Aunt Toma's Kidney Bean Bourguignon

After seeing the movie Julie and Julia, I was inspired to write my own blog. And having seen that movie and then noticing the old bottle of Merlot in my kitchen, yesterday I decided to make a kidney bean bourguignon in my slow cooker. There were several reasons for choosing to make this particular recipe: I didn't know if that wine was still good or if it had turned to vinegar over the years; I wanted to make something easy, something I could basically just throw into my slow cooker; I am a vegetarian, so I chose beans instead of beef; and I was inspired by Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon in the movie. Incidentally, I just checked, you can find Julia Child's recipe on the Internet. But, for those of you who are willing to experiment, perhaps you will be tempted to try Aunt Toma's Kidney Bean Bourguignon recipe. Oh, I was also inspired by Emeril on the show GMA, since he has created recipes on the spot, and so I looked into my kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, and Aunt Toma's Kidney Bean Bourguignon was created.

Ingredients: approximately 2 Tbsp olive oil; 3 medium yellow onions, quartered and sliced thickly; approximately 1-1/2 tsp ready-to-use chopped garlic; 8 oz baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise; 8-oz carton of sliced mushrooms; approximately 3 Tbsp ketchup; 1 bay leaf; approximately 1/2 tsp ground thyme; 2 drained and rinsed 15.5-oz cans dark red kidney beans; salt and black pepper, to taste; (Trader Joe's) 21 Seasoning Salute, to taste; and last, but not least, 2-1/2 cups Merlot. (I hope I have not left out any ingredients.)

By the way, with the exception of the wine, I did not measure anything. So my measurements are approximate guesses. First, I poured a little olive oil into my slow cooker, and then I added the onions, stirring and cooking them on High for a few minutes. Next, I added all the above-mentioned ingredients and seasoned them to taste. After stirring, I covered the slow cooker and set it on Low. I would check on it, stirring occasionally, out of curiosity more than anything else. I shall say this much, the aroma wafting through my house for the next 6-1/2 hours was wonderful.

Total preparation and cooking time was approximately 7 hours, but most of that was handled by the slow cooker. Level of difficulty: easy. Therefore, I had time to put away all my Christmas decorations, and I had time left over to watch a movie.

And when I finally dished some of my Kidney Bean Bourguignon onto a plate, I added some whole grain bread by LaBrea Bakery. My taste buds were happy. Today, I served the bean dish over some whole grain penne. Tomorrow, it will be either some roasted potatoes or rice, because variety is the spice of life.

This recipe, which should serve 4-6 people, is no fancy Beef Bourguignon, by any means, but it is a good, homey dish, which hits the spot, in my opinion. But then, what do I know? I'm no Emeril, either.