Pho Soup (slow cooker)

So it doesn't look so soupy, but I still enjoyed it!  It's not something that I think I would want EVERY day, but it'll be nice to change things up every once in a while!  And to my great shock, my kids gobbled it up!  I thought it's be too strange and different for them, I guess they were hungry!  The original recipe called for one teaspoon of fish sauce, and setting the ick factor aside, we have a child with very bad fish allergies, so I omitted that entirely, but if you're brave, knock yourself out!  The original also called for a chunk of fresh ginger, but the store only had large bags of ginger and I only needed a small chuck, so I got some ground ginger.

6 cups beef broth or stock
1 heaping tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp anise
1 cinnemon stick
2 sliced green onions
1 pound thin sliced beef
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 package rice noodles

Put everything except noodles in slow cooker, mix, cover, cook high 3-4 hours or low 4-6 hours.  Done when meat is fully cooked.  15 minutes before serving, add entire package of rice nookdles to the pot. Push them under the liquid with a wooden spoon and cover.  Garnis with bean sprouts, basil, or lime wedges if desired.
We didn't garnish with anything and still enjoyed it.  I had it going while we were at church on Sunday and it had a different smell when we came home, so don't let that put you off!