don’t like bean sprouts.
I don’t like bean sprouts in my pho either! :)
Love the new look, ladies.
I usually like rare and cooked meats (tai chin) but occasionally would go for tendons or meatballs. Toppings/veggies: saw-tooth herb, basil, beansprouts, lime, hoisin and siracha.
Hello cousins! What awesome memories of delicious feasts we have together at family gatherings! I like lots of lime, hoisin and hot sauce depending on how I feel that day, tripe, tendons, rare beef slices, and LOTS of basil and mint leaves!! Basically I’ll take the rest if there’s any left on the plate haha.
Great looking blog becca :) I need to learn to make my own pho so I can add my own ingredients. A fried egg or quail eggs and crunchy fried pork belly or bacon bits come to mind :D
Thanks for visiting, David! Mmm…I’d be interested in trying one of your creations. :) I’ve actually seen it served in Vietnam and at some Vietnamese restaurants in Orange County with egg in it too!
What lovely prints! They’d look great in a kitchen or dining room!
I get everything in my pho, but like extra tripe. Unless I’m eating filet mignon pho, then I just get pho tai because all the other ingredients get in the way.
Thanks for visiting! Mmm…yes, I’m with you with the solo filet mignon. :)
love the new look of your website, becca and julie! AND the detailed, mouth-watering recipe. in my pho, in addition to the usual suspects, i love lots and lots of lime and jalapeño and bean sprouts…and when the broth is especially anise/cinnamon-y.
I love my pho with brisket and rare steak. Plus a ton of bean sprouts, lime and thai basil.
I am a pig and always eat Pho dac biet, I love having everything from the cow in my pho bowl. My favourite herb in pho is sawtooth coriander. Loved your post on pho, your parents are so dedicated to the broth. My mum would cook it in the morning and let it simmer throughout the day.
I loved reading about your family’s pho routine and am so excited to try out your family recipe ^^! Being from Seattle, most cloudy and chilly days were considered perfect pho days, so you can imagine how often I ate pho! I go for meatball and/or rare steak with tons of basil and sprouts :)!
hello, there! i just came here from lavender’s blue and love this website too! the post about your dad’s pho bo is amazingly detailed and beautiful. can’t wait to try your recipes soon.
i like pho in many ways, but eat tai chin a lot these days. went through pho ga phase before, but i’m in my pho bo phase after my recent trip to vietnam, where i ate pho bo like 3 times a day :-)
I prefer raw steak, sirloin, round and flank and allow it to just cook when plated. Also sprouts, Thai basil, hoison and Sriracha…the usual suspects. However a few things I do differently when cooking the broth are, I also char shallots along with the onion, ginger and garlic and when I add all the ingredients to a large stock pot for the simmer, I throw in a whole, unskinned pineapple (minus the green top). It adds a subtle depth of sweetness to the stock and then after a day or two of cooking, when you cut and eat the pineapple it has hints of anise, clove and cinnamon. Delicious!
sounds great! i have tried adding a pineapple core to bun bo hue but not with pho. and wow, eating the pineapple afterward — i think i may just have to try that!