We had our wedding reception at a great little spot called Chateau Lamothe, we loved the location and have back many times to visit. We love the owner Doris.

As soon as my mom sent me this recipe I knew I had to make it, and figure who else then my mother in-law and sister in-law to invite down. We all went and saw Julie & Julia and have wanted to try it since. I would like to try Julias recipe sometime too so I can compare.

Beef Bourguignon (Adapted From: Doris LaMott)

• 2 fl oz Bacon Grease (from 4oz  Bacon for the garnish)
• 4 lbs beef, eye of round or chuck
• 2 T Minced Garlic
• 1 t Salt
• 1/2 t coarse black pepper
• 2 C Red wine
• 3 C Chicken stock
• 3 C. Beef stock
• 1 lb Carrot chunks
• 20 white pearl onions
• 1 lb Small whole fresh mushrooms
• 4 lb Potato Spears (cooked & seasoned)
• 4 oz Bacon Pieces
• 2 loafs French Baguette (to serve with)

Trim beef & cut into large pieces 1.5″ cubes. Dry meat thoroughly, so it will brown. Cook the bacon you will use for garnish and use this oil to brown the meat and remove from pan.

Heat oven to 300, stir in wine, stock and seasonings to meat. Let simmer for 3-4 hours.

Add in onions, mushrooms, and carrots and leave on stove with cover on to stay warm.

Turn oven on to 300 and simmer for about 2 hours until veggies are tender. Pour over potatoes top with bacon and serve with a piece of french bread.

I love meatloaf, Adam and my dad say they don’t like it. I went with this recipe anyway as Adam has eaten my normal meatloaf and told me he likes it so I was hoping to sway my dad as well Well they both took seconds and said they liked it! Success.

I personally didn’t love it, it was good but not as good as this one. I think in the future I will use that recipe and use bacon on top as it gives it great flavor.

Meatloaf (From: Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 1 cup milk
• 6 bread slices
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 8 to 12 thin bacon slices

Tomato Gravy

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Dash or two of hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 350.

Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, seasoning salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the eggs.

With clean hands, mix until the ingrdeients are well blended.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat from the meat to drain.

Lay bacon slices over the top tucking them underneat the meatloaf.

Next make the tomato gravy: Pour the ketchup into a small mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and dry mustard, and splash in hot sauce.

Stir the mixture until well combined.

Pour one-third of the tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 45 minutes then pour another one-third of tomato gravy over the meatloaf. baked for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with remaining tomato gravy.

I asked for Pioneer Woman’s cookbook for Christmas and was lucky enough to get 2 copies. I returned one but ofcourse kept the other and paged through and found many recipes I want to try. Another great thing is it has pictures of every step, which is the way Adam likes to cook so maybe he will make more meals

This was the first recipe we tasted out of it. Sadly Miss. Maddy had other ideas of us eating a hot meal and was having a rough night so by the time we both got to eat ours were cold and it wasn’t as good, but the flavor was good and I am guessing it would be excellent hot. We plan to make it again when we can guarantee we will be able to eat it hot.

Chicken Fried Steak (From: Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 3lbs cube steak
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk, plus 2 cups for gravy
• 3 cups flour, plus 1/2 cup for gravy
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning the steaks and gravy
• 3 teaspoons seasoning salt
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat, egg and milk mixture, and flour mixture.

Pound the cube steaks until extremely tender  and cut the steaks into smaller pieces if they are larger than 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Place the prepared steaks in the first dish.

Beat the eggs and 1 cup milk in the second dish with a fork.

In the third dish, combine 2 cups flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper.

Lightly season a piece of meat with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Then, dip the meat into the milk and egg mixture on each side to coat. Place the meat on the seasoned flour, turning to evenly coat both sides. Dip the meat in the milk and egg mixture once more to coat, then the flour mixture once more to coat completely. Place the prepared steak onto a rack on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining steaks.

In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet, heat one-third cup oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is sufficiently heated, fry 2 to 3 pieces of meat at a time Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes, then flip over and fry until the other side is golden, another 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed.

Remove the steaks to a paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all of the meat is fried, adding a little extra oil if needed. Set the steaks aside in a warm place while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, pour the grease from the skillet into a heat-proof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add one-fourth cup of the grease back to the pan, discarding any remaining grease.

Sprinkle one-third cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden brown paste, or “roux.” You want the roux to attain a deep, rich color. If the paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.

When the roux is golden-brown, whisk in 2 cups milk, then wait for the gravy to come to a slow boil. The gravy will thicken gradually, but if it seems too thick at first, add a little milk as needed, whisking to combine. The total cooking process should take 4 to 5 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper as desired, tasting to ensure that it’s seasoned adequately.

Place the warm meat on a plate and drizzle over the gravy as desired.

Adam and I sat down Sunday to plan our meals for the week and I turned to some cookbooks for new inspiration. This was a recipe that was at the beginning of the pasta section. Adam said “OH yum make that” So I did.

I wasn’t very impressed with this recipe, although it was simple to whip together it reminded me of hamburger helper with the fake cheesy sauce. Adam on the other hand LOVED it! Saying it was one of the best pasta recipes I have made in a long time… I guess it’s all about your taste buds.

I did use my homemade tomato soup instead of canned. And fresh mushrooms instead of canned.

Spaghetti with Beef and Mushroom Sauce (From: Better Homes and Gardens)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/2 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 12 oz. dried spaghetti
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

In a large saucepan or a dutch oven cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in msuhroom soup, tomato soup, mushrooms, seasonings. Bring sauce to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cooke spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Serve sauce over hot spaghetti. If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

This is the first week in a while that I have really been in the mood to cook, and to try other things besides comfort foods. I got this Pillsbury booklet in the mail and a bunch of recipe looked simple and really yummy. We decided to go with this recipe before because we still have a bunch of beef, and we love mushrooms.

This recipe was AWESOME! I honestly cannot rave about it enough, nor wait to make it again!!! The beef we have so far has been pretty tough, I was expecting the same with this… it was not, you could barely pick it up with a fork because it just fell apart, and the flavors were just amazing. I was so hungry I forgot to put the cheese on mine, Adam had his and did and said it was also awesome. Next time I would make a little gravy with the drippings for mashed potatoes and double the stuffing because I didn’t feel it made enough.

But it was wonderful! Delicious, flavorful, and simple.

French Onion Beef (From: Pillsbury Pot Pie and Casserole Booklet)

• 1 1/4 lb. boneless beef round steak
• 1 pkg (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 lg. onion, sliced separated into rings
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed french onion soup
• 1 pkg. (6oz.) 10-minute herb stuffing mix
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray slowe cooker with cooking spray.  Cut beef into 6 serving size pieces. In cooker, layer half each of the beef, mushrooms, and onions; repeat layers. Por soup over top.

Cover; cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

In medium bowl, mix stuffing mix, butter, and 1/2 cup liquid from slow cooker; toss to mix. Place stuffing on top of mixture in cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 minutes longer or until stuffing is fluffy. Sprinkl with cheese. Cover cook until cheese is melted.