Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon in 1,000 easy steps!!! Seriously!

AAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Technology got the best of me!!! I typed up the whole post, saved it, and the darn thing dissapeared!! please check back in a few days!

Oh, and in response to my Dear John letter to Ralph's: They called me at home last night, and told me that my letter was funny, and they were taking it seriously, and letting the store know about my feelings. They said they were actually going to forward the letter, and they are keeping a copy for headquarter's files. SO much for customer feedback!! who knew they woudl actually respond!! Too bad FUDDRUCKER's did not respond back.. I'm really dissapointed!

ingredients for Julia Child's recipe: $100.00. Keeley's reaction: Priceless

Yesterday started off with both Keeley and I not feeling well. Must have picked up a bug somewhere along the way. The good news, is that Keeley and I have decided to temporarily halt our little game of "blame (Keeley or CAT) Day." Yes, WE both were feeling terrible. I'm going to spare the gory details so we all don't have nightmares!

(upon re-reading this, it is not as funny as it actually happened, but trust me, Keeley and I were STILL laughing this morning about the experience)
So, Keeley asked me to go to our local Gelson's supermarket. They have better EVERYTHING except prices there..
The shopping experience was extraordinary! The butcher knew exactly what it was I wanted, because apparently, there is a huge rush to make Julia's recipes!

I did look at the prices, and everything seemed to be about the right price, compared to other markets.. but then I realized that I actually do not buy most of the ingredients for Julia's recipes and didn't know what I was supposed to pay! The meat for the Stew came out to be almost $10.00 for every pound of meat!!!! At Ralph's it would have been about 1/2 that.. but again, substandard meat.. For Julia's recipes, everything needs to be exact, or fear of it not turning out to be "Last meal on death row" good.

I did suffer from sticker shock when my entire bill came out to be $142 dollars!

Both the checker and the cute little old lady (didn't ask if she was from Pasadena) both asked if everything I purchased was for one meal. I affirmed that it was, and then stated, that only the chicken as not for the recipe ($28.00 worth), and seeing as I did not know how much beef stock I needed to buy, I bought 4 containers, at $5.00 each.
Yes, buying groceries for Julia Child recipes are expensive!!
The little old lady said that eating the Julia Child way is not economical at all, but to enjoy the food, no matter what I paid for it. Typical for someone to say that whose on their last decade of life!

Keeley laughed when I showed her the receipt for my purchase, and said I was cute.. Umm.. was she laughing at me, or with me? She assures me she was laughing with me, but you can never be too sure... Maybe I was just a fool who is falling for this whole thing?
Well, at least I redeemed myself today... Elise, a friend of mine, and MEGA foodie (meaning other countries as well) had a slight problem. She bought a soda out of our new soda machine here at work. The soda dropped but not all of the way.. She asked nicely to put my little hand up there to see what I could find. I was able to retrieve her stuck drink out of the machine.. See, there are lots of advantages to being small.. Too bad you don;t notice them as much as when the shortcomings are thrown in your face!
BTW, Elise, your blog is fantastic.. I will always remember you rescuing me from work, to go to IHOP at 3:00 am for chocolate chip pancakes!! That is one of my most memorable moments!

My dear John letter to Ralph's

Dear Ralph,You promised you had changed, but you are still the same old Ralph. Your recent transformation was confusing for me, though your new look is a big improvement. I was told that everything would be 100% better, though what you did last Passover, leaving me high and dry without the products I needed was the worst! I have never felt pain like you inflicted on me. I thought you cared about me, and you promised to take care of my dietary needs and you failed yet again, miserably! Funny how you had some necessary products the week AFTER passover, when I needed them least. Ralph, I need to tell you that I have found someone new. All of the promises have been kept from day 1, unlike you. I can find everything as I left it, without assistance in finding it, though I am constantly reassured that I will be assisted when I need it. The meat that you got for me was less than perfect, as you promised, and all of the vegetables you promised me were wilted, some already past it's prime, and rotten. Ralph, I'm not going to believe what you tell me anymore. I have waited around long enough for you to come around, and you have not. I am never going to forget you, but it is time for me to move on to someone who REALLY cares about me, and my food preferences. I am a quality person, and I deserve more. Mom always told me I was judged by the company that I keep. I'm moving on and moving up. Please don't ask me to come back. My decision has been made and it is final. I have given you some of the best years of my life, and found that I can have it all, even if I do have to pay a little more.
CAT

Keeley's response to my blog..

"should i mop the floor tonight... so when it doesn't turn out well and you drop to ground and kick your feet on the floor, you don't get dirty? lol.

no worries if it doesn't turn out right, we still have roast beef and turkey left from camping. i'm not afraid of wasting food like you. ; ) especially when you are trying something new and complicated.

i had some stuff turn out really bad in my year of working for (name deleted to protect identities) and trying new recipes. it's kind of like the bison burger experience (is it supposed to be that color? is it supposed to taste like that?) you have to expect that not everything will turn out well... or you will make yourself crazy. and have to change your name to Julie Powell. lol."

What a sweetheart Keeley is, yeah? Lucky me! I hope the dish turns out well for her... I don't know how it will turn out.. I mean, what happens if you don't blanche? what happens if you try to Julienne a carrot, and you mess it up? can you un-julienne it? What happens if it is a male carrot? Is there a masculine name instead? okay.. I'll keep my day job for now..

The big day is tomorrow...

I am here at work, not really working, and when I am, cannot stop thinking about the movie I saw last night, Julie & Julia. I also cannot stop thinking of the terrible Bison burger I ate last night!! After the movie, Keeley and I stopped at our local book store and bought the last available of Julia Child's French cook book.. The number 1 best seller which has been catapulted to the top all over again upon the movie's recent release.

Keeley and I spoke of the terrible food we have eaten lately, and after telling her that I only have perfected a few dishes, was willing to try Julia Child's recipes...
My Brother so kindly reminded me of the last time my family had thanksgiving dinner together, okay, it was my parents, some friends and myself... My Grandmother passed away the next day... I was assured it was not my cooking which contributed to her death.. at least I hope not!
Keeley, if something happens to you, please just remember this:

It's all your fault!

So, I have been searching the internet high and low for cooking terms.. I'm hoping they are listed in Julia's cookbook... If they are not, boy am I in trouble!!! Where is Jack when I need him??? In the meantime, I will continue searching the web for simple epicurean terms such as "blanch"..
umm.. I thought that was a character on the Golden Girls? It's a cooking term too? Oh dear.. I guess that I have a lot of work ahead of me. In the mean time, I will say: This is Catrina White.. Bon Appetite!

Oh, please make sure you check back on Wed evening for a full report on my cooking umm..... should I call it an experiment now?