Philly Onion Soup

What to do when you have too many onions? Why not try French Onion Soup? After surveying our kitchen I discovered red onions, white onions, whole onions, half onions and lots of them! A quick recipe search got me started and where I was missing ingredients, I improvised... with tasty success!

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs butter
• 3 onions (red and white)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup white wine
• 10 oz canned beef broth
• 10 oz canned chicken broth
• 10 oz apple cider (I tried used a wheat beer instead with mixed success)
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• salt
• pepper
• 2 slices white bread
• 1/4 cup grated Fontina or Gruyere
• splash of brandy or cognac (optional)

Preparation:

Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Melt butter in 10 or 12 inch saute pan over medium heat. (Onions are best when cooked slowly on low heat over a long period of time.) Once the butter has melted, slightly lower heat and add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have cooked down for 15 to 20 min. They will become translucent and reduced in volume. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 1 1/2 cups. This should take 30 to 45 minutes. Do not worry about burning. Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn up heat to high, reducing the wine to syrup consistency or nearly evaporated. Add beef broth, chicken broth and beer. Reduce heat and simmer 15 - 20 minutes.

Place oven rack on top shelf and heat broiler. Cut bread into rounds large enough to fit the mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute. Meanwhile, season soup mixture with salt, pepper and brandy. Ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubble and golden 1-2 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches - without the BBQ

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 2 hours (or as long as you've got)
Difficulty: Easy

I was on my way over to Carolyn's house when Hans returned from Trader Joe's with two bags of groceries - including a pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts and a bag of brown and serve rolls. An idea came to mind for a quick and tasty dish that would be cooking while I was out. After a couple of minutes on the Internet I found what I was looking for... a recipe for BBQ sauce and a technique for making slow roasted pork in the oven. Now to see if I could use the Hans' acquisitions to create a similar dish.

Ingredients:

• chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown mustard
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Using a 1 qt. sauce pan over medium heat, combine vinegar, ketchup, mustard, sugar, syrup, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 5 - 10 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch strips and place in a small baking dish. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Slice red pepper and sprinkle over chicken. Pour BBQ sauce over chicken and peppers, covering completely.

Bake for 2 hours, or longer. The longer this dish bakes, the more tender the chicken will be come. Remove chicken from oven and transfer to a platter. Allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart to create small pieces of shredded chicken. Transfer the chicken back to the baking dish and mix with the remaining sauce.

Meanwhile, place brown and serve rolls in the oven and follow specific cooking instructions. When ready, cut bread and spoon a generous portion of chicken over it. Consider serving with onion slices or a sharp cheese.