Weep with tears of………..‘OHMYGODONIONSBURN’

The days here in Connecticut are getting increasingly (or is it decreasingly?) cold and the last few mornings I woke up with a frosted over lawn (Portia is also not too happy about this either).

“cold weather makes me make sad old man faces.”

So- what better way to warm up a cold weekend afternoon with one of my favorites, French Onion Soup. It’s got everything! Soup, bread and CHEESE. (Are you sensing a theme yet? good.)

I used my handy-dandy Slice-o-Matic my mom bought me for christmas last year. It’s basically like a……cheesy made-for-tv mandolin. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to put it together but it was worth it! Slicing 2lbs of onions is NOT for the faint of heart eyes and even though I was plowing through them my eyes were still burning so bad. I’ve heard numerous tricks to helping ease the pain of chopping onions. Since the……you know what, just read this if you really want to understand why they burn your eyes.

So, since I don’t have cool chemistry goggles I like to wear my Versace sunglasses and chop them next to a running faucet. It’s not 100% fool-proof but it helps.

It also makes me look really bad ass while chopping onions.

This is our- “pretending not to be interested in the bread” face.

I also bought some fresh french bread to cut up and make into big croutons. You can toast them up as you are cooking your soup. I made a bunch extra for left overs as well.

On top of all of this I was finally able to use my soup crocks that I bought with a Crate and Barrel gift card 3 years ago and have been anxiously awaiting use. I know, I’m horrible. I then spent the rest of the afternoon wondering why I bought 6 of them when 2 people live in this house.ehhhhhhhh…. SOUP PARTY SOON!? ok, maybe.

All in all it was a delicious afternoon. And as I sat enjoying my soup with envious eyes I was already dreaming up soups to come for the long winter ahead.

Portia’s Tip: Portia wants all you dog owners to know that while French Onion soup is delicious it is not suitable for dogs to have onions. In fact, among other food items you may commonly cook with, onions are in fact toxic to your canine pals. So be mindful of where your food is being prepared and subsequently dropped on the floor. My Dog Ate Onion- What Now?

No matter how much that face wants it. Don’t let them have it. In turn though, Portia was able to enjoy a little Swiss cheese for being such a good kitchen assistant today.

Recipe here-

French Onion Soup

• 2lb medium onions, sliced thinly.
• 3 springs of fresh thyme (or a just small dash of dried)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 2 tsp of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of dry white wine
• 4 cups (32oz) Beef broth
• 1  1/2 cups of water
• 6 slices of baguette (or as many as you want to make, as mentioned I made extra for leftover days)
• 3 slices of Swiss Cheese (you can also sub Gruyere, Comte or even Mozzarelle, up to your tastes)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Start out by cooking your onions, thyme, bayleaf in butter in a large soup pot on medium heat. You want to cook them until the onions are soft and and golden brown (30-45 minutes). After that add your flour and stir for another minute. Then stir in the white wine and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in brother, water and pepper and then simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes (or longer if you’d really like to get those flavors going). See that wasn’t so bad!

While the soup is simmering pre-heat the oven to 350 and arrange your bread in one layer on a baking sheet to toast (about 15 minutes). You should turn them once and notice them getting crispy brown. You want to toast them until they are dry and like giant croutons so that they will soak up all that soup later and float nicely.

Once you are ready for your main mean- preheat your broiler. Ladle your soup into crocks and float your bread. Then add a layer of Swiss to the top (I did about 3 slices per crock) and broil til bubbly and browned. Keep and eye on it they will toast up fast (about 1-2minutes)!

Step 23948723987: ENJOY the cheesy goodness and get warm.