friends and family

I love food. I love gathering fresh ingredients and mixing them together to create something delicious for people to enjoy.

I love the art of cooking. I love the supplies and the way heat changes ingredients. We just got brand new knives and my first Le Creuset Dutch oven that is so beautiful and fun to use.

This was our Christmas gift to each other, as we both love to cook. I love taking recipes and mixing and modifying them to my own tastes.

I love cooking for friends and family, especially when everyone gathers around the table and we have time together sharing a meal. People are usually happy, as long as the food is good! 😉

Yesterday Jeff and I worked together in the kitchen to make Julia Child’s beef bourguignon. There are several steps and ingredients and it took several hours just to do the preparation work before bringing all the parts together.

We browned the meat, chopped and fried bacon, onions and carrots. We caramelized pearl onions and browned quartered mushrooms. We added the wine and beef broth to cover the beef and then let it blend and simmer.

This morning I took the pot out of the refrigerator and cooked the stew for three hours at a low temperature to tenderize the beef. The entire house smelled so delicious. I wish there was a way to broadcast smells!

After the beef was cooked, the beef and bacon were separated from the broth and carrots and onions. Then the broth was strained through a sieve and boiled until it reduced and thickened. Then I added the beef and bacon back to the pot and layered the pearl onions and caramelized mushrooms on top and then poured the juice back into the pan and simmered again.

Buttery small yellow potatoes were boiled and peas were warmed with butter. All the pieces were finally ready.

Friends came over to join us for dinner and we all enjoyed the food and company. I am content.