The hubby and I are finally getting settled into our new home in Colorado. We are getting acclimated to our new surroundings. Colorado is beautiful, we have a view of Pike's Peak from all the windows in our house - not many people get to view a 14,000 ft. peak each morning. There are some odd things too - I have been exploring the local grocery stores here which are basically what I am used to. They have Safeway and Whole Foods (very common in California), but the major grocery store is King Soopers. I was impressed by their Asian food selection (there must have been at least 5 kinds of Udon noodles), but have also been perplexed but some food items. Upon discovering a pre-made prosciutto and mozzarella "loaf," I look at the hubby and said, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." I have officially entered the middle of the country. No worries though, I am happy to be here and despite an over abundance of beef products and soft-drinks (an entire two aisles of juice and soda!) I was impressed by the range of products that were offered.



I am also getting accustomed to my new kitchen and tonight was the first night I made a real meal - its been ages and the therapeutic rhythm of chopping was incredibly relaxing - it helped this house feel like home. And for our inaugural meal I prepared an super-homey, super-comfy meal...Carbonnade a la Flamande. I love this dish. It reminds me of being at home and in Belgium at the same time. I had the real deal in Brugges, Belgium last spring and it knocked my socks off. It's easy, rich, homey and robust.


CARBONNADE A LA FLAMANDE RECIPE
(Adapted from Cooking Light, Dinner Tonight)

3/4c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 lbs. boneless chuck roast (trimmed and cut into cubes)
2 strips of bacon. diced
2c. chopped onion (I used 1c.)
1 tbl. chopped garlic
1 (14 oz.) can beef broth
1 c. water (if using a slow cooker, as I did, omit the water - you don't need this much liquid)
2 tbl. brown sugar
2 tbl. red wine vinegar
2 tbl. tomato paste
2 tbl. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh thyme (I didn't have this on hand and so didn't use it - it wasn't missed)
2 bay leaves
1 (12 oz. bottle) dark beer (the darker the better)
2 tbl. chopped parsely

(The following instructions have been adapted for a slow cooker)
Combine the first five ingredients in a zip-top bag and shake to coat.

Heat and extra-large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until browned.  Remove  beef mixture from pan.

In the same pan, add onion and garlic. Add beef broth to pan and scrap bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Pour onion mixture into slow cooker and add beef mixture on top of onions.

Add next 7 ingredients (brown sugar through beer) to slow cooker and stir to mix.

Set slow cooker to 4 hours on low (add more time if cooking more meat).

15 minutes before serving, cook egg noodles according to package instructions.

To serve, pour beef mixture over noodles and sprinkle with chopped parsley.