What does one do when the world outside is blanketed in a thin layer of ice?  Cook!  That’s what Matt has been doing since he arrived home yesterday.  Before the roads froze over, we made a trip to the grocery store to share the isles with a few hundred other people with the same idea for their upcoming “snow day”.  For me, the icy weather extended my weekend a day and a half, which was an added bonus!

We first started our “Snow Day” with Matt’s favorite sandwich—one he calls an “inside out”.  During our trip to Paris in 2008 we happened to stay on a street that had a walkup sandwich shop called Mich Sandwich.  They make inside-out sandwiches using baquettes and a panini press.  We passed by it a few times and contemplated buying one, but were a little skeptical, that is until we saw a handful of other people casually walking around chowing down on them.  We were pressured, but so thankful for it. 

Mich Sandwiches

Matt's take on a Mich--Boars Head blackforest ham and horseradish cheddar with blackcurrent whole grain mustard.

With temperatures barely reaching 34 degrees today a hot savory dish of meat and potatoes seemed the perfect paring.  My favorite French dish is the classic beef Burgundy or boeuf à la bourguignonne.  After soaking the meat for 24 hours in red wine and herbs (makes it SUPER tender) it then stews for a few hours on the stove.  This combined with creamy mashed potatoes and hot bread is downright sinful.  It makes it even better when shared with friends over a glass of red wine, which is exactly how we did it! 

Beef Burgundy with carrots, mashed potatoes and pearl onions.