French Onion Soup

I think this is a record for nights in a row for soup.  I could eat soup every day all winter long. I have even been known to have soup in the summer. I think it is one of my favorite things to eat.  I got a gifted a mandoline for Christmas from my parents. Mr. J refused to get me one because he thinks they are dangerous.  I agree but I promise to be careful. 

This little gadget is life changing. One of my favorite soups is French Onion.  I tend to order it in restaurants or wait for someone to make some for me.  Slicing lots of onions very thinly is just not something I look forward to.  With the mandoline I had 5 large onions sliced in perfect little rings in about 5 minutes.

Gorgeous I tell you!  This pot of onion slices makes me so happy.  Honestly have you ever seen something so beautiful?  I am still marveling at this sight.   It was a good thing the onions were so easy because my patience wears thin waiting for the onions to soften down and almost caramelize.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 C unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 C dry sherry
2 quarts beef broth (I used vegetable because I was out of beef.)
1 baguette, sliced
3 slices Gouda cheese

Directions:

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add in garlic with 5 minutes of cooking time remaining.

Add the sherry, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sherry has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Now add the broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Once toasted remove bread from oven.  Place on top of soup.  Lay Gouda slices on top of bread.  Broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

We used Gouda because we had some on hand and Mr. J found several postings online for French Onion soup with Gouda stating that it was delicious.  It certainly added a creamy consistency to the soup but I thought the Gouda flavor overwhelmed the soup itself.  Call me a traditionalist but I prefer Gruyere cheese.  I guess there is always leftovers.

Mexican Taco Stew

The first day back is always the hardest. Unfortunately the company I work for decided the best holiday to close the office was Friday, December 30th. Thus, this morning I had to get back into the routine of going to work while millions of other Americans had one more day off. It was rough. I am starting to feel better but it is slow going. Being sick and having to go back to work after a week off is not fun. I sent three emails off before 9am which promptly got three out of office responses.  It made it all the worst knowing that others were still enjoying break while I was working.  On the bright side, it made for a slower day for me to ease back into things.  

I saw this recipe a while ago in my Whole Foods email newsletter. It was one of those things that instantly caught my attention.  It sounded good and required little effort to put together.  This is key for me during the work week.  Plus, it is officially winter time. I love warm, comforting foods in the winter.  Soups are my favorite.

Mexican Taco Stew

Adapted from Whole Foods Market

Ingredients

1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 Serrano peppers, finely chopped 
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) canned black beans

1 (14.5-ounce) canned diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup salsa

Note: The original recipe called for 1 chopped zucchini or summer squash.  We added the fresh peppers for an extra flavor kick.

 

Directions:

Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. 

In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. 

Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

This was one of the meals that Mr. J decides to ask me about early in the day and by the time dinner rolls around he has convinced himself that he doesn't really want to eat it.  Good thing I am still sick.  Sickness gives me this power over Mr. J.  He knows I cannot argue with him.  Amazingly instead of taking advantage of my disadvantage he doesn't even try.  When he first heard of Mexican Taco Stew he wanted none of it.  Basically, I weakly put my foot down and said this is what we are having and although not sold on the idea he was game to try it out.  It helped that we had a bunch of fresh peppers that I mentioned could be added.

The end result was way beyond expectations.  The stew smelled so good and slowly drifted through the apartment for the cooking process.  I had Mr. J drooling before he even began to eat.  It was like nachos in a bowl but much less heavy.  We added broken up tortilla chips which gave a nice crispy texture to the stew.  If you have the end of a bag of chips this would be perfect.  We opened a brand new bag and felt sad to be breaking up such beautiful big chips for the toppings.  This is going to be added to the go-to rotation of dinners. 

Welcome 2012!

I am not a resolution kind of gal.  I do set goals and am always looking for ways to change, improve and learn.  I do this all year long though.  Instead I leave you with this...

I am working on keeping calm more often.  And I am always happy to eat a cupcake.  Here is to all of the things that may come in 2012.