French Onion Soup

This week I have decided to try making French Onion Soup! I am using a soup mix and recipe from a company named "Frontier Soups". I also changed up the recipe, making the soup a little more hearty and filling. Here is the recipe that I used (I changed the original up a little bit).

Recipe:

3 Tbsp butter

1 Very large sweet onion

4 Cups canned beef broth

2 Large potatoes

1 to 2 lb beef stew meat (I used ground beef, which worked just fine)

8 oz. Shredded cheese

4-6 Slices of French Bread (I used cornbread instead, because I didn't want to go to the store)

Instructions:

1. Peel the onion and cut into quarters, then cross cut quarters to make semi-circle slices. (Just cut it up, its not really going to matter how.)

2. In a 4 quart pot, melt butter and saute onions for about 10 minutes. Add sugar if you want to carmalize the onions (I added sugar).

3. After about 10 minutes, add in your stew meat and saute it with the onions. Let the mixture saute for about 20 minutes or until meat is browned and onions are a golden brown color.

4. Add in Fronteir Soups: Chicago Bistro French Onion Soup Mix and 4 cups of canned beef broth.

5. Stir for 30 seconds, bring to a boil.

6. Cover, reduce to simmer. Add in 2 potatoes (chopped) and let simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

7. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with shredded cheese. Serve with French bread.

This would also be fairly simple to do from scratch. The soup mix contains: black beluga lentils, onion, carrots, scallions, and various spices and herbs.

Here are the pictures...

This is the soup mix I used.

Sauteeing the onions and beef.

Everything mixed together, simmering.

The final product!

The Results:

The soup was very good! I added a little garlic salt and pepper while it was still simmering and I think that added to the flavor. The soup mix used had a very good flavor. The soup was hearty enough for a great winter dinner.
I gave the soup a 9. I really liked the flavor. However, it defintely would have been better with french bread rather than cornbread. A good slice of country cornbread just didn't complement the flavors of the soup!

Dillon gave the soup an 8.5. He liked the soup, but it was a one time thing for him. No leftovers the next day.
I didn't let the dog have a taste because I was afraid all of the onion would make him sick! He did like the smell though.

Overall, this was a good, cheap meal. Give it a try!

Lemon Basil Pasta with Summer Squash

Here's a new recipe I recently tried:

Lemon Basil Pasta w/ Summer Squash

Ingredients:

2 oz or 2/3 cup whole wheat penne

1/2 cup chopped zuchinni

1/2 cup chopped squash

1/2 cup white beans (rinsed and drained)

1 lemon (juiced)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. olive oil

The VERY simple directions:

Boil Pasta, drain. Toss with remaining ingredients.

However...I decided to saute the zuchinni and squash because I don't really like them raw. Also, I added in some chicken. My husband is just too much of a meat & potato guy to hand pasta with no chicken!

Here's a few pictures:

Cutting up the ingredients (Dillon helped)

Sauteed veggies & chicken. I also threw in some chopped basil because I didn't have any fresh basil in the house.

The finished product!

RESULTS:

On a scale of 1-10 I gave it an 8. It was good, but had too much of a lemon flavor. The recipe calls for one lemon, juiced. However, it didn't say a small lemon like it should have! Also, I think it would have gotten a higher rating if I had used fresh basil. It was still a good dish, just not amazing.

Dillon gave it a 6.5. He also thought it was too lemony but also said it was too light, especially for winter. (I agree)

Overall, a good dish. It could use a little spicing up and may be better in the summer or as a lunch dish rather than dinner. Give it a try!

Introduction

Well I figure the best way to get started with this blog is to introduce myself. My name is Candice, I live in Pea Ridge with my husband, Dillon. I'm an Elementary Education major and I graduate May 8th! I chose to do my blog over cooking because it is something I enjoy doing when I have time. I'm not going to guarantee that I'm a gourmet chef or anything like that, but I have been trying out some new recipes so I plan to share them with you. I love to find simple meals that are easy to throw together and good to eat! I plan on trying out a few new recipes and seeing how they turn out. I'll try to get an honest opinion out of my husband. I don't think I have anything to worry about...unless the dog won't eat it! haha I hope everyone enjoys!