Soup Sunday! (and an amazingly easy bread recipe).

Mama Pea suggested a "Soup Sunday" where we all share a recipe for a soup.  I decided that I would make Sundays soup day at our house.  One easy, healthy way to have the dinner menu ready ahead of time.  Today, I am making a French Onion soup.  It has a nice rich taste and fills us up.  It's a pretty basic recipe.

Place at least 3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced (save the peels in the freezer for broth) into a fry or saute pan with a 1/4 cup melted butter and 1 teaspoonful sugar.  Saute until carmelized and golden brown over medium heat.  Stir in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour until well-blended.

Add 2 1/2 cups water and two 10.5 oz cans of beef broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover soup, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cutting four 1inch thick slices off of a loaf of bread (french is traditional).  Toast the slices at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) just until browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve the remaining bread to serve with the soup.

Ladle soup into four 12 ounce, oven-safe bowls. Place 1 slice toasted bread on top of the soup in each bowl. Thin slice cheese (Swiss is traditional) and fit onto toasted bread slices. Place soup bowls on a cookie sheet for easier handling. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or just until cheese is melted.

This recipe originally called for red wine.  Since it's not something I'd have on hand, I don't use it.  I also use mozzerella or cheddar, whatever kind of cheese I have and to top the soup today I made a no-knead whole wheat bread with garlic, parmesan and parsley.  It's a thick hearty bread that will help fill hubby up.  Also, on that note, since he's a "meat" guy, I kept aside some of the barbequed boneless pork ribs Lyndsey made the other night for him to stir into it. 

Here's the bread recipe I promised you. A no-knead bread that is so easy and good. A friend posted this on facebook the other day and I'm on my 4th and 5th loaf of it.  For breakfast this morning, we'll be having a loaf mixed with brown sugar, whole oats, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried apricots, dried cherries and raisens.  Yummy!