The Life of Pizza John

Each year I do a hike with Mike around the summer solstice where we try to pick something people do in 2-3 days and we do it in 1 day.  This year was a little different.  Due to lots of rain and flash flood warning (and hiking up and down rivers), we had to bail.  It was raining so hard you couldn't see more than 20 feet ahead and it didn't help that it was dark.  We decided to start at sunset and hike through the night and the next day due to the complexity of this hike and so we could get home at a decent hour the next day.  Needless to say, we started at sunset and finished around sunrise since we had to cut it short.  It was still pretty hard, especially due to the rain, darkness and terrain. Even though it was out of our control, I'm bummed we were not able to finish the hike, but we will be back next year to check it off the list.  We are even going to have a backup in a different area in case the weather in the Adirondacks is looking bad. W...

As usual, not a ton of great places locally for 'foreign' types of food so I get to create my own!  I originally learned about Pho when working at Sorenson in SLC with Ryan, Mike and Miranda and it has stuck.  Definitely one of my favorite meals. Soak Pho Noodles in water for at least 30 minutes.  Use as much as you want since they will not be added to the whole mixture below and can be used for days. Fill a medium sized pot with about 6-8 cups of chicken stock.  I use water and 'Better Than Bouillon' because it is easy and tasty.  Then add the following: 1 inch minced ginger 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce 5 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons minced garlic Once that has sat for a while (anywhere from 10 minutes to many, many hours), take 3 chicken breasts cubed and add to the mix and cook till done. To serve this, you can put noodles in a bowl, then pour the hot soup over them.  Let sit a few minutes before eat...