Chocolate!!!!

An Evening in Paris with Julia Child

Julia Child's Recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon
(Beef Stew in Red Wine, with Bacon, Onion & Mushrooms)

In Julia's own words: As in the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguingnon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated. (We couldn't agree with her more!)
Ingredients:
6 oz. chunk of bacon
9-10 inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
1 tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
a slotted spoon
3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp. salt
1é4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. flour
3 cups of a full-bodied red wine (Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bordeaux or Burgundy)
2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1é2 tsp. thyme
a crumbled bay leaf
the blanched bacon rind
18-24 small white onions, browned braised in stock
1 lbs. quartered fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter
parsley sprigs

Method:
Remove the rind, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1é4 inch thick and 1 1é2 inches long).
Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1é2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
Preheat 450F degrees.
Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Rehat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.
Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheat oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to the oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn the oven down to 325F degrees.
Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover
the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1é2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set the;m aside until needed.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
Wash the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1é2 cups of sauce thick enough to coast a spoon lightly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. *Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
For immediate serving: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.
For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

*This recipe with taken from MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING written by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle & Simone Beck first published in 1961.

Julia suggests that Boeuf Bourguignon traditionally is served with boiled potatoes and buttered fresh peas for the green vegetable. We took her advice and it was perfect. We drizzled the boiled potatoes with the sauce from the Bourguignon and garnished with parsley. It was absolutely delicious and a real crowd pleaser!

Julia's recommends full-bodied, young wines to go with the beef such Beaujolais, Cote du Rhone, Bordeaux-St.Emilion, or Burgundy.

Bon appetit!

We encourage you to create your own magic on a winter's eve with Julia's soulful Boeuf Bourguignon. All you need is a little imagination. Add some candlelight, soft French inspired music and some good bottles of Beaujolais and you can transport you and your friends away for an Evening in Paris. It will warm your spirit!


Linda & Karen

Dreaming of Paradise!

Victoria, our manager, just loves to paint. She was eager to start work on our next project, a bedroom sanctuary, inspired by our new bed linen collection from Londen which we have called "Paradis". We chose 2 coordinating soft neutrals from our new Simple Paint collection: "Llama" and "Cowhide". Not the most serene sounding names but the colours are fabulous and create the mood that we wish to create in our bedroom setting.

Since we were creating a bed around the theme of "Dreaming of Paradise", Victoria insisted that the bed had to be made with the jersey sheets from the Bergman Home Collection. She swears that these are the best sheets on the market. Soft and cozy to the skin, these fine linens are crafted in Portugal of 100% cotton. She was instrumental in bringing these quality linens to our customers, as she had bought a set for herself a year ago and loved them so much that she said we had to carry them in the store. We're glad we did!

Londen has created these wonderful headboards that can be slipcovered in one of their coordinating fabrics that match their bed linens or you can create your own with com fabric.

Making the bed is the fun part! To create a fresh, clean look, we choice the slipcover for the headboard and the matching coverlet from Londen's Picque collection. The white soft grommet curtains also from Londen drape softly at either side of the bed to complete the look by giving it a dreamy feel.

Another beautiful roomscape created around a soft neutral palette from our Simple paint line with bed linens from Londen. Both Canadian manufacturers which we are proud to carry at The Queensbridge Mill.

Sweet dreams!

Linda & Karen

Winter Comfort Food!

Whether you are curled up on the sofa watching the Super Bowl or the upcoming Olympics, a bowl of chili and a plate of nachos seem to be the perfect comfort food! We are happy to share our quick and easy recipes to be enjoyed as you gather with family and friends to cheer and celebrate or simply to savour a soulful spicy classic combination any night of the year.


Linda's Simple Savoury Chili Recipe
(made with lean ground chicken & 2 types of beans)

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean, ground chicken

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. of chili powder

1 tsp. salt

2 jalapeno peppers, minced

2 tbsp. of olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 green pepper, seeded & diced

1 can of diced tomato

1 can of tomato paste

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can of black beans

Brown ground chicken and onions in the olive oil until the meat is no longer pink. Add the chili, salt, garlic and jalapeno peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and green pepper and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the red kidney beans and black beans. Blend all the ingredients. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the sauce thickens. This is a great make ahead dish as it is even better the next day!

Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream to counter balance the spiciness. Soul satisfying!

Karen's "La Morenita" Nachos

(Karen discovered a wonderful Mexican Restaurant called La Morenita in Palo Alto, California over 8 years ago which serves these amazing nachos which looked like a blooming rose. She has been making them ever since.

Ingredients:

1 bag of round tortilla chips

1 can of refried beans

1/4 cup of salsa

1/2 can of sliced black olives

1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes

1/4 jar sliced jalapeno peppers, drained

1/2 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Method: Spread the refried beans into the bottom of a round oven proof dish.

Spread the salsa sauce onto the top of the refried beans and place the chips in a circular pattern

into the dish.
The salsa/bean mixture on the bottom helps to keep the chips to stand upright to form the rose pattern.
Top with the cherry tomatoes, olives and jalapeno peppers.
Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a 375degrees Farenheit oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bean dip on the bottom is warm.

Ready to serve with a bowl of salsa for extra dipping!

Time to dig in and enjoy the game!

Baby, It's Cold Out There! Time to start knitting.....

Cameron, one of our youngest Queen Bees (aka Baby Bees), is wearing an adorable hat that her Grandmother Sandre knitted for her at our hands-on knitting workshop which we held at The Queensbridge Mill on January 27th.
The class was taught by Inna Tychinia known as the Nutti Knitter. She taught us the continental knitting technique which is a fast and easy way to learn the basics. Check out her beautiful multi-coloured sweater!

Inna is a gifted knitter and an inspiration to us all. She has been knitting since she was a young child and creates clothing that is a work of art.

A good time was had by all. We hope this will lead to a monthly Knitting Bee. If you are interested in joining, please call Inna at (647)230-1260.

It's Simple!

Our new Simple system of colour selection and harmonization makes choosing the perfect pallete so easy. The collection of colours is comprised of various shades that go naturally from the very bright all the way down to the sublest tones. A generous selection of pure whites and neutrals rounds out the range. The shade chart is organized in families of colours in a sequence that is both logical and harmonious. It's that simple!

Kathy, one of our fabulous designers at The Queensbridge, paints the walls of one of the upstairs rooms in Harmony. A perfect colour and perfect name for the bedroom that we are going to create around this colour.

Painting completed. The fun begins pulling the look together.

Finishing Touches. Accents do bring the colour pallete all together. Perfect Harmony!

Pop the bed with purple accent pillows. A cozy bedroom retreat has been created!

Steamship White, a dreamy blue/green from the Paint Cafe Harmony collection has been one of our strongest selling paint colours and we plan to keep it on the walls even though it is not part of the new Simple system colour palette. That's the beauty of being able to mix our own paint at the Queensbridge Mill. We are able to reproduce any colour!

Having trouble getting started on your next decorating project?

Every design project starts with determining your colour scheme. We understand how confusing that can be. That's why we are so excited about our new Simple colour selection and harmonization system. Decorating made easy!

We also offer a free in-store consultation Monday to Friday by appointment. Bring in your pictures and wish list and spend 30 minutes one-on-one with a member of our design team who will help you create the perfect pallete and offer solutions to your decorating dilemmas.

We are here to help you create the rooms of your dreams!

Karen & Linda