Beef Bourguignon. I can say I know how to make it, but just don't ask me how to pronounce it.

Ina Garten's recipe for this stew of red wine braised beef gets 5 stars from me. After slaving away in the kitchen for more than two and a half hours, I came out with a dish that garnered rave reviews from dinner guests.

Brace yourself: a whole bottle of red wine and half a cup of Cognac is used in this dish. I'll admit that this dish is slightly scary to make. One step in the recipe says "Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol."

Ok, so no major warning with this besides just "stand back" is stated. Then it can't be that hazardous, no big deal, right? Well, I used a long Bic lighter to ignite the Cognac and what resulted was flames shooting 1 foot out of the Dutch oven. Um ... ok, this will die down soon I told myself. Just like the showy bananas flambe the chef made on the cruise, no?

I started to panic when the flames didn't die out after a good 30 seconds. But before I reached for the fire extinguisher, luckily it died down. Crisis averted.

• Help! My stew is on fire.

As per Ina's suggestion, I served the Beef Bourguignon over some toasted slices of crusty bread which was wonderful. Don't worry about ladling the stew right over the bread. It doesn't get grossly soggy as you might think – the gravy from the stew gets sopped up by the bread and is a actually a tasty touch to the dish.

I served the Beef Bourguignon with an Apple Strawberry Crunch and vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.  I'll be that posting the recipe soon.

Read on for the 5-star recipe.

In honor of Paula Deen, who never made it down to the Q.C. for her Celebrity Chef Series shows that were scheduled at Oven's Auditorium this past Saturday, I've made her top recipe on her Food Network recipe web page. Listed as No. 1 in a collection of 100 "Top Recipes" by Paula Deen, is her Chicken and Rice Casserole.

This recipe has "Paula Deen" stamped all over it because:

1. It's a casserole.

2. It contains at least one white and creamy ingredient. In this case, cream of celery and mayo.

3. The ingredient list calls for items in units of "cans."

4. It calls for cheese.

The only thing missing is the butter. The casserole is easy to assemble – just have a can opener handy. Wink.

Well, despite my kidding about her less-refined dishes, I love myself some Paula. She's always jolly, cooks with her bling on, and throws caution to the wind when it comes to using butter and whipped cream.

This comforting casserole makes enough to feed a family of 6 and would make for an easy weekday meal. I don't know if it really qualifies for the No. 1 spot on her recipe web page, but it's pretty darn delicious. On a cold rainy day, it really doesn't get any better than a big heaping portion of this warm and creamy chicken and rice casserole.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

2 (14 1/2-ounce) can green beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups diced cooked chicken

1 medium onion, diced and sauteed

1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 (4-ounce) can pimentos, drained

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (6-ounce) box long-grain and wild rice, cooked according to package directions

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar

Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Death by pie. That's what will happen to me if I don't pawn off the rest of this pie to my co-workers.

This Mocha Silk Pie from the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond is luxurious and rich. It's chocolately and thick, yet deceptively light in texture at the same time. The crust is slightly sandy with chopped pecans, brown sugar, grated chocolate and Kahlua.

To achieve the silky, pudding-like texture of the filling, four eggs are individually whipped into a mixture of butter, chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and Kahlua, with 5 minutes of beating after the addition of each egg. As you mix, the filling magically doubles in volume. It was hard to refrain from eating globs of the fluffy filling mid-beating.

A little elbow grease, well, maybe a lot, was needed to grate the chocolate for the crust, but the results were well worth it. This no-bake pie needs a few good hours to chill in the fridge before serving, so make sure to plan accordingly.

• The final product.

• Voila! A crust of pecans, chocolate, brown sugar and Kahlua.

• The cast of characters.

Mocha Silk Pie

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 ounces, weight semi-sweet chocolate, grated

dash of salt

1 Tablespoon Kahlua

Filling:

2 sticks butter (salted)

1-½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1 teaspoon Kahlua

3 ounces, weight semi-sweet (or bittersweet) chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 whole large eggs

Preparation Instructions:

To make the crust, combine chopped pecans, brown sugar, grated chocolate, and salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then drizzle in Kahlua, stirring until combined. Press mixture into a pie pan, bringing it up the sides a bit. *Do not bake* Set aside or refrigerate until needed.

For the filling, in small microwave safe bowl, melt 3 ounces chocolate until stirrable (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter, sugar, 2 teaspoons instant coffee, and 1 teaspoon Kahlua until fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it into the butter/sugar mixture as it beats on medium speed; use a rubber spatula to get it all out. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined, scraping the sides if necessary.

On medium speed, add the four eggs, one at a time, over a period of 20 minutes; leave about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Scrape sides of bowl halfway through this process. Pour filling into the pie crust.

Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 5 hours (preferably longer).

The Superbowl has got me in the mood for dips. Both these recipes have been in my folder of "Recipes to Try" for a while now, so I was excited to actually make them.

The first is a Caramelized Onion Dip. Onions and shallots are sliced and sauteed for 30 minutes to get a nice brown caramelization. Mix up with everything white and creamy under the sun (mayo, sour cream and cream cheese), and you've got yourself a darn good dip. This dip has a kick too from the cayenne pepper in the recipe. It's not too spicy ... just a tad.

Caramelized Onion Dip

Courtesy of A Dash of Sass

Ingredients

2 large yellow onions

2 large shallots

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces light cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2/3 cup reduced fat sour cream

2/3 cup light mayonnaise

Directions:

Cut the onions and shallots in quarters and slice into thin strips.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Combine butter and olive oil in pan.

