New Recipe Rating System

Well, I did it!

I made my first recipe from the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child (et. al)!

And you know what, I think my Beef Bourguignon was pretty dang good! (Dave said it was great, but he also laughs at all of my jokes, so I'm guessing he's not impartial.)

Anyhow, for those of you still reading . . .

I am still kind of cementing my "plan of action," but for the most part, I'm planning to cook my way through Julia Child's cookbook (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) over the next 12 months.

Why do this?

Well, I'm pretty sure the Dawn & Julia blog/movie/book idea is dead. That's been done, don'tchathink? (LOL!)

So, here's the "why"--AKA "my goals" (because a girl's gotta have goals):

* to see if there's something to the "I was drowning and she saved me" quote from the movie (spoken by the Amy Adams' character--referring to how cooking/Julia Child's changed her life).

* to see if someone with a bazillion kids and pets can "Master the Art of French Cooking" without harming one of said kids and/or pets (BTW: I thought about this a lot yesterday when Dave said, "Too bad Julia Child didn't have kids to cook for--to share her food with. We're lucky." Lucky wasn't what came to mind as I began this project, but he's right. BTW--Dave's always right. UGH.)

* to improve my cooking

* to add more gadgets, pots, and pans to my kitchen

* enjoy some tasty food with family and friends

* get through as many recipes as possible in a year (See note.)

So that's what I'm doin': cooking as many "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" recipes as possible in a year.

And it all began Sunday with Beef Bourguignon. For YUM!

You know what I liked right off the bat about this challenge? The French language! It's much more chic to say, "I'm making Beef Bourguignon for dinner tonight" vs "stew's on." Don't you agree?

Well, in addition to having/making/eating a great dinner, here are the cooking "pearls of wisdom" I collected from Julia and her recipe for Beef Stew:

1. Great cuts of meat make for great stews.

2. Every tender stew simmers in broth and wine--for hours (Shhhh . . . don't tell the Bishop I said that. And I'm. So. Not. Kidding.).

3. If I ever write my own cookbook, I'm going to rate the recipes according to the amount of swearing involved in the prep. I tell ya, it's impossible to braise beef in smoking hot olive oil and bacon rind without shouting an expletive (something about someone's son . . . ). I dare ya. Go ahead, challenge your saintly-ist family member or Sunday School Teacher. See if they can take the heat. Holy Shitake Mushrooms--oil burns burn! (See proof below--my wrist is also braised.)

What a fun day. I loved every minute of it.

Thanks Julie and Julia.

NOTE: After reading Julie Powell's book (recounting her year of cooking the same recipes), I've decided not to cook/attempt the chapter on Aspics (jelled fat/animal hoof?). I don't speak French, but I think it's safe to say Aspics are passe' in 2009.