"My Love, Beef Bourguignon, Will You Marry Me?

I tend to shake my head these days, wondering how can it be that it's the year 2010?!? Where did the years go? How can it be that I am now a mother of a young adult in college? Does life pass us by this quickly? Yes, it does. I'm thankful for so much in my life, and one is that I have the opportunity to share my stories and recipes with those I love. Here is another that just became a memory in my book for years to come...
I woke up this morning wondering what I should buy at the store, how many meals should I plan on preparing for the week, and I realized I had been avoiding the one recipe I've been wanting to make for almost a month now. Sure, there's been obstacles...New Year's drag over, migraine, surgeries, and the worst job anyone can imagine from 8-5 Monday -Friday!
Today, I pulled myself from the funk and decided Julia Child and I would make history in the kitchen! There I was, pushing my buggy through grocery isles, searching for pearl onions, carrots, mushrooms, choice beef, and the best french wine to bring it all together.
With tissue hanging from my pocket and $150.00 later, I unloaded the groceries and went to work. How can a recipe be so defined in two pages??? I thought for sure that this recipe was outdated and I knew quicker and better ways to prepare the dish. WRONG!
I knew I had to follow the recipe, but there was one thing I wasn't going to leave out...my grandmother's secret recipe!
My Grandmother taught me several years ago, that the key to a tender pot roast is to sear the outside with chili powder, salt and pepper. Standing there in my Mama's kitchen as she skillfully placed the right amount of oil into the heated pan, watching her season the beef with grace and confidence, made me want to be a chef more than anything in the world.
So here I was, preparing my first dish from the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". I followed the recipe up until a certain point...it turned out great. Here's the recipe and side dishes that will be sure to make your next Sunday dinner a success!

"Beef Bourguignon Meets Holley Lee...Love at First Bite!"

1/2 pound bacon - sliced in 1/4 strips
3 lbs. choice stew beef
3 Tbls. olive oil
3 cups dry red wine
1 1/4 beef stock
1 small sweet vidalia onion
3 carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 stick butter
7 boiling white onions (peeled and sliced)
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 bay leaf crumbled
1 tbls. dry mustard

Preheat oven to 450.
Boil bacon in 1 quart water for five minutes, drain. Pat the bacon dry and set aside. Return bacon to pan with two tbls. olive oil. Cook bacon until brown. Remove and place on plate. Add beef seasoned with chili powder to hot oil. Brown meat on each side. Remove and add to bacon. Stir in 1 tbl. olive oil to pot and add carrots and vidalia onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
In a glass baking dish (large baking dish) pour in the meat mixture. Add three tablespoons flour over meat and vegetables. Place uncover for four minutes. Remove from over and stir while adding ground pepper. Return to the oven uncovered for five minutes. Remove from oven and add wine and just enough beef stock to cover the beef. Add bay leaf, thyme, and tomato paste and simmer over stove for three minutes. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 2/1/2 hours.
1/2 hour before serving, saute 1 stick butter with pepper. When butter starts to brown, stir in white onions, and sliced mushrooms. Saute for three minutes. Add 1/2 cup red OR white dry wine. Stir.
Remove beef casserole from oven and add mushroom mixture to beef. Cover casserole with foil and return to oven. Cook for an additional 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with rice and vegetables. Don't forget the whole wheat rolls! Philip has a perfect recipe for store bought rolls:
6 rolls
1/2 stick soft butter
3 tbls garlic seasoning

Cut rolls, butter inside and out. Sprinkle top with garlic seasonings. Bake in 400 oven for 5-10 minutes or until brown.

I hope you enjoy this heart-filling meal! Bon Appeteit!