Cooking Light ~ Warm up to Winter

The virtual supper club menu for the month of December is 'Warm Up to Winter'. I will say that as far as the weather goes, we have been Very lucky in Alabama. . . So Far So Good. Thanksgiving at the beach found tempatures in the 70's.
Oh well, turn up the A/C and celebrate Winter  . . .  I found This Recipe on Cooking Light for a red wine marinated stew.
It looked like just the thing for a cold winter' eve.

Red Wine Marinated Beef Stew
5 parsley sprigs
5 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 cups less-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Place first 3 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Combine cheesecloth bag, wine, and the next 4 ingredients (through beef) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. ( I cheated here and Tied the herbs into a little bunch . . . a few thyme leaves never bothered me anyway )

Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Strain beef mixture through a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade; drain well. Set cheesecloth bag aside. 
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove beef mixture from pan. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Return beef mixture to pan. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add reserved marinade, cheesecloth bag, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Discard cheesecloth bag.

Those are the instructions according to Cooking Light... I Simply added the herb boquet to the pot and cooked it down.

I served it over a bed of Polenta . . .
I think even Marcella Hazan would have approved.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Winter Supper.
Jerry has made Warm Gingerbread with a Lemon Glaze
Val is making an English Cottage Pie
Susan is bringing Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Sara is Roasting Garlic and making a Shallot Potato Soup with Cheesy Croutons
Shelby is bringing Sauteeed Haricort Verts with Bacon and Buttered Breadcrumbs.

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi