Beef Bourguignon This is a post I wrote four years ago, in January, just after we were married, and just before we moved to Mass and got pregnant with Emma. There are not many photos or posts that I look back on from four years ago and love. Usually I am too critical of my developing (sub-par?) photography skills and undeveloped styling skills. Not this post. 1) The recipe is goooooood. 2) It brings me right back to that moment in our lives, in our first house. 
I don’t wish for a second that I was back at that pre-family stage of our life, but I do miss being settled in our home – a home that we worked so hard on, were so proud of and comfortable in. There is something about your first home that will never be like another. We did all of our house projects ourselves – each project was just a weekend, a couple hundred dollars and a trip to Home Depot away. While I feel so fortunate that we’re now in a place that we can actually have a professional do the work for us, sometimes I miss those DIY transformations we were able to do ourselves in a weekend. We will definitely have some little projects to do ourselves, but for the most part all of the big stuff we be done for us. Maybe our contractor will let me help with the tiling : ) If you want to join me in my little trip down memory lane, see photos the from our first house, here.
From January 2011: Beef Bourguignon sounds complicated and intimidating. Or at least I thought it did. Until I made it, and discovered it was just beef stew with herbs and red wine. What makes it even better is that it is done all in one pot, and it makes the house smell amazing.
French Beef Stew (Beef Bourguignon) 2-3 pound Chuck Roast 3 tablespoon of olive oil 2 teaspoons of sea salt 2 teaspoons of pepper 4 cups of chicken stock 2 cups of red wine 5 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon of rosemary (dried or fresh) 1 bunch of fresh thyme 4 bay leaves 1 cup of carrots, 1-inch dice 1 cup of potatoes, 1-inch dice 1 cup of mushrooms, 1-inch dice 2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons of flour 1 loaf of crusty french bread (baguette) 1 clove of garlic (raw) Coat the Chuck Roast with olive oil, salt & pepper. Heat a large dutch oven on the stove top for 2 minutes, then sear the roast for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add stock, wine, garlic, and herbs. Cover and put it in the oven for 4 hours at 225 degrees. After 4 hours of cooking, add the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Cook for for 30-45 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. Place the pot on the stove, and remove the roast from the stock and wine sauce, placing it on a platter. Cover and let it cool for 10 minutes. Leave the sauce (with herbs and vegetables) in the pot on the stove. Meanwhile, thicken the sauce (that remained in the pot) by microwaving 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter, stirring it until smooth. Whisk it into the sauce until smooth. Cook on medium heat until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. You may add another batch of the thickening mixture, if you desire. Remove the fat and bones from the Chuck Roast. Shred the beef into large pieces back into the sauce. To serve, slice the baguette, then toast it a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Rub the piece of raw garlic onto each piece. Place one piece into the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle in the beef stew.