My First Post- Beef Daube Provencal

So the idea of this blog came from my friend Heather who suggested I start a blog after sharing one of my "tried and true recipe" emails with her.  The email was my review on a recipe that I recently tried from Cooking Light magazine and has fast become a family favorite.  It's a classic french stew that is a very tasty dish and really isn't hard to make.  A little time consuming, but well worth it. I serve it over lightly buttered egg noodles. The cast iron pot looks like it would be impossible to clean- but it cleans very quickly.  You will have no left overs with this one :)
It is from the November 2004 Cooking Light Magazine.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/beef-daube-provenal-10000000780341/

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 
• 1 cup red wine 
• 2 cups chopped carrot 
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes 
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), and bring to a boil.
• Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles.
• Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours