Last week we welcomed a new baby into our little community- sweet Leila. I still haven’t gotten to hold her yet because we have been carrying around crud after crud and with some of  it lingering, I didn’t want to risk passing anything to her.  I always love planning out what meal to take over to a family with a new baby, though. This one came straight from a book of one pan recipes by Better Homes and Gardens and I’ve made it over and over again.

Of course, whenever I mention it, people kind of roll their eyes like it is such a long involved recipe and only  I  would be insane enough to attempt such kitchen-dirtying labor on a weeknight. That’s when I tell them how simple it is.

I really do love cooking from scratch. And seriously, if you mention cooking a real meal from scratch- like an all day in the kitchen, company of a lifetime meal- Beef Bourguinon is sure to come to mind. Remember in the movie Julie and Julia  how she made Julia Child’s amazing bourguignon and you wanted to make it yourself, right then? Oh…was that just me? It could be because every year while on vacation, my Aunt Nancy would make it for the whole family and it was oh. so. good. It’s such a comfort dish that speaks to all your senses and creates a lasting memory.

I would never, ever replace a real, stewed-all-day-to-perfection, drunk-with-the-best-red-wine bourguignon with this recipe, but I will say you are putting yourself in great wowing territory by serving this to company- or taking it over to a friend’s house for dinner. The smell and the taste is right. The quick roundup of ingredients and abbreviated cooking time is worth it when your day is full and Aunt Nancy isn’t there to help you master the art of french cooking.

Incase you’re weird like me, and one of things you love most about cooking dinner is the chopping of vegetables and throwing them into a pan of sizzling butter and garlic, quite possibly an excitement topped only by adding a douse of wine and lingering while it cooks down and infuses the house with intoxicating aromas, well you’ll be glad to know that this dish still allows you that joy.

Now add to that giddiness, the absolute elation of buttering pieces of croissants and toasting them to a golden crisp atop the steamy vegetables and thick, earthy sauce. Come to think of it, you could probably skip the beef altogether and be totally happy…but I’m not sure I’d go that far.

It’s the beef tips in gravy that may be controversial here- my grocery store only had one brand and no choice for organic or hormone-free meat. I was skeptical at my first try, yet I’ve returned to those same beef tips at my butcher counter time and again. I really believe in this meal.

So I packed up a green salad with some of my favorite toppings, some chocolate chip muffins for dessert/breakfast- a good tip when taking food to a family with a new baby- a dessert that doubles as a breakfast item, and offer enough for leftovers.

It was almost exactly a year ago that we brought home a little 5lb, 6oz Sam from the hospital. It was so incredibly comforting for us to have the great families in this community bringing food by for what lasted a couple of weeks! So wonderful. 

If you were on the scrounge for a recipe to take to someone in need, this one packs up well. It’s also one your family will love at the kitchen table, or it would be good for fancy company when you don’t have all day…or if someone’s coming over and you just want your house to smell gosh-darn a.mazing.

Now that I think I’ve finally rid myself of winter germs, I’m off to catch a glimpse of that sweet baby Leila!

PS-If you haven’t heard of takethemameal.com, that’s what we always use around here. It’s simple to set up a daily schedule and everyone gets to sign up for a date of their choosing and let others know what they will be taking.