Julie Child and Raine's beef bourguignon

I have to admit- I have gotten the Julia Child bug! As one who regularly reads cookbooks for fun-- I have asked for this classic for a holiday gift....... I got the bug!

Also being an Oprah kinda follower---- I ran into the Julia Child's beef bourguignon recipe.... call me boring... but at 9 o'clock in the morning this last Sunday I began to cook the classic Julia Child recipe in order to tuck it into some of my son's lunches this week. Okay so now I am boring with no life and also spoiling a 22 year old man with homemade lunches. Yes, the truth is I am very much a woman that is wrapped around my child's finger and also very boring!
So, while I started the 17 million steps to make this very famous lady's recipe I started to vent- "This better be the best beef bourguignon I have ever had!"

There are more steps to this 'what should be simple french dish, than a fancy square dance!
(If you know anything about square dances! Which i don't.)

Having said that-- and with a few moderation's to Julia Child's famous dish---- sorry but some of the steps seemed rather out of date-- and also I was not about to get rid of any of the vegetables I used to flavour the broth- so I simply ran them through the food processor with the thought that 150 years ago when this recipe was first created and almost 40 years when Julia got ahold of it- food processors where not common-- and had they been she would not of wasted one spec of the flavouring either! She would of whipped it up and added it back to the broth like I did--- I am sure of it!

At any rate- it is superb! The best I have ever eaten-- and I don't often say that about my own cooking! So, Julia and I shall finally become 'friends'---- I am not all that scared of her and her cookbook anymore!

Here is her recipe with my minor adjustments and comments added


1 6 ounce piece chunk bacon I used regular sliced bacon
31/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, young and full bodied Not enough red wine in my house- so I used two cups red and one cup white
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste ZERO on the tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme Had no thyme- used Orgeno
1 bay leaf, crumbled
20 small white onions no little onions- used one large white
31/2 tablespoons butter
herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth) no herb bouquet
1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered HATE mushrooms- so zilch

Instructions


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2
Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Was not sure why this step so deleted it--- I simply slowly cooked the cut bacon so as not to burn the bacon or the fat! The very valuable bacon fat must be kept mild mannered! !
3
Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to side dish with a slotted spoon.
4
Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.

I did not throw out any of the very flavourable fat-- I also did not use any olive oil in this step- just slowly cooked the bacon to release as much of the bacon fat as possible ( bought cheap bacon on purpose for this recipe)
5
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust). Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
6
Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste,- no to the tomato paste--- I put the onions in during this step garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
7
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms (again I did not do this). Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly. Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.
8(Again did not follow this step)
Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
9 (did not follow this step either).... what foolish girl messes with Julia Child?
Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top. Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for 1-2 minutes, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.

Remove casserole from oven-- seperate meat from onions,carrots and bacon--- put onions, carrots and bacon in food processer with a touch of the sauce- run until smooth and add back to sauce to thicken. Add flour or broth to adjust sauce if needed. Add meat back to sauce and heat.
10
Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

Spoon sauce and meat onto egg noodles, add sour cream to palate--- YUMMYYY- OMG ! This is truly worth the time and effort!

Even though I cannot follow instructions or do as I am told- I must agree this recipe- even with my adjustments-- -who adjusts Julia Child's recipes????--- this is the best beef brouguignon I have ever had! I am now so embarrassed of the one I have been feeding my friends and family with pride all of these years!

Bisque from lobster 'bones'

I understand this may sound silly- when we are all trying to save money- but lobster bisque is fantastic. Please though, I splurged in August and held my annual Lobster party. I had left over bodies, a tail (which my son ate before I could add it to the soup) and some claws. Rather than throw all this away I froze the left-overs and just made some bisque. Re-use don't throw out!
This winter my family will be eating roasts and full chickens- then soups and stews made with the bones and left-overs! One must save money!
The recipe...... sorry I am not that great on measuring. Which brings me to the cloves- I did not realize there was no little holed cap on the spice jar and there is more cloves in this soup than there should be- and it is fantastic!
'Bones of three lobsters'
I smashed the bones, tore apart the bodies and threw them all in a big pot, one container of chicken stock, one onion, three bayleaves and too much cloves!
I kept the meat on the side
Simmered the bones and the chicken stock for half an hour- drained the stock.
1/4 cup of butter melting in pot, 1/4 cup of flour- heated until dissolved add 2 cups of milk and brought to a light boil stirring to ensure no lumps.
Then I added the reserved stock, and the meat and slowly heated for about 10 minutes.
Voila- lovely silky smooth bisque that really did not cost me anything!

