French Onion Soup

Bonjour, mon amies! It's time for a little soup, oui? Okay, I'll knock off the Parisian accent and get right down to business. Today's recipe is one of my favorites all year round. Why? Again, it's because it follows the Gumbo Writer trifecta of recipe yumminess -- it's what? -- say it with me: cheap, easy and quick! This soup is also versatile because it can be made with or without meat, so is suitable for carnivores and veggytarianistic folks alike. :)

*Sorry, Twitter friends, I lied about posting the Manicotti recipe today! Daughter has the photos on her camera, and took off for school early. Will post next week.

Beefy French Onion Soup

3 each yellow & white onions, medium chopped

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine spread

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 can Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic soup

1 cup dry onion soup mix

2 minced garlic pods

Dash of Kitchen Bouquet

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Leftover roast and gravy (@ 2 cups or more)

Swiss Cheese slices

Melba toast/croutons/toast bread rounds

Chop onions in hunks as shown in the picture above. Saute in butter and olive oil just until wilted for about 25 minutes. Add garlic in for the last five minutes only so they don't burn and become bitter.

As the onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil, then turn to medium-high. Add in all other ingredients, stirring often. (Be sure to cut your roast into chunks before adding to the pot.)

When onions are limp and going clear, add them to the soup pot. Turn heat to simmer and cook without lid on for a few more hours so the flavors and spices can spread throughout.

When you are ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with croutons and cheese to let melt. (If you can't find prepared croutons, it's easy to make your own from a baguette sliced into rounds and put in a slow oven to dry.)

Yum...talk about good! Can you smell it?