A Busy Bee in the Kitchen...

I don't know what got into me...it may the the arrival of Autumn and my desire for more comfort foods...I spent the entire day Friday in the kitchen. Starting with Beef Bourguignon and moving onto homemade S'mores (and by "homemade" I mean homemade marshmallows and homemade graham crackers) .

Indeed, the day nearly wiped me out...I was exhausted, but there was also something so satisfactory about the foods I made.

The Beef Bourguignon was an Ina Garten recipe. I did make a few substitutions:

1. Omitted Pearl Onions (didn't have any on hand)

2. Merlot instead of Pinot (again...didn't have any on hand)

3. I also cooked a bit longer....1 hour longer to be exact (I like my beef to be so tender it melts)

It was an entirely satisfying dish with layers of flavors....I had made it before, but today it came out exceptionally well.

Next, we have my adventures with homemade marshmallows. Now, I have heard that there is nothing better than a homemade marshmallow...and I am now a believer. But even better than the marshmallow it the graham cracker! I will never eat a boxed cracker again! The crackers were buttery, flaky and had just the right hint of honey and cinnamon. They were almost like the lovechild of a shortbread and a graham cracker.

The recipe for the S'mores (including marshmallow and the graham crackers) is from the French Laundry. I simply used a home torch to toast the marshmallow, added some organic dark chocolate , topped with graham cracker and the s'mores were ready for a cool Autumn evening. Nick and I did bring them up to Wisconsin where we had a bonfire Saturday Night at his Dad's.....my favorite!