The first time I was introduced to this soup, was in a land where warm soup does not need to chase the chills on a winter night, cheese is not easy to come by, and it was not uncommon for little lizards to lose their grip on the thatch roof ceiling and come crashing onto the dinner table… But that is not important. As I remember the onion haters of the family were off visiting another village, so Steve took over the kitchen and presented this at supper time. Amazing. I’ve eaten this soup a number of times since then, and it never ceases to take me down memory’s lane- to Central America, way up in the jungle and remind me of my Canadian friends. 🙂

With a little encouragement from the brother-in-law, I decided it was time to establish the art of this being homemade food on Paradise Lane… So here it is. This isn’t all that complex, just time-consuming… Enjoy

P.S I skimp on this amount of onions… And if the broth is any more than less- sodium- it gets salty in a hurry

French Onion Soup
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups thinly vertically sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
4 cups thinly vertically sliced red onion
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 cups less-sodium beef broth
1/4 teaspoon thyme
8 (1-ounce) slices French bread
8 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace)

Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in sugar, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium; cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high, and sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is golden brown. Stir in wine, and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and thyme; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours.

Preheat broiler.

Place bread in a single layer on a baking sheet; broil 2 minutes or until toasted, turning after 1 minute.

Place 8 ovenproof bowls (or a small roaster works too) on a jelly-roll pan. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Divide bread evenly among bowls; top each serving with 1 cheese slice. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.

Bonus Pics;

Emily and I joined the parents for a few days in Florida… I apologize to those of you who are my friends on Facebook and Instagram- this may be a bit of a rerun..

I am amazed at the variety in Creation,  you can travel just a few hours and experience a completely different world… The sun and sand were gorgeous as well as all the vegetation on our little isle of paradise, but what almost ranked highest for me, was the campfire that was burning out in the garden surrounding our place almost every night of our stay. Somehow the combination of stars, fire, and palm trees…

We went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens, where they had free range flamingos. They by all appearances were starving,(or not) and weren’t afraid to beg for food, and eat right out of your hand. Given my fowl phobia from a not too distant memory of a farm rooster, I was rather skeptical. And my dear dad, insisted on sneaking up behind them and attempting to pet them as they ate from our hands.. Thankfully, they let me live- plus keep all my appendages. I made my escape as soon as I could 🙂

Frosty, the sand man, was really doing well
With some seaweed hair and corral arms and two eyes made out of shell…
Frosty,the sand man, knew the sea was rough that day..
Said “the time has come let’s have some fun, now before I wash away..”
There really was no magic in that old beach towel we found…
But when we placed it on the ground with my family gathering round..
I again realized that the salt, sand and sun was refreshing as it can be…
So I praise our amazing Creator and relax with family!!

Missed you Julia and Sherman and Deborah and Kerry!!