boeuf bourguignon

They call it 'boeuf bourguignon'. Where do I start with this one!?

(it looks so much better in reality than in the picture...)

This dish takes a while to make, but once you taste it... you know it was all worth it.

So I began by buying 3 packs of cut beef. I rolled them in flour, carefully tending to each one. Then I placed them in a very hot pan of oil and fried them until golden. Of course, salt was a must, so I dashed some into the mixture. Once ready, I put the fried boeuf into a pot of water, and roughly sliced two onions, throwing them into the pot as well. It was crucial, at this point, to keep the fire on very low and cover the pot tightly. I added Italian herbs, and after one hour of simmering, generously added a cup of red whine. I let the mixture simmer for another hour or so, until it looks perfect!

Now let me tell you. This boeuf bourguignon is unbelievable. The wine enhances the meaty flavor, and the onions complement it very well. When this dish is served, hot and smoky, it makes everyone's mouth water. Everything about it is just so delicious- the smell, taste, tenderness in your mouth... Usually, though, it takes a few tries to make the perfect one, but trust me. It's all worth it.

Enjoy!

Roll over!

I went to an unbelievable cook's store today, and was stunned at the countless utensils for the kitchen. I can spend hours upon hours in a store like that, but what surprised me was that some of the recipe books there were for simple rolls! Did I really need a book to tell me how to make a roll?! So, I decided to try it out... by myself. As soon as I got home I raided the fridge for some inspiration, and decided on a salad roll.

First I placed two huge salad leaves on the plate (since the leaves are green, I used a white plate with green designs). I took three pieces of sliced turkey breast and placed them on the salad. Next, I was going to put mango, but I was not so sure about the funky taste, so I decided against it and chose green apples, cut, with a bit of lemon juice sprayed on it, but not too much. Over the whole salad-turkey-apple roll I sprayed some raspberry walnut dressing. On the side I had carrot slices and pepper slices (which I originally put in the roll, but changed my mind), with a pesto dip. The picture is the salad roll before it is rolled, before I took out the peppers, and before I added two slices of turkey breast on top of the first layer.

For dessert: a banana... but I will begin making more sophisticated desserts soon.

Overall, the meal was light and really energizing. I love to cook so much, I wish I had more time to really sit and create new recipes. Well, that's all for now!

a solid soup

As the winter gets harsher, and the snow is showing up more often, it is important to have a good soup to warm you up. So although this is a very simple recipe, it is wonderful to come home to on a mid-January evening. This is a recipe from home, with the true taste of home.

I washed a few dark green squashes under water and cut off any part that looked not so great, and diced the squash. Those I put into a pot with one or two sweet potatoes- very hard ones- peeled and cubed as well. In the pot I covered them with water and covered the pot, letting the vegetables soften. I added salt to blend the tastes together, and let the mixture simmer for an hour or so. As soon as I thought the food was soft enough I blended the whole mixture together, adding half-and-half cream and swiss cheese. Wow! Warm, quick, and so tasty! This is a soup that could easily be eaten with garlic bread or bread-sticks, but you can also just eat it up plain.

As always, it is most important to enjoy what you eat!!

A Word on Fruit Salad...

This afternoon, I ate something that I eat often, but rarely bother to taste. I had a fruit salad, served in a simple, small, white bowl. It contained different fruits, including grapefruits, apples, and oranges. I took a spoonful of grapefruit and apple pieces. That's when it hit me; anything natural, blended together so beautifully, can taste absolutely incredible! And then I realized... that that's what cooking is all about. You have to find the perfect ratios to blend together all the plain and simple foods in order to make a perfect dish. That's the beauty of cooking; it's all about what you use, those small tablespoons and cups of various ingredients that come together to make just the taste you wanted. All that I got from that fruit salad. Yes, the perfect, few ingredients that blend together to make the perfect mix... well, that's what really make cooking a pleasure and an adventure. And when you get it right, when you really blend those simple ingredients perfectly, you have a delicious food, a world of it's own, a real mouthful of heaven.