Grandma's French Home Cooking

When I think about French Dishes, the first thing that comes to my mind is my French Class in a little private school in Graham, NC. My french teacher, who was very enthusiatic about teaching, often brought confusion to the classroom due to her German speaking live-in mother-in-law. She would stand in front of the class in her high-heeled shoes and bright printed skirt, writing in french and speaking aloud what she was writing. Then, all of a sudden she would burst out laughing when she realized we didn't know what she was writing or saying. She realized that she had been writing German and French translations together. Most of the time, I didn't know the difference. However, she was an incredibly intelligent lady who loved the french language and encouraged us to have that same passion. When it came down to our final year-end project, I knew I was in trouble. It didn't take this Southern Girl long to realize that even though she wasn't going to be speaking perfect French that she could do one thing. I would what I loved and that was "Cooking". So, I began searching for French dishes that I knew were very compatible to American dishes. My main entree would be Beef Bourguignon (French: Bœuf bourguignon) which is very much like American Beef Stew). My dad always had aleast 2-3 beef cattle, so getting my hands on a tender red piece of meat was easy. Then, we always had green beans growing in the garden during the summer. Mama had jars and jars of them stored in the basement that she had canned herself. So, french green beans were no problem. A simple salad and some nice french rolls and the meal was served. I cooked the dishes in the home economics department that morning and had each dish written out on a menu in french. The aroma filled the entire school and everyone spoke of the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. My entire class enjoyed my dishes for lunch that day. My teacher was so excited, she gave me a A++. So, let's get started cooking some of these delicious recipes and your friends and family will be eagar to give you an A++ too!