Oui, Oui! French Onion Soup

There is just something about a nice hot bowl of soup that warms my soul.  Any kind of soup, I love almost all of them - Vegetable, Tomato, Chicken Noodle, Mushroom, Minestrone, Italian Wedding and French Onion, I could go on, but to name just a few.  Most people eat soup in winter, well I'm an all year round soup girl.  Homemade always tastes better to me and I make a lot of it.  Here is my take on homemade French Onion Soup.

Recipe Below.

 Just a few ingredients that's all it takes.

 And everything is better with butter.

 I used three very large sweet onions.

 Minced garlic and sliced onions.

 Into the pan they go!

 Break up the onions.

 Add herbs....

 Cook them down....

 a little Sherry doesn't hurt....

 It's lookin' good....

 The aroma is amazing!

 A little flour to thicken.

Add the beef stock.

Simmering with all that good flavor.

Wow, it looks so good!

Almost ready....

I did use an immersion blender for some of the onions.  Took out about 3/4 of them and used the blender on what was left in the pan and then put the rest of the onions back in.

And here it is, yummy homemade onion soup.  Toast a few baguette slices and top with cheese, put under the broiler for a few minutes until cheese melts.  Please use an ovenproof crock or bowl.

HOMEMADE  FRENCH  ONION  SOUP

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

3 very large sweet onions, sliced (mine were huge)

4 big cloves of garlic, minced

4 bay leaves

6 sprigs fresh thyme (you can use 1 tsp dried)

2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper

1 1/4 cups Sherry or 1 cup red wine (not cooking sherry/wine)

3 heaping Tbsp. flour

3 quarts beef stock

Baguette slices, toasted

Sliced Baby Swiss cheese (or Mozzarella or Parmesan)

Directions

Over medium heat in a large dutch oven, melt stick of butter.  Add - onions and break them apart, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook until they are soft and somewhat caramelized, about 25 minutes.  Turn off heat (to be safe) and add the sherry/wine, turn heat back on and bring the pot to a boil.  Reduce heat until the sherry/wine has evaporated and the onions are on the dry side, not so much liquid left in the pan, around 10-15 minutes.  Take out the bay leaves, and if using fresh thyme, strip the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Put thyme leaves in the pan. Sprinkle the 3 Tbsp. flour over the onions, mixing in as you sprinkle to coat the onions.  Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn in the pan.  Add all the stock, bring the pan back to a slow boil and cook for about half hour. Season with salt and pepper if you like.

When ready to eat, start the broiler.  Ladle soup into oven proof ramekins or bowls, arrange baguette slices over the soup and top with cheese.  Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and browned. Serve immediately. 

Nom, Nom, Nom....

My youngest was home for Spring break this past week, and I surprised her with one of her favorite lunch sandwiches, The Corned Beef Special.  Her and I are the only ones in the house that like this colossal sandwich, so I don't get to have one unless she's around.  So, I popped in to one of my favorite grocery stores for all the fixin's to make her homecoming special. 

 All of my ingredients for a great sandwich!

 Two slices of rye/pumpernickel swirled bread, slather each side with Russian dressing, top each side with a slice of Swiss cheese, pile on the corned beef and top with deli coleslaw.

 Look at this beautiful piece of artwork, just waiting to be enjoyed, yum.....that's all I can say, gotta run!

What's for Dinner? Creamy Mac and Cheese

I make a pan of macaroni and cheese a couple of times a month.  It's easy, it's cheap to make, everyone loves it, and I always have the ingredients in the house.  I serve it alone, with a salad, or with chicken, meat or fish. I have a few different ways that I make it, but no matter how I make it, mac and cheese always tastes great! 

Made the roux and added the milk to make my white sauce.  Grate your cheese.  I grated mine earlier in the day and kept it in a container in the refrigerator, it saves time while I am making the sauce.

Adding the cheese and cooking the pasta.

 Drain the pasta and add to the sauce.

Pour all of it into a greased baking dish and put onto a baking sheet, so no spills in the oven.  Top with breadcrumbs 10 minutes before taking out of the oven for a crispy, crunchy topping.

 And dig in!

Macaroni and Cheese

Cooking Spray

4 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup of flour

2 1/2 cups of milk

7 oz. block Cracker Barrel Baby Swiss Cheese, grated
7 oz. block Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp melted butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with the cooking spray and set aside.

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Bring to a boil, this is for the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, on medium heat, melt the butter then add the flour and cook for 1 minute until all is combined.  This is the roux that will thicken the sauce.  Add the milk and stir into the roux.  Add the cheeses and stir.  Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  Stir until combined.  Heat until all the cheese is somewhat melted, then turn off the heat and take it off the burner.  Mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter, set aside

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente.  Drain, then pour into the cheese mixture and toss it until it is covered with sauce.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes and browned on top. Take out of the oven and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.   Return to oven for 10 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned.  Serves 6 - 8 people.