Slow Cooker French Onion Soup!

3 large red onions, sliced thin
3 large sweet white onions, sliced thin
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp salt
2/3 c. dry white wine (or sherry)
4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. thyme
7 c. homemade beef stock
*I cut up some Italian bread, toasted it & stuck it into the soup before putting the cheese on top.*
salt to taste

What you do:

Put the onions in the crock pot with the 1 tbsp salt and 1 stick of butter. Set on high for 6 hours. Stir occasionally.
Once the onions are totally caramelized, you can either: a) add the remaining ingredients to the crock pot on high and cook for another 2-4 hours or if you’re strapped for time b) put the caramelized onions in a large soup pot, put in rest of ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour.
Put some in an oven-safe soup crock and cover with 1-2 slices of provolone.
Stick in a broiler for a couple minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown on the edges

*Thank you so Sarah for sharing the recipe with me, soooo good*

Cream of Broccoli Soup!

Ingredients
•4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
•1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
•1 large onion, chopped
•1 carrot, chopped
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•1/2 cup cream
•Homemade Croutons, recipe follows
Directions
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt and pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and bring to boil.

Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in cream. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot. Serve hot with Homemade Croutons.


Homemade Croutons:
•Day old French bread
•Olive oil
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut bread into cubes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well.

Spread seasoned bread onto a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ham & Potato Soup!!

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Directions
1.Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2.In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

#30 Sausage and tortilli Soup!!

Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped ( I used a large can of whole tomatoes)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves ( I used 1 tsp of dry basil)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 tsp dry parsley)
Directions
1.In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.
2.Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
3.Skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

*this would also be good with Spinach!!*