Read this when you're hungry...

Because, let me tell you, these recipes are most certainly yummy, and I want you to try them!

So, as you all read on my post about our 7 year anniversary, I had some awesome plans for that night and this past weekend.

I decided to make Beef Bourguignon and Molten Lava Cakes for our anniversary. As a homemaker, who most of the time, doesn't get an opportunity to dress up fancy for her hubby-to-be, I wanted to look like the future-wife he really wanted. I wanted to impress him with my homemaking, cooking, and style...hehe...So I cooked all afternoon to my heart's desire, got all prettyfied and was anxiously awaiting his arrival.

I had watched the movie Julie & Julia this past week and was really curious to try out this recipe. The beef bourguignon was quite simple {if you follow directions appropriately, unlike me} and only required a tedious preparation. Once the prepwork is done, it basically sits and cooks in the oven...alot like a stew. I have to say it was ALOT yummyier than a regular stew. The basic stew I'm used to is a beef soup with LOTS of veggies and eaten with cornbread or yeast rolls. Beef Bourguignon was creamy, beefy, and full of flavor and didn't need much to accompany the amazing tastes it provided.

The beginning of the stew

{I cheated and didn't feel like seperating the cooking up, so I cooked the meat and veggies at the same time, just seperated.}

The end of the stew

Over noodles, this stew was so yummy

Here is the recipe for Beef Bourguignon I used from HowSweetEats.com:

3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
6 slices bacon, fried, drained, and cut into chunks
2 yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
2 cups assorted pearl onions, peeled (I used very little of these, and they really didn't do much, you could probably exclude these if you want)
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy (I excluded this because I didn't have any, and it still tasted awesome)
3 cups full-bodied, burgundy wine (I used sweet red and it made the stew a little sweet, it was a delish flavor)
2 cups beef stock
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley to garnish
salt & pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Pat meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven on medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, setting it all off to the side once it is finished.
• Turn heat down to medium, and saute chopped yellow onions and carrots until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle flour and stir until incorporated. Add in beef and bacon.
• Add in brandy, red wine, 1 1/2 cups beef stock, garlic, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Braise in the oven for 2 hours.
• In a skillet on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Carmelize the mushrooms, removing when finished. In the same skillet, add the pearl onions and let brown. Add in 1/2 cup beef stock and cover, letting the onions soften. Set aside with the mushrooms.
• When the beef bourguignon is finished, taste and season if needed. Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Serve with potatoes or noodles.

Brian LOVED this! I will be making this again! I have plenty of leftovers too that will be going with him on his jobs in the future. {I freeze alot of our leftovers for him to take}.

While I was boiling the noodles and baking some rolls that flopped big time, and were hard as a rock, I started to make our Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes. They were extremely simple, and you MUST try them! {I got this recipe from Raising Homemakers}

{my pretty lava cakes untouched for your viewing pleasure ♥}

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted
{Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting and/or Fresh Whipped Cream, for serving, optional}

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin.
• Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined. Beat in chocolate until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
• Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when
• the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. To serve, turn out cakes, and place on serving plates, top or bottom sides up.
• Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve with whipped cream, if desired.
• Note: These cakes will rise beautifully as they bake (like a souffle), but once they are removed from the oven they will slowly deflate.

lava cakes right out of the oven

{2 out of the 6 turned out perfect, these are what the other 4 looked like. Brian snuck one in his mouth before I could take a pic, hence only 3 on the pan}

ooooooey gooooey yummmyness

we.couldn't.resist. so we ate them off the pan. {I flipped mine onto a cutting sheet so my pan wouldn't get filthy.}

Here are some more pics from our 7 year anniversary celebration!

I folded our napkins into hearts ♥

me all purtied up for the night. {I quickly learned that I need to clean the house in heels...my legs were so sore and tired after wearing them}

the wine I used in the beef bourguignon, I had a few sips before it went in :)

our sweet white sparkling wine, some of the best I've EVER had

waffles on Friday morning

my new kitchen stand ^ for my kitchen aid in our gap next to our stove

Brian built it...what a great handyman

So if, you've stayed with me through this entire post, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as Brian and I have...let me know if you've tried them out! Feel free to use my pictures too, just tell everyone where you got them please, or else I'll be marking them soon with copyright labels!

Now I'm off to make some luscious lemon bars and grill some sirloins with Brian...yep, there will be recipes posted soon, no worries! Happy Sunday Funday ya'll!

God Bless,