Tukiyeem: Home Sweet Home #2

Welcome to the second Home Sweet Home Party! I was totally amazed and in awe of the amount of participants in last week's party. You all are a talented bunch of bloggers! It is such fun to visit and see what your up to. Thank YOU for linking up!
FYI: The top three most viewed links were:
The Polka Dot Closet

Cozy Little House

Diann@ The Thrifty Groove

Instead of picking my favorites, I want to highlight who the viewers liked. A bit of advertising for you to thank you for linking up.

Today I am sharing one of my favorite soups and some thrift finds.

Onion Soup Gratine'e (French Onion Soup)

Recipe Source: Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.

Ingredients:

2 tbs oil

1 tbs butter

1 1/2 lbs. onions, peeled and sliced thinly sliced (about 5 cups)

1 tsp minced fresh thyme sprigs, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

5 cups hot chicken stock, homemade, or low-sodium canned broth

1/4 tsp red or white wine (optional)

For each crock of onion soup grantine'e

3 or 4 slices of baguette, about 1/4 inch thick cut on the diagonal

2 -2 1/2 ounces Gruye're cheese grated (about 3/4 cup)

Set the saucepan over med-low heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted , add onions, thyme, and 1/2 tsp of salt and mix together thoroughly. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 min., stirring occasionally. When the onions are quite tender, uncover and raise the heat slightly. Cook for another 20 to 25 min., stirring frequently, until the onions are dark brown and caramelized in the pan. (Lower the heat in if the onions are in danger of burning.)

Stir in the hot stock, scraping any crystallized juices from the bottom of the pan, and bring the soup to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper or more to taste, and wine, if you like. Cover and simmer for about 10 min.

The soup can be served plain or gratine'ed.

For the onion soup gratine'e:

To make the croutons, toast a dozen or so baguette slices o a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven, until crisp, about 10 min.

When the soup is ready, arrange the individually crocks on a baking sheet. Put the croutons into the bottom of each crock, and sprinkle about 2 tbsps. of cheese on top. Ladle in a cup or more soup, to fill the crock to the inner rim. Heap a large mound of grated cheese all over the surface of the soup, using the rest of the cheese for each crock.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is dark golden brown and had formed a crust over the soup. Move hot crocks to individual plates and serve.

Yields: 5-6 crocks

*Note: I am not going to theme my parties but, in the near future I am doing a post on food costs and thrifty ways to shop for your groceries. Anybody an expert in this please, I welcome more ideas!

Now, I will show you some nice little thrift finds. I found this Bavarian china in a blue pattern. I don't see the blue very often and it was really pretty.