Tonight's Dinner: French Beef Stew

It's finally cold here in Southern California, in the high 50s and low 60s this weekend, so it's the perfect time for a hearty meal like French Beef Stew, also known as Bouef Bourguignonne. It smells wonderful simmering on the stove, especially on a cold day. I like to serve it with French garlic bread. Yum!

I've made a number of variations of this recipe -- the recipe for a crockpot version is here -- but one of my favorites comes from JOY OF COOKING. The recipe appears in both the 75th Anniversary Edition and the 1997 edition.

JOY OF COOKING is a classic for good reason -- I use it for countless recipes. If you don't yet own a copy, it's a great idea for a Christmas wish list.