Missing Barefoot and Coq Au Vin

So I am the worst Barefoot Blogger. I got the boot! I got so distracted with the house this summer, I just totally dropped the ball. I am petitioning for reinstatement, but I don't blame them if they want nothing to do with this slacker :)

Anyway, since I've been missing Ina, I thought I'd make her Coq Au Vin recipe from the Barefoot Contessa "Back to Basics" cookbook. If you don't have this book, run to the store. It's so great - and it really does teach you to make very delicious, sophisticated meals with just a few thoughtful and fresh flavors.


I love Coq Au Vin. It was one of my grandfather's favorite dishes, and I remember him storming around the kitchen, dirtying a hundred spoons, bowls and pots trying to get this thing to come together. It was arduous. And the result was delicious. So how did mine turn out?

This picture really doesn't do it justice. It was fabulous. And yes, it's quicker than the original, but it's still a bit of an undertaking. There's browning, sauteeing, oven-braise time, and then you take it off the heat and stir in some flour/butter mash to thicken the sauce. Then you simmer it for 10 minutes, while making mushrooms sauteed in butter. Then you combine it all and devour it. And oh my is it ever worth the effort! Particularly, because Julia Child's recipe would require that I clone myself 5 times. And those clones would probably be like me and drink too much of the wine that's supposed to be in the stew and start eating the raw mushrooms and I'd have no food left.

So just go with the version, okay? You won't regret it.

What's better than a loaf of homemade bread?

Two loaves of delicious homemade bread! I made these yummy guys using Mark Bittman's Speedy No Knead Bread recipe. I swapped out 1 of the 3 cups of flour for a cup of whole wheat flour just to start playing with making my own whole wheat bread. Then I divided the dough in half when it was done rising, let it sit for the 1/2 hour and baked them each in a 20 in dutch oven. I could have let them brown up for a few more minutes, but I was a little worried about judging doneness by color since the whole wheat flour makes them brown already. I'll let you now how they turned out!

Boston does best.

Some things Boston just does better. This beautiful red lettuce is one!


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Remember that meatloaf I told you about?

Isn't it so cool?

I fell into the vortex of my house.

I became obsessed with home improvement. But now I am back to share all my fun experiences with you.

First of all, here's the cutest thing ever:

I bought these drawer pulls to replace the plane pine ones from ikea for my bookshelves. They're amazing! Thanks, Anthro, as usual.

gray, gray or gray?

Maybe it's all the rain we've been having, but I'm all about gray. Not in mood, but in paint color. I have spent the last two days running all over town trying to find the perfect shade of gray for our bedroom. After many, many (MANY!) swatches and samples and 2 oz jars slathered over our wall, it was time to pick one or be committed to an insane asylum. And to that question I say - Benjamin Moore Paper White OC-55. I always end up going with Benjamin Moore. They just have the most amazing selection. I also tend to gravitate towards the colors in their historical collection. The best thing I did was pick a color that was much lighter than what I would have thought. It practically looks white on the card, but once I got it on my wall, it is a smooth, warm dove gray. Yum.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Scraping in just over the wire- the Sour Cream Coffee Cake! It's cooling now for my in-laws arrival, so I will post later when we have had a chance to taste it. Initial thoughts: it looks and smells amazing. My sneaky taste of the batter found it light (tasting - theres nothing light about this baby!) and creamy. The cake seems really moist and airy and has a lot of spring to it. I am glad I buttered and floured the pan well, it looks like it shouldn't be too sticky. I hope.