Souper Idea

It's Fall. Soon (I'm just sure of it), I'll be able to sip Caramel Apple Spices and Pumpkin Spice Lattes, wear infiniti scarves and leggings, and buy new boots.

I love Fall. Everything about it. I love the cool breeze (Yep, I'm sure it's on the way any day now), the pumpkins, the clothes, cozy blankets, and definitely, most definitely, the food. The delicious, comforting, beyond satisfying food.

I committed to making one soup each week this Fall. Whether it's a tried and true recipe or a newbie trying to make its way into my dinner rotation, I must make one soup each week. D was completely on board with this idea. He can and would eat soup every day of the week. My favorite is when he asks me to make soup in the middle of July. "Hey babe, how about soup for dinner?" "....Uhh, Derek it's hotter than a simmering pot of soup outside." He's cute :)

I started this little challenge with a Christmas favorite. I'm all about traditions. I hold onto them with every ounce of me. My mom and dad STILL cannot put my presents under the tree until Christmas Day. And I'm a twenty-something married woman. Traditions give me joy. They make my heart happy. So what better way to start off this little challenge with a soup that reminds me of those family traditions!

We have the same meal every Christmas evening and it all starts with this French Onion Soup. It's packed with flavor, covered in gooey cheese, and best served piping hot after a few minutes under the broiler. I'm telling you-it doesn't get easier. This soup is also great because it's easy to adjust the recipe for your family! This recipe served the two of us just perfect with little leftovers :)

Start by slicing up one large onion fairly thin and throw them in a pot with 2-3 tablespoons of butter.

 

Cook these until they are tender. It took my one large onion 15(ish) minutes to get tender on medium-high heat.

 

Then, add beef broth. I added about 4 cups of beef broth to my onions. This can be easily adjusted to your preference. If you like your soup soupy, add more. If you'd rather it be a little thicker, add less! It's just that easy. I also added one beef bouillon cube, garlic salt, and pepper to taste.

 

 

Let this simmer for about thirty minutes. It's going to smell delicious.

 

Right before you're about to assemble your soup, turn on the broil and cut thick slices of French bread. Put them under the broiler to toast them up a bit before adding it to the soup.

 

Now, please don't be like me. Don't get distracted and forget about your bread. You'll end up with something similar to this...

 

Oops. Again, don't be me.

 

Once you've successfully NOT burnt your bread, ladle the soup into each crock or bowl and add one slice of toasted bread to the tops.

 

 

Cut some big ol' slices of mozzarella and layer it up on top! This is the best part :)

 

I put them on a cookie sheet so I could get them in and out of the oven without seriously injuring myself or others. Broil these guys on low for a few minutes until your cheese looks something like this...

 

It doesn't get easier and it sure doesn't get any better.

 

-L

 

 

 

 

 

Bake Bake Bake Senora!

Getting back in the swing of things at work has left me absolutely exhausted by the time I get home. D has been super supportive and taken over many of the household duties during the week since I'm half asleep and probably drooling by the time 8PM rolls around. Okay, not really drooling. That'd be gross. But you get the point nonetheless! Now that I've gotten four weeks of school under belt, I'm getting back in action in the kitchen and...

I tried my hand at baking last week!

Shockingly, I enjoyed myself!

Normally in the kitchen, I'm more of a throw-everything-that-looks-good-together-with-no-measuring kind of girl. This gets the job done when it comes to dinner! Howwwwwever, I couldn't really take that route when it came to this little beauty. You're going to love this one! It's chewy, sweet, fruity, and super easy! It helps that I had every ingredient already in my pantry. No shopping and/or stress for this one! And of course, it was a recipe I found while searching around my favorite cooking website, The Pioneer Woman

Here's our cast of characters:

 

Before starting, butter a 9x13 pan, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and set your butter out so it's not super cold when you go to cut it later in the recipe :)

 

You're going to start by throwing all your dry ingredients into a big bowl. 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups oats, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tspn baking powder,  and 1/4 tspn salt. Mix them together a bit once they're all in the bowl. 

 

Now, cut your butter. You'll need to use 1 3/4 sticks of butter.

 

Set your pats of butter in with your dry ingredients you already mixed in your bowl.

 

Now, there are a few ways to do this next step. I tried them all. And found taking off my rings, rolling up my sleeves, and digging my hands in was the easiest way. Messy? Absolutely. But so much easier than a pastry cutter, potato masher (yep, tried that, too), or a fork. The point is-the butter needs to mix in with the dry ingredients until you end up with a crumbly mixture.

 

Put half the crumbly mixture in the bottom of your buttered dish. C'mon now, just flop it on in there.

 

Use your hands (once again) to pat the crumbs into the bottom of the pan flat. You're going to want it pretty nicely packed so the preserves don't seep through.

 

Scoop the preserves over the crust you just created! I used strawberry, but PW has used apricot, as well. I'm pretty sure any preserves that tickles your fancy would be ten kinds of fantastic here.

 

Spread the preserves in an even layer with your hands. Kidding! Use a kitchen utensil of some sort.

 

Sprinkle the rest of your crumb mixture on top of the preserves and gently pat down to make it even.

 

Bake this beauty for about 35 minutes in your preheated oven. Just listen to your nose. You'll know when it's done. Oh, and your eyes. You want the top to be nice and golden brown :)

 

 

Once you're cooled (calm and also collected), cut into bars and shove them all in your mouth dig in!

 

Yum. O.

-L