It's one of my cold weather staples and we eat it quite often in this house in the winter................ for some reason it tastes especially good when it's miserable outside.
( and boy was it miserable yesterday - the skies opened up and poured down.................hail stones )
I'm also trying to do my bit with eating less meat.
For my health and the health of the planet.
It's made with beef broth - but I'm NOT a vegan or vegetarian so that's ok.
I'm still not throwing a pound of flesh onto the grill or in the oven so I feel like I'm doing my bit - if I'm not please don't tell me about it because I can't give this soup up.
And my warped reasoning works for me ( sort of......kind of )
French onion soup is also considered a cure for hangovers - unlike taking a swig of pepto bismol - not that I'd know if it actually works or not :)
I CAN tell you that it's a cure for cold weather blahs though !
These are the ingredients
Olive Oil - and a sliver of butter
1 heaping tablespoon of flour
1 onion per person
1 tin of beef broth per person
Worcestershire sauce ( a dash )
Browning sauce
Garlic powder
Swiss and Mozzarella cheese - gruyere if I have it in the house - but I didn't
Pepper
Heat olive oil and butter
Slice onions into thin rings ( separating them while in the frying pan ) and cook on low
I cook them for 20 minutes or so - caramelizing them - but you can just cook them till they're translucent -
While they're cooking I cut up small pieces of baguette ( relatively thin ) and place them in the oven to toast
Once the onions are ready I add the flour
Stirring constantly until it looks like mush actually
Next you add the broth and a splash of worcestershire sauce ( a little goes a long way )
Notice the Canadian stove in both languages - Hot - Chaud?
and then I add in my browning sauce ( the flour lightens it up which is the only reason I use it ) my garlic powder and black pepper ( a pinch of each )
I simmer it for 10 minutes or so and then fill the bowls partially - adding the toasted bread
You can use as much toasted bread as the bowl will allow - sometimes when I'm pretending I'm on a diet I only add a couple of pieces - tonight we were hungry
Pour the rest of the soup on top of that - and sprinkle shredded cheese over the entire bowl
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or so - and then put the oven on broil just long enough for the cheese to bubble and brown and Voila! Hangover winter blahs be gone !
It's absolutely delicious - oh my gosh - just writing up this post I'm ready to make it again lol
Winter does have its advantages after all :)
Have a wonderful first day of the week everyone !
Hugs,
Me
LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?
JOIN ME AT THESE FABULOUS PARTIES !
You all know that my brain works in correlation with songs, right?
Almost all circumstances will leave a song in my head with words that fit the situation.
But now? It's even happening when words sound like other words.............
This is a little crude but here goes.............
John walked Soda early this morning - came in and said
Wow - Soda went for a massive 2 shits................
And now I can't get THIS song out of my head............
( I swear to you I'm donating my brain to science - somebody HAS to figure this out )
I started writing a book last winter - rather earnestly - than stopped.
WHY do I do that?
Did I ever mention that I started writing one in my 20's - and had a publisher accept it in N.Y.C. ?
Got all of 5 chapters written and stopped.
I have the letter of acceptance from the publisher still.............it's my version of a Pulitzer's.
Anyway .............
John says - I thought you were writing a book?
Suzan says - Yeah........well............I'll get back to that this winter
John says- What's it about ?
Suzan says - Oh...........you know - this & that
John says - FINISH it - maybe we could buy a golf course or something
Suzan says - You're lucky if we can buy a golf TEE with my writing buddy.
BUT................I'll show you the " introduction " to it
The Consequences of an Inconsequential life
By Suzan Sweatman
Oh Wow - a reader !
THANKS for buying my book - you now belong to an exclusive club - there's 2 of us in it ! My advice to you would be to start my fan club before it gets too high in numbers - this book could easily hit 10 - 20 ( and dare I dream? ) 30 sales. I'd start the fan club myself but I'll probably be all over the place giving interviews and such - you know how it is when 30 people want to know all about you !
Just so you know - this book starts off where the last book ended except I haven’t written the last book yet.
You have to trust me – it’s a New York Times best seller – filled with adventure, mystery, intrigue and forbidden love - I just have to get around to writing the damn thing – for now you’ll have to be content with the sequel – which is NOT about mystery and intrigue and forbidden love ( are you intrigued yet? )
It’s just about me, a Suzan, living my daily life which may have you hanging off your seat in terror because my life could so easily happen to you - it’s a warning of sorts - never settle for mediocrity – it’s boring and mundane – and mediocre…………and I never wanted to be THAT person – I had grand dreams of being the girl who left her hometown and went on to become a famous actress – returning for events and such in a gown and heels while adoring fans fell to their knees at the mere sight of me. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. YET. There’s still time – I’m in my 50’s at the start of this tome – and I just may be 65 by the end of it but hey, 50 is the new 40 – so I may end up having 1 fabulous star studded year – or at least enough to have a face lift. I just need Oprah to read it Oh and I have to fill it with fake experiments ( just enough to get her a little miffed – I certainly don’t want her full wrath or anything because that could put a cinch in the works to say the least).
Book One will be available at some point or another - because I do everything ass backwards.
Now excuse me - I have to sort the laundry......................
There's a caterpillar up in the corner beside my front door - I've never seen one like it - it's black and super furry with a brown middle.
I googled it as soon as I saw it - apparently it's called a Wooly Bear Caterpillar.
Suzan says - OMG - We've got a Wooly Bully Bear Caterpillar
John roars
Suzan says - Laugh all you want but it brings bad news
John says - Harbinger of death I suppose?
Suzan says - No - it means it's going to be a severe winter
John laughs out loud
Suzan says - I'm serious ! I just read it !
John comes outside to take a look
John says - Oh those - we've got tons of them in the back yard.
OMG - tons of wooly bear caterpillars is very very ominous.
I knew it you know.
I just freaking knew it.
The Farmer's Almanac says it going to be a bad one too.
The enviromentalists - the scientists - the people who KNOW all about El Nino and it's affects say it's going to be a mild one. THEN HOW DO THEY EXPLAIN ALL THE WOOLY BEAR CATERPILLARS ON MY PROPERTY?
Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro Suzie told Johnny about a thing she saw. Had two big horns and a wooly jaw. Wooly bully, wooly bully.
And I'm ending my chat on a serious note because I've been outraged over this since it happened.
I'm a capitalist - there's absolutely no doubt about that - John and I are small business owner's after all.
But I'm a capitalist with a heart ( or so I'd like to think ) and I really do believe that socialistic aspects are fundamentally important in society.
So did Jesus.
Those of us who are blessed with wealth beyond our need have a responsibility to share generously with the less fortunate. We should view our wealth as a gift from God, entrusted to us, to carry out His work on earth.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (NIV, 1 John 3:17)
So when I read about people like Martin Shkreli who increase a pill from 13.50 to 750.00 overnight I want to puke.
ANYONE ( and that includes all the corrupt pharmaceutical companies - because he's not alone in this - far from it ) who can justify getting rich off the backs of disease - well - they simply have no place in society in my humble opinion.
Their greed obviously knows no boundaries.
D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G. parasites - feeding off the desperately ill.
_________________________________________________________________________________
You all have a wonderful weekend - relax if you can !
Me?
Hey..................I may back to Massachusetts