Handymen/women

In these trying days everyone needs a handyman/woman at their fingertips. Okay well some of us do. I think I understand basic electrical, yes I can change out a duplex receptacle... Plumbing? I know where the shut off valve is in my house- and being a smart girl (after being told by multitudes of plumbers) I have shut off valves installed into every plumbing fixture as they are replaced. In my home anyway, sometimes clients balk at the extra dollars to have valves installed behind their toilets- in their kitchen and bathroom sinks, but at least I try to advise them! Best to have this small chore done, then if you have a leak or need a repair the entire house is not affected down the road.
I know how to install a shutoff valve- but do I do it? No... I leave that to the plumbers or the handymen.
Installing baseboards- is an art- or should be. Hanging doors (another story of that!) hanging closet doors, we all need a handyman on speed dial if you are like most of us.
I can do many different skills- but I am not good at it- and I would prefer perfect baseboards, plumbing that does not leak, and well wiring a house- that is for an electrician.
I have two excellent handymen/women-- and a few other craftsmen in my 'Rolodex' should you need one.
Email me-- trust me- they have already been through the mill doing work for me and my clients!

Cheap chic office

Painted old closet sliding doors resting on old file cabinet sprayed with hammerite paint. Paint on the desktop is from Benjamin Moores 'metals' collection....
Louis Vuttion is laying on cork tiled floor that has withstood 12 years of abuse with my rolling office chair and the cork still does not show any wear!

Cheap chic office- and terrific drapery

I think terrific drapery is always the way to splurge. You can save on furniture, as long as it is comfortable - you do not need a $5,000 sofa---- but it can be nice!
However if you cheap out on drapery, window coverings it really shows- you can not hide cheap drapes!

This is my home office and the hub of everything I do-- I needed it to be a relaxing fun place to spend many hours, doing quotes, designing, with great light for colours, relaxing, peaceful and beautiful. It is- I have had the same office for over 10 years now and never tire of the colours, the elegance, the textures, the photos of my friends and family-- and my luscious white silk drapes. I am also lucky to have a wonderful view of my front garden which I enjoy during the day, and enjoy the simplicity of the drawn drapes at night.

I certainly saved on the furniture, except for my chair, collected the knick-nacks and picture frames over a few years and splurged on a great piece of original art by Jennifer Garant!

I love being here- it infuses me with creativity- like I say " Beauty is so under-rated in life. Beauty lifts our soul'

Enjoy finding your beautiful place and making it your very own.

http://www.jennifergarant.com

Repurposing, Ikea and thrift shopping

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/your-thoughts-on-the-ethics-of-shopping-cheap-089653#commentshttp://

This article could not of come at a better time. While I love browsing the web and the magazines I am addicted to, I have always had a belief that we should buy and re-purpose our things.

I was raised to believe you buy 'slightly' better quality items that have long term use that you can afford- but the catch is these items are be used for the rest of your life. These items are the items your children inherit.

Well made furniture, china ( if you are not lucky enough to inherit some) silverware, crystal never seems to last long in our family so perhaps a cheap on this.

My home is a collection of hand-me-downs, second hand and a few investment pieces I have purchased.

Often, a client will want a new look- and I worked this way before it became 'chic'. I always went through what they had, what they liked and what we could move from one room to another, what we could refinish and recover. In the past my style ethics were considered odd by some.
People had a misconception that 'decorators' just wanted to spend all their money and put a 'stamp' of professionally decorated house on theirs.

I do not believe in this 'overly stylized' concept. A home should reflect the people that live in it- not the decorator. The home should have elements that have been gathered over the years, objects of 'heart' rather than just art objects.

Decor is like style- just because you have masses of money does not mean you have style.
Style is making a look your own not following the masses.

Interested in your opinions

Ryan's Room

Simple space for a young man to sleep and study.

I had all the walls skimcoated, removed the popcorn ceiling and had new drywall installed for a nice sleek look and a new fan.

New buys were only the desk, chair and desklight-- and of course the closet organizer.

Basically a budget redo- but much improved!

Ryans New Room- Closet- One of the Saves!

This is the new closet- doors are not in yet- but are coming!

I had quotes from a few custom closet companies and sorry $3,000- $4,500 was not in my budget for the interior of his closet. I had enlarged the closet by removing the built-in desk that was on the far side of the closet closest to his window-- and the price for custom closets was simply too much.

The dilemma then- as I personally hate those Rubbermaid wire organizers, and also do not think they would hold up under the rough and tumble style my son has. I needed strong, durable, good lookin', and a product that we could reconfigure as needed.

Voila, store display systems. This is a store display system that is stand alone (needed no installation) is sturdy, durable, cost effective and he can take it with him when he moves out! There is a storage shelf on the top- hidden behind the wall header area that is safely storing his childhood memorabilia - out of sight!

This was an excellent solution for us- flexible, room for shoes, clothes, long coats, and sports equipment!

In addition, I needed space for his clothing items that formally lived in his dresser, as we did not have room for a dresser and a new desk in this space. Solving that issue with the blue pull out storage containers that now house his socks and other personal clothing items.

All at much less the original quoted prices for custom closets, Ikea inserts, Rubbermaid solutions!

This is one of the 'saves' in this room! Would of loved to splurge on a custom closet but not in my budget!

The 'Brag-- ing girls are at it again!

This line is fabulous! I bought my first piece years ago and it truly does hold up well. I still do not have the matching panty case (can the 'brag-ging girls hear me?-I will gladly tell you which collection it was from)

Truly, if you travel and have expensive bras you NEED one of these to protect you bosom buddies.

Wow Who knew

Today I actually received a letter from my financial advisor------ from the company he used to work for!
HMMFFFFFFF- They were letting me know I had a new advisor---HMMMFFF I already knew my guy and his team jumped ship and moved to another firm!

WHEW00 I still have a financial advisor----------now interested to know how my $1 in my account is going to pay for marble countertops, polished chrome fixtures, stainless steel sinks and my new love ( I am soooo fickle) my new dishwasher either a Bosch or a simply homegrown KitchenAid- stainless steel inside, different water temps and the split cutlery tray, the adjustable shelves, both have stainless steel tubes inside- of course--- one is quieter only marginally. The one breaking point the wine glass holder is much better on the KitchenAid and I can get a tray to hold the 'silverware' (at a premium) or should I buck up get the better washer and hand wash my silver ware and crystal.......... gosh they do not get used so much!
Ahhh decisions----- and then more on the phone I want!
I can pick a white silk fabric in two seconds, stone and other finishes. Electronic stuff just keeps me up at night!

The trial and tribulation I try to save you.

My covet!

Images from Miele.com http://www.miele.com/

My newest 'love-love'..... I have an old (un-named) stainless dishwasher from about 10 years ago- it is loud, always was.....now does not clean very well either!

Imagine a stylish, easy to clean, stainless steel inside and out- did I say quiet?---- ahhhhhh....

I almost want to pet this--- my new 'love-love'............my newest covet.

I have to have one of these!

Fashion Sunglasses-Retro

Retro Sunglasses
In this tough economic time- we have to save somewhere in order to create the fashion forward image we all aspire to!
Check out eBay for fashion eye wear- or splurge for the look you want! Remember the basics khakis and black t-shirts (a la Jackie Kennedy look) and a pair of fabulous glasses will create the look you want!