Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce and more

*Beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans is a great comfort meal.*

All six of my offspring can put together a good meal and bring their loved ones to the table, which makes me happy. It’s no secret that those around you can pick up on routines and habits, and cooking for others has been a tradition for a long time.

One of my favorite recipes for the winter months is Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce from Once Upon a Chef. I’ve made it twice in the last few weeks, once for Christmas Dinner and the night before Elizabeth and Mary flew back across the pond to London. While a tenderloin of beef can be expensive, what’s not expensive now? I paid $20 for a chunk of parmesan yesterday (!); this recipe hits all the notes when you are time-crushed and seeking something delicious, impressive, and straightforward.

*Booie and Maxwell are helping with the table.* ‘*Eat here; it’s cheap and homemade.’*

*I wore a fun silver skirt and a chunky knit sweater.*

*Slicing the beef in the kitchen bef*ore *plating. Keep those fingers out of the way!*

*Everyone helped*, and we had a lovely meal, sharing *our company.*

*Booie is pouring more red wine sauc*e *on each plate.*

*I like hanging* *ornaments from overhead chandeliers. The new window shade is made from vintage Ralph Lauren fabric, which I bought on the Chairish website.*

*Here, you see a delicious and easy sweet potato puree.*

On Christmas Day, I chopped the shallots, mise en placed the ingredients, and put Sarah on deck for finishing. Sarah is great in the kitchen and always wants to perfect her technique, so she asked for this recipe so she could practice. Sarah also did the gravy for Thanksgiving Dinner when we were all in Andover, MA, and gravy for Thanksgiving Dinner takes chops, so bravo to her. I don’t think I got gravy until my mid-forties, so she’s on the express train; sorry, I digress.

*Booie is prepping meatballs and how Peanut feels about being captured with the iPhone when not fully ready.*

Anyway, she stirred and stirred to reduce the sauce and kept with it. Christmas Dinner is always an exhaust fest, yet we try to pull it out and hit it out of the park. Keeping the meal simple and elegant is much easier, so beef with potato and green beans always does the trick.

*Cranberry Ricotta Cheesecake and Mexican Wedding Cakes that my mom made.*

For dessert, I prepared a Cranberry Ricotta Cheesecake from New York Times Cooking; it was festive.

*When we got to January, and on the eve of Elizabeth and Peanut flying back to London, I was all about wearing a basic black* *tee and comfortable joggers, yikes!*

*While the outfit could have been better, the food was good. 🙂*

On the eve of the London flight, the Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce was paired with a simple and classic mashed potato, and we were all happy.

Booie, a little trick to thicken the sauce is covering the pot while simmering and reducing it, and always have a butter-flour mash nearby to whisk in. We all know butter makes everything better.

Every day dress, Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce for the win!

Post-note: While I wrote this post about twelve or so days ago, I’ve been slow to draw, finish, and hit ‘publish.’ A January slump has set in. While slumping, I’ve been doing things I never really do: puzzling, playing Scrabble, figuring out where to take the year in 2025, and tuning into CreateAcademy. I also did a three-day Zoom workshop on Spring fashion, drove around town, and sat in potential sleeper sofas for our home office. The Zoom workshop was great, but I have not committed to a sleeper sofa. All in good time. The world continues to turn.