Add the onions, shallots, cayenne, salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes, until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue sauteing for another 30 minutes, stiring frequently, until the onions are browned and caramelized.

Remove onions from pan and let cool.

Place cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Using a electric mixer, beat until fully combined and smooth.

Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve at room temperature with chips.

Happy birthday to two of our sales representatives at Creative Loafing!

In honor of their birthdays, I decided to bring out the big guns ... filled and frosted cupcakes that took me a good portion of my afternoon/evening to make. (Complicated assembly required.)

These Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes don't really have any ice cream in them, but only resemble sundaes (sorry, you ice-cream-o-holics). But they just may be better than an ice cream sundae. The base is a chocolate cake, which is then cored and filled with chocolate ganache, piped with vanilla buttercream, and then topped with sprinkles and a cherry, oh yes, and more ganache.

The creamy chocolate center and the buttery, rich frosting made the birthday boy and girl, and co-workers, very, very, happy. According to some, these taste ridiculously fantastic. Really, how freaking cute are these? So cute I can almost overlook the hassle of making them...

After the chocolate cupcakes are baked and cooled, you'll need to dig out a core. I didn't have a round cookie cutter small enough to cut out the middles of the cupcakes, so I used an inverted circular piping tip instead and used the tip of a knife to pop the core out.

Once cored, you spoon in the ganache filling, which is just a melted mixture of cream, chocolate, and butter.

The buttercream frosting requires 5 minutes of whipping after each 1/2 cup addition of powdered sugar. Thank goodness for the KitchenAid stand mixer, because that adds up to a lot of whipping. To get the frosting to look like whipped cream, I used a round piping tip.

After you pipe the little white clouds of frosting on each, drizzle on more ganache sauce, add rainbow-colored sprinkles, and top with a stemmed maraschino cherry.

Packed with loads of vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber, butternut squash is as nutritious as it is tasty. This velvety soup highlights the nutty, sweet flavors of the squash and makes for a great winter soup. Pureeing sauteed butternut squash, carrots and onions together lends a thick texture to the soup without the use of heavy cream, which keeps it light. With only six ingredients, it couldn't be easier. (Pst...Use pre-peeled and diced squash to save time.)

Butternut Squash Soup (from Cooking Light)

1 tablespoon butter

3 1/2 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

3/4 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup half-and-half

1/8 teaspoon salt

To prepare soup, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash, carrot, and onion; sauté for 12 minutes. Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in half-and-half and salt.

Place squash mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape), and secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth.

Here's another lasagna recipe for you. (Here's the first [meaty] version.) This time it comes from Cooking Light and it's vegetarian-friendly. Garnering top reviews from CookingLight.com readers and cooks, I had to try it.

Butternut squash and spinach are paired with sauteed onions, oven-ready noodles, marinara, ricotta, Parmesan, and Italian cheeses. It's got enough heft so you don't miss the meat. You'd be amazed that it only weighs in at roughly 250 calories per serving. It's slightly sweet, creamy, and so delicious. Here's my version, adapted from Cooking Light.

• Check out all the layers of squash and cheese.

• (Ignore Mr. Garlic here. He's not needed. Not sure why he got in the pic!)

Butternut Squash Lasagna

6 servings

Cooking spray

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

5 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup shredded sharp provolone cheese or Italian cheese mix

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg

1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim or fat-free ricotta cheese

2 cups diced peeled butternut squash

3 cups jarred pasta sauce

6 oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)

1/1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine provolone/Italian cheeses, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and ricotta cheese in a large bowl.

Place squash in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high 5 minutes or until tender.

Coat the bottom and sides of a (8-inch-square) baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of prepared dish. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over noodles. Arrange the squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Arrange onion and spinach mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup pasta sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover pan with foil.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

To freeze unbaked lasagna: Prepare through Step 6. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked lasagna: Thaw completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover lasagna with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Red velvet cakes always draw comments. Comments about the shocking red color, the indescribable flavor, and the delicious cream cheese frosting that always accompanies it.

Though recipes for this cake vary, red velvet is always characterized by three things: buttermilk, cocoa, and the red color. Though it contains cocoa, the flavor can't really be described as "chocolate," nor can it be characterized as just a "vanilla white cake." Some say it's just a Devil's food cake with red coloring. You'll have to try it to know.

Making red velvet cupcakes from scratch requires a whole bottle or two of red food coloring. And you know what that means... red-stained clothing and stained fingers. I always manage to get it somewhere on myself.

Having learned my lesson, this time I just "doctored" a pre-boxed red velvet cake mix. (I know this is totally cheating, but please forgive me!) To add some weight and flavor to the mix, I used buttermilk instead of water and an extra egg.

Contrasted with luscious white cream cheese frosting on top, these dramatic red cupcakes really take the cake.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes 24

1 box red velvet cake mix

1 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

Follow instructions on the back of the box, except use 1 cup buttermilk where they ask for water (the amount of buttermilk will be less than the amount of water asked for in recipe), and mix in 3 eggs rather than however many eggs asked for.

Bake according to box directions.

Top with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Enough for 24 cupcakes

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

8 oz (half a stick of butter) unsalted butter, room temperature

6-8 cups powdered sugar

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped OR 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (the vanilla extract will color the frosting so it loses it's pure white color)

In bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter, until uniformly combined. Add vanilla extract/vanilla bean and mix. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until desired pipeable or spreadable texture is met.