Boeuf Bourguignon

I think the weather influences what I feel like cooking for dinner more than anything else. One of the reasons I never felt quite at home in Arizona is that soups and stews are probably my favorite non-dessert food group. And I've always felt like the colder it gets outside, the better the soup tastes and smells.

Yesterday an unexpected snow storm plopped itself right in the middle of our lovely spring weather. In typical Denver fashion, the temperature dropped forty degrees over night and we woke up with frosted rooftops, and snow stricken gardens. I couldn't wait to begin cooking dinner. After thumbing through four different "soups and stews" cookbooks, I resolved to attempt my first ever Boeuf Bourguignon. After two and a half hours in the oven it was ready and I excitedly took my first bite and chewed. Wait a minute. The meat was certainly tender, but beef is beef. Alarmed, I plunged my spoon back into the bowl, making sure to get a good dose of the sauce. This time as I chewed, I actually closed my eyes and sighed. So that's what all the fuss was about.