Now We're Cooking

The semester seems to have gotten away from me, somehow, at least as far as posting about my cooking adventures goes. Now that finals week is upon us (at least here), I, of course, take this opportunity to catch up on my . . . cooking!

Quick rewind a month or so back. I decided, after eying the particular recipe off and on, to make Coq au Vin. And it turned out deliciously, if I do say so myself. I'm reminded of the scene in Julia Powell's Julie and Julia (later brought to the big screen) where one takes swigs of their wine of choice as he or she empties the better part of a bottle into a dutch oven. Of course, this is the scenario that played out in my kitchen, utilizing a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon (can't remember what kind, but I digress).

The dish worked out well, though for whatever reason I didn't use enough butter (!), even though I followed the recipe to the letter, straight from The Joy of Cooking. Thank you Erma Rombauer. My boys did eye the so-called "purple chicken" suspiciously, but everyone agreed it was a nice treat.

Last night, I decided to make a homemade beef stew. It ended up being much more a rustic, chunky soup in a broth (though not the thin, condensed-soup broth that we all love so much). It turned out well; the beef was tender, spiced to perfection, and the veggies were at that perfect al dente, short of mush. I added Worcestershire sauce, which I love, and it added a zing to an already flavorful dish.

I'm trying to figure out, then, what to tackle next. I kind of want to do a "master" recipe, though I never have anyone with a discerning palate to cook for aside from my boys of various ages. Hmmmmmm.

While I consider, I think I'll go whip up an eggnog-cinnamon cheesecake, with a graham cracker crust. Seems like a good idea.