I get to cook tonight!!!

[quirky]

I have my little Tupperwares back again to fill up. Although yesterday Grandma said, "The individual meals don't work right now." (My brother's family is staying with her 'till he finds a house.)

I'm going to make creamy onion soup. I think I'm also going to make potato salad. I have lots of potatos and onions I need to use.

[mav]

happy cooking ! I think peeps will like the salad

[wonderbunny]

We had smoke sausage and dirty rice last night. Good stuff maynard! A little creole does something to the soul doesn't it. Its the big easy in our humble abode. Its hard to find pleasure right now, but sometimes agood meal can satisfy you for just a little while.

[quirky]

Good stuff maynard!

When my niece was little, this is one of the first things she learned to say.

For my nephew it was, "If you have a phone...YOU have a lawyer."

[quirky]

Time to cook. I am NOT making "Walkabout Soup" from off the Outback steakhouse menu....just to clarify...any similarities to any soups...Outback or otherwise...is entirely unintentional.

I like to use Vidalia onions or Walla Walla sweets for this...but tonight I'm using regular yellow onions...so I'm adding three sliced medium onions to a stick of butter. On low in the pan for a long time....slowly carmelize the oinions.

My grandma says, "EVERYTHING she cooks, she starts with butter..." I say, "That's not true...sometimes its whipping cream or a pound of bacon!"

[quirky]

Do you know how to cut onions so you don't cry?

Before peeling, cut them right in half and place the cut side down on the cutting board. Peel the skin off them, and that hard bit at the top and bottom of the onions, which I don't know what's it's called....let's just call it the onion flange...cut those off. All the time you're chopping just keep the onions cut side down.

[Niobe]

Quirky: font of all cooking knowledge!
Can't you run the onions under water too, to stop the tears? I still use your method though.

[quirky]

I've never tried the water method...

Carmelizing onions. As they cook, onions release sugar and it's the sugar that carmelizes and starts the golden brown hue.

[Niobe]

Hmm, the yummy browny bits.

Hey, do you always cook your onions with butter? I don't think I could bring myself to do that. I've always been an olive oil kinda gal. Just a smidgen.

[quirky]

No, I used olive oil a lot....but in this soup, I don't think it would work well. I'm going to add flour to the onions and butter to thicken.

[quirky]

Once the onions have carmelized to that golden color, add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour and stir until flour cooks a little.



Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

I've never done this before, but my friend Joel (who's on his way over) told me to add a small can of beef broth before the big can of chicken broth and it would add depth to the flavor.

Then I'm going to let it simmer for 15 minutes or so.

[quirky]

Then i put in a large can of chicken broth and a cup of heavy cream.

[mav]

and.....
It's been 10 hours since you did that. You didn't fall asleep, did you?

[quirky]

No...I was busy eating soup.

Allow soup to come to a boil and salt and pepper to taste.

If it's not thick enough...you may need to add some more flour shaken with milk.

[Niobe]

All that butter.....and then cream!