Making boeuf bourguignon for the first time!

Week 6

I spent the majority of Sunday making boeuf bourguignon from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but earlier in the day I went on a run. On my walk back to the house, I called Bridget to catch up. At around 1:30 in the afternoon I began preparing the boeuf, and by 6 p.m. dinner was ready. I got my copy of Mastering at one of my dad’s favorite places to rummage through old things, The Archive in Lansdale. Before taking on boeuf bourguignon, I’d only made one recipe from it — ratatouille to celebrate my 22nd birthday. With temperatures well below freezing over the weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to try my hand at boeuf bourguignon. We ate it with boiled potatoes and roasted asparagus on the side — a delicious winter project and meal. 

On Monday I made a perfectly green matcha to bring to work and had some leftovers for lunch. That evening I began working away at editing a TikTok from Sunday after having dinner with Mom and Dad. Before bed, I switched out my bedding from the cheap set I got during COVID and put on the crisp linens I picked out last year for my college apartment. I guess this is the part where I drop the big news: I’ve decided to not move out of my parents’ house! I spent a lot of this week thinking about life here and how I can make myself feel like less of a loser. One way that helps me feel independent of my parents is grocery shopping and cooking meals for myself (and Mom and Dad). Another is establishing a nighttime routine because I really haven’t had one to look forward to since starting work — it’s always “go go go” when I get home because daylight is burning. Putting a new duvet on definitely helped. 

On Tuesday I brought some cinnamon raisin oatmeal to work for breakfast — added crème fraîche again because it’s so good. There were two tastings back to back at work, and I led the other two junior employees in the office in making sure they went smoothly. Because we aren’t putting on as many events as we were in the fall, we’re able to welcome clients into the office more often (usually wedding couples, some corporate clients). I like doing them because 1) it’s always fun to be in the kitchen (they let us eat the leftovers for lunch, which are always better than what was actually put out for lunch) and 2) I love seeing my coworkers make a great impression on the clients they’ve been emailing back and forth with for months.

Wednesday was a bit of a bore, but I did finally get to wear the jacket Matt got me for Christmas. I tried wearing a new outfit to work each day this week, and Wednesday’s was my favorite — I don’t believe in the “no white after Labor Day rule.” Worked my way through Little Men, the sequel to one of my favorite books, Little Women, on the train ride home.

Thursday was more interesting than the day before — mainly because I documented my day at work for TikTok. Some standout moments: doing another tasting, snacking on some home(read: work)made dried lemon slices, making menu cards for events, and walking to the train in spring-like weather. I finished Little Men and began reading Jo’s Boys on the way home, where a package awaited me. I tore into it immediately — a tripod for my phone! I made biscuits from my Betty Crocker cookbook (which is the same age as my dad) before bed and photographed them on my new thrifted plates.

Lots went on at work on Friday; for starters, everyone was in their Eagles’ green ahead of the Super Bowl. In the morning we tasted hand pies from a local bakery, and then in the afternoon we tested a sensory dinner concept on my coworkers — they ate soup and risotto blindfolded in the dark and had to guess the different flavors of five identical cream puffs. We had a good laugh trying to get a company picture of everyone in their Eagles’ gear, but we couldn’t find everyone at the same time and ended up with a handful of different shots. Did a lot of desk work at the end of the day, and then Matt picked me up for dinner. We finally tried Bloomsday in Head House Square (probably my favorite area of the city). I had a glass of rosé from the American Wine Project and actually understood the notes the server gave me to sell it on (or at least I think I did). The two of us split three plates: the fish & chips, crispy brussels sprouts with black garlic aioli, and a tinned fish plate (we picked sardines). I explained why tinned fish is so hot right now to Matt, describing this era as Depression Girl time. “Tinned fish is cheap!” I said, or so it was, but I guess it depends where you buy it from and how cute the packaging is. We got stuck in major traffic on 76 on the way home, but still made time for dessert: McFlurries. 

Because Matt is in town this weekend, my Saturday and Sunday plans look a little different than usual. Still made room for “window time” on Saturday morning — I love sitting at the window in my room as the sun breaks through the trees and lights up the driveway. Then I warmed up for my Saturday run, leading me to a PR! We’re taking his dog out for lunch, so I’ll stop here and report on that in next week’s newsletter. Until then, as Julia Child would say, bon appétit and GO BIRDS