...and then there was Julia Child.

I have begun a new chapter in my cooking journey. I received Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child as a wonderful thank-you gift from some good friends whom we had the pleasure of hosting for a couple of weeks. While they were here, S. wanted to make a special dinner and chose Boeuf Bourguignon and Ratatouille, by Julia Child. We watched Julie & Julia since I knew they prepared the stew in that movie. The dishes were amazing. Astounding. Literally better than anything we'd ever had in a restaurant. We got a little bit Julia-happy :-D

I'd had the book set on my Amazon wish list since I watched that movie the first time, several months ago, and I jokingly said that I'd accept a copy when they asked what they could get me as a thank-you gift. Imagine my surprise when it showed up on my doorstep the day before they left!!!

I'm on a fairly strict diet right now, and it's working wonders! I've lost almost 30 lbs in three months. This does not really fit in with the 'butter, butter and more butter' of French cooking. My plan is to do a recipe or 2 every couple of weeks. I'm also pretty sure that most recipes can be altered to use less fat. But, I really want to do the cookbook justice and make them correctly.

My first dinner will be a big one - Valentine's Day!! Here is the menu I've chosen:

• Braised Lamb Shank(339)
• Potatoes sauteed in butter(526)
• Braised Brussels Sprouts(451)
• Carrots in Butter(477)
• Caramel/Chocolate Almond Creme(594)

I won't usually choose 3 buttered veggies and won't be making very many desserts, but for Valentine's Day I'm going all out! I'll make another post with my progress later this week!!