Boeuf Bourguignon

Yesterday we had yet another snowstorm.  I'm trying to get worked up about it, but at this point it's rote.  Boo-hoo, lots of snow, bad driving.   

Every time we get hit with snow, I make something hardy.  So before the snow began, I scurried out to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients for Boeuf Bourguignon which is basically fancy beef stew.  Julia Child pioneered the recipe for this French staple, but I used Ina Garten's version, from Barefoot in Paris, a cookbook that has never done me wrong.  I'm sorry to be sacrilegious, but Julia Child's original recipes have steered me wrong more than once, which is harder for me to bare than it is for you, Julia, trust me.  

First saute the bacon...

Nothing quite so retro as an enormous slab of red meat, yes?

Best part of this recipe was adding a half cup of cognac, then lighting it on fire.  Mr. W warned me that if I set the house on fire, the firefighters probably wouldn't make it through the storm to put it out.  

I'm happy to say it was a great success.  Mr W declared it his new favorite meal.

This morning Mr W got up at 4:30 to snowblow the driveway.  I offered to do it myself, but I'm not allowed to operate heavy machinery...anymore...