Homemade Beef Bourguinon

 Hello Dear Reader,


I'm only just out of bed! I've been crippled with a migraine all morning which has put pay to me going any where today. I thought I would share a recipe and a how to. On my way to the craft shop, I called in on the Woodside Animal Rescue charity shop and bought a very large retro table cloth for £1.99. When you are looking for quilting cotton fabric, always aim for a small pattern as you'll/I'll be able to use it in small blocks. Also, take a look at the colours, I can use this with oranges, creams and pinks, even some greens.

 My dad's quilt is now quilted and all I have left to do is edge it. I was hoping to do that today and take it to him but it will have to wait another week. I have backed it with a blue check, which is one side of a single duvet cover. Again, look out for these in charity shops with loud colours or patterns as they are a great way to cheaply back a quilt.

 Here's the how to. I roll my quilts into tubes to feed through the machine when I quilt them. If it's really big, then I just squish it through any old how!

Above is what it looks like in the sewing machine and below is what it looks like coming out the other side.

Now onto yesterday's cooking. I made Beef  Bourguignon with roast veggies for supper.  I took courgettes, onions, peppers and cooked beetroot, cubed it. I sprinkled it with salt and pepper and some thyme and roasted it all in my mini oven.

Here it all is, ready on the tray to go into the oven.

Beef Bourguinon. You will need 100g at least of beef per person. I used rump steak as I paid no more than stewing beef for it as I bought it in bulk. One large onions, several sticks of celery, garlic or garlic powder, carrots, smoked bacon or lardon, beef stock (I used an oxo cube) and half a pint of red wine.


1. Cut the beef into cube and brown in butter or oil - I used butter. Take out and leave to one side.
2. Chop the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and mushrooms if you have any (I didn't) into cube or in my case, any old how!
3. Heat butter or oil, or what ever you have, in a pan and saute the above veggies.
4. Add the beef back to the pan.
5. Add beef stock cube, wine and enough water to cover - simmer for an hour or more - if  a cheap cut of beef, such as shin or blade, transfer to the slow cooker and go to work for the day. come home, prepare veggies and put into your mini oven - oh turn mini oven on - I often feel a bit better.
6. Cut up bacon or open pack of lardons if you've got them and fry in a pan.
7. Add to the casserole and cook for another half an hour. 

When cooked, the beef should be squishable with a spoon and just melt in the mouth. I am a cheat and add a bit of instant gravy mix as we like thick gravy. Apologies for not taking the 'on the plate' photo but we were all really hungry yesterday.


Until tomorrow,


Love Froogs xxx