I’m really enjoying this new little group, French Fridays with Dorie ^[1]. So is Mr. SGCC. He likes that I’m cooking real food, and not just sweets. I like that too, but I also like that if I get really busy I don’t have to participate every week. It takes the pressure off and allows me to enjoy the recipes I do make, because I choose to.

I couldn’t join in last week because I was in San Francisco for BlogHer Food ^[2]. So was Dorie ^[3]. Did I mention that I met her? I did! And, she was lovely. That’s all I’m going to say about it now, because I haven’t posted my recap yet. You’ll just have to be patient. Patience is a virtue, you know. 😉

This week’s FFwD recipe is Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup. I loved it!

Dorie’s soup has lots of bright, fresh flavors like ginger, garlic and chilies. The base is made with chicken broth and creamy coconut milk. I adore anything made with coconut milk! Though not in the original recipe, I also added some Penang chili paste to my soup. Chili paste and coconut milk are BFFs. Everyone needs a BFF - even chili paste and coconut milk.

I used thin Vietnamese rice noodles in my soup. They’re the same kind that my favorite Vietnamese restaurant puts in its Phở. I love Phở too, but it takes all day to make. Dorie’s soup just as delicious, and only takes about an hour to put together. That’s my kind of soup!

If you’d like to try this recipe for yourself (and you really should), you’ll have to buy Dorie’s Around My French Table ^[4]. You should buy it anyway, because it’s a fantastic cookbook. If you’d like to see many, many more bowls of Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup, stop by the FFwD ^[5] web site and enjoy!