Sarah's French Onion Soup.......

Hello my lovilies... I hope your having a fantastic weekend.  The bird family had a busy day.  We were out of the house for most of the morning.  When we got home... the mama decided that I would make a batch of my french onion soup.  I love cooking this soup when the family is home.  The house smells so heavenly.... and it just creates a certain comforting feeling.  I thought I would share the recipe with you.  The key to this... is letting it cook for a long time.  The ingredients are simple and few, in fact you probably have everything in your pantry/fridge right now. 

Ingredients
About 2 1/2 pounds yellow, white, or red onions
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Salt
4 cups beef stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Slices of french Bread
Gruyere, Provolone or Parmesan cheese( I favor sliced provolone) 

Instructions

 Gather your ingredients. You should have about 4 hours until dinner; this soup takes a while to cook.

 Cut each onion in half lengthwise, then slice into half-moons. Slice these half-moons in half again.

 Scrape all the cut onions into a bowl. You will have at least 6 cups of chopped onions — probably more.

 Cut a stick of butter in half, and then into a couple of big pieces.

 Place your skillet,saucepan or my favorite a dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter. Let the butter melt.

 After the butter melts and foams up, add the onions. Stir them to coat well with butter, and sprinkled them thoroughly with about a teaspoon of salt.

Turn the heat to medium low, and let the onions cook. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, for at least  1 1/2 hours.  I usually let them cook for 2 to give them a nice dark color.  Just don't let them burn!


 As the onions reach a dark brown color, pull out your stock.

 Pour in the broth and turn the heat up a little so the soup comes to a boil. Turn the heat down again and let it simmer for another 1 to 2 hours.  Again the longer it cooks... the better it tastes!

 Simmer until the soup has reduced a bit and is shiny and glazed over the onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper,

Ladle soup into oven safe bowls.  Slice french bread slices into cubes and top each soup with bread.  Place a slice of cheese on top of the bread and place under the broiler.  Remove when cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve immediately!