It's officially 2009, another year is behind us, and it's been a wonderfully relaxing day here in my rickety little flat. Last night we had a delicious dinner at Amadeus, a Polish restaurant here in Ann Arbor, and then brought in the New Year with old friends. There was a lot of singing and shenanigans, and most of the day today was spent in recovery mode.
Since it's cold outside we decided to cook something to not only warm our bellies but the apartment too. I remembered a recipe that I first made several years ago- I don't even recall where I was living at the time or how I came across it. Beef Bourguingnon from Ina Garten. It's damn good- rich and filling, and I never have a hard time making my way through all of the leftovers. We ate it with mashed potatoes, which were extra good because I'm out of cream and used only butter to bind them together.
For posterity, I wanted to post a link for Brewers Blondies. I've made them twice in the past two weeks and even though I don't have a huge sweet tooth, they seem to have an addictive effect on everyone they come in contact with. No one can seem to eat just one. The best part (and the reason behind the name) is the addition of malt- in the form of powder and chopped up Whoppers candies. It adds a delicious deapth to the brown sugar, chocolate and walnut combo, although if you didn't know it was in there, you wouldn't be able to tell. There is no grandstanding with malt- it's like the person who is behind the scenes making sure everything is organized and running smoothly, but stays out of the limelight. If you can't find it at the grocery store, look for Ovaltine malted drink mix- it works just fine.
