The BEST Beef Bourgignon

My mom’s recipe, of course.  However, I will state here that I have had Boeuf Bourgignon in France, its birthplace, and this is better.
Boeuf bourgignon
1 lb frozen or fresh pearl onions
6 slices bacon, diced (raw)
1/4 c butter
4 lbs cubed chuck or rump roast beef
1/4 c brandy
1.5 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 cups burgundy
2 c small whole [...]

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Good Reasons But No Excuses

For a brief time I was a guest columnist here but life interfered and I’ve been gone quite awhile. It’s been too long. And as my title implies, I have reasons but no excuses.
In January 2008 I got a new job — incredibly challenging. Six weeks later, my mother — who had always been healthy, [...]

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Preserving Mushrooms

Mushrooms are not everyone’s favorite  food but if you love mushrooms you may have wondered,  ” How can I store them for later?”.  Whether you buy them fresh from the store or a vendor or you pick them like we do, you may find yourself wanting to keep some around for later.
Here in the Pacific [...]

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Parmesan Fondue – Simple and Different

A tasty, simple fondue recipe.

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No Pressure Here!

I’ve written about my love for canned Venison before.  There is not a better meat dish, in my opinion, than one made with canned Venison or Elk.
However, I know the process for canning meat can be quite intimidating and time consuming.  In an increasingly hectic world those words are like garlic to a vampire.  Interesting [...]

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Over and Over and …

I hope everyone’s Easter was great.  We had a nice gathering where everyone managed to gain more weight in one day than they had gained or lost in the last week.  That was just from the aroma.
We had the Sweet and Tangy Ham again.  It has become something of a hit with the family.  I [...]

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Sweet and Tangy

It was commented by Seriouswriter (a contributor here), sometime ago, that I should try coating a ham with a 50/50 mixture of brown sugar and mustard. Being distracted by all life has had to offer, it has taken all this time to give it try.
Last night we had some family over for dinner and I [...]

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What makes good sausage?

For most people, getting good sausage is as easy as going to the local store and grabbing a package of bulk sausage.
Some people like to make their own or are curious what it takes to make tasty sausage. So here we go, a short tutorial on this breakfast treat.
First you need trim with enough fat [...]

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And You Thought Salt Was Simple

We use salt in our daily lives all the time without much thought. It’s just one of those things we have on the table and throw around freely. When we are cooking, however, the salt we chose can make a noticeable difference in the final result. Yes, there are many choices we have to make [...]

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I Like Mine in Brine!

I’ve gone on and on about the different ways to smoke meat. Finally, I am going to have to pick one and write about it.
So here we go.
First of all, I am most familiar with using a brine to cure and flavor the meat. In a bit of research about what is out there [...]

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