Favorite Salad

I am obsessed with eating this salad. I made a similar version when we had dinner with our friends, but I like this one better.

Mixed baby greens topped with: slices of ripe red pear, thin slices of red onion, crumbled Gorgonzola, craisins, and these tasty candied pecans from Trader Joe's. I top mine with raspberry vinaigrette, also from Trader Joe's (I am dying for them to put one down here!). I have had this salad three times so far this week and I think I will have it for dinner tonight too.

French Onion Soup- take two

ugh I just wrote this whole blog, published, and then BAM it disappeared. I'm sure I was much more clever and innovative the first time around but here we go again.

It is fall- the cold, rain, and darkness by 5:00 is here. I have brought my crock-pot out, dusted it off, and put it to work. We had a fun pumpkin carving party and it got a few rounds of spiced apple cider- my fall time favorite. (Super easy- a gallon or so of apple juice, 1/2 cup-ish of brown sugar, one orange sliced, some whole cloves, allspice, and cinnamon sticks and give it a few hours). I have been making/experimenting with new soups and stews, so far I have made beef stew with rosemary, white chicken chili with roasted poblano peppers, and this french onion soup- which OK was not actually made in the crock-pot but easy could have been.

French Onion Soup

This should serve about 6 but when you live with an always-hungry 23 year old man, well it lasted us one dinner and two lunches for me :)

Ingredients: 3 large yellow onions (I used two huge yellow onions and one medium sweet), 2 TBSP butter and 2 TBSP olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 1 TBSP or so of sugar, 2 TBSP of flour, 1 cup of dry sherry cooking wine, 2 quarts good quality beef broth, thyme, 2 bay leaves, a fresh baguette- I used sour dough, and good Gruyere cheese

Put the butter and olive oil in a large pot over Medium-ish heat. Cut the onions in half, peel, and thinly slice. Add the onions to the melted butter and oil with the salt, pepper, and sugar and let those babies caramelize. Stir every few minutes (takes about 20-30 minutes) until the onions become a thick, sticky, brown, sweet, oniony mess. Add the flour and stir for a minute or so. De-glaze with the sherry wine then add the beef broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook for 15-20 more minutes until the onions are tender. In the meanwhile, slice the baguette and toast on a baking sheet in the oven. Once lightly brown, top with slices of Gruyere cheese and broil until melted. I pour the soup into a large mug and top with one piece of cheesy toast at a time, that way it is kinda crunchy-kinda soggy, and once it is gone, I add another. YUM