French Onion Soup

Are you just maintaining your relationship? Or are you nourishing it, growing it, making it thrive? Just maintaining will get you nowhere. Unfortunately we are human and too much of the same thing gets boring. Romantic tip: Spice it up! Don't just maintain your relationship today. Do something that will make him or her feel special and loved. 

My husband loves french onion soup. It is one of his favorites. The soup is not hard to make, it is just time consuming. So I don't make it for him as much as I should. The crunchy toast on top, covered in cheese, just makes this soup amazing. It is a perfect comfort food.

This recipe is not just for two. Well it is, but it is enough that you will have plenty leftover in the fridge. It lasts 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container. It is even better the next day, just wait to add the toast and cheese until time of serving.  Enjoy! 

French Onion Soup

adapted from Bon Appétit | October 2013

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

6 large onions (about 5 pounds), thinly sliced

2 large shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

8 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth

8 1/4 "-thick slices country bread, toasted

8 ounces sliced Gruyère

Slice up your onions. 

Heat butter in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, shallots, and garlic; 

season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and dark brown, 60–70 minutes. 

Add vermouth and vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with kitchen twine; add to pot along with broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 8 cups, 35–40 minutes; discard herb bundle.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place ovenproof bowls on a large rimmed baking sheet. Divide soup among bowls and top with toasts (cut to fit if necessary) and cheese.

 Bake until cheese is bubbling and golden brown, 6–8 minutes.

Apples On Piggyback

When is the last time you stopped and reflected on the things you love about your partner? Putting all negative traits behind,  you should really write down what you absolutely love. An example for me is I love how hard working my husband is. He is not lazy and does his best each day to provide for us. 

I think it is so important to focus on the positive, and having it written down as a reminder is a very uplifting thing for both of you.

Romantic Tip: Make a list of the top 10 things you love about your partner.

Now on to today's recipe. Apples on Piggyback are a great combination of sweet, tart and savory. They are simple, delicious hors d’oeuvres that you can make in no time to impress your love. Or take them to a party, but make sure to double the recipe, because these go fast!

Apples On Piggyback

adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

4 thin slices of bacon, cut in half.

1 Green Apple—peeled and cut into 8 wedges

2 ounces Manchego cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2-by-1/2-inch sticks

8 toothpicks, for skewers

Preheat a grill pan.

 I cooked mine in the oven on a grill pan, so I preheated the oven to high broil. You can make them in the oven, or on the grill.  

Arrange the bacon slices on a work surface and place an apple wedge and a cheese stick in the center of each slice. 

Wrap the bacon around the filling and secure with a toothpick.

Cook skewers until the bacon is golden and crispy and the cheese is melted, 5 to 6 minutes.

 Serve hot.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

My husband LOVES caramel. I know that any time I make anything with caramel, he will pleased. So when I was surfing pinterest the other day and saw Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls, I knew they had to happen. I haven't done much baking lately, and it was time. 

When I go through the trouble to make cinnamon rolls from scratch, I always make a full batch. No reason to make just 2 rolls for us. This recipe makes 12 rolls, I was in a sharing mood with my neighbors, and Randy's co-workers. 

These are divine. Proceed with caution, because your waistline will be affected. If you are ready to indulge... these bad boys are for you.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

adapted from gimme some oven

Dough Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

1/8 cup butter

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

1 envelope instant or ‘rapid rise’ yeast (approx. 2 1/4 tsp)

1 egg

Caramel-Apple-Cinnamon-Sugar Filing Ingredients:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

6 Tbsp. butter, (completely) softened

1 Granny Smith Apple, cored and finely chopped

1/2 cup caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought (recipe for caramel sauce below.)

Topping:

1/2 cup caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought (recipe for caramel sauce below.)

To Make The Dough & Filling:

Melt the butter and add it to your milk. Heat until a little warmer than room temperature. You can do this on the stove top or in the microwave.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add half the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir by hand to combine. Add the egg and milk mixture, and turn the kitchenaid on medium-low speed until combined. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated. When the dough begins to form a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, you have added enough flour. Continue beating for 5 minutes on medium-low speed to knead the dough. 

Remove the dough hook and cover the dough with a damp towel and let rise for at least 30 minutes or until almost double in size.

Meanwhile, begin making your filling by whisking together sugars and cinnamon in a bowl until combined.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Then use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 14 x 9 inches in size. 

 Use a knife or pastry spatula to spread the softened butter out evenly over the entire surface of the dough. 

Then sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Then sprinkle on the finely chopped apples, and drizzle with 1/2 cup caramel sauce.

Beginning at the 14-inch edge, tightly roll up the dough. 

And then give the final seam a little pinch so that it seals. 

I cut off the ends and just cut it up to make a tiny dish of pull apart bread.

Cut into 12 rolls. Place each of the cut cinnamon rolls into a greased pie plate or 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Then cover again with a damp towel, and leave the dish in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. If you have a sunny windowsill this works great. 

If not, I find a heating pad on low setting works wonderful. 

When the rolls have risen, uncover the dish. Then place on the center rack of the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cooked through. Remove and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce and serve.

Homemade caramel sauce 

1 packed cup brown sugar

1/2 cup half-and-half

4 tablespoons butter

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. 

Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

Tomato Basil-Tarts

I have been having a lot of fun working with the Lazy Baker's Puff Pastry  I made. I have put this pastry through the ringer with freezing, thawing, rolling, and it stands up to the best! 

So I wanted to make a cute little side dish/appetizer to go along with our soup I made for dinner. So I went back to the book that gave me the wonderful puff pastry Baking by Hand. 

Tomato Basil-Tarts

adapted from Baking by Hand

Makes 4 appetizer tarts

1/8th of the Lazy Baker's Puff Pastry recipe

1 Organic Tomato

Extra-virgin olive oil

fine sea salt

18 fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 

Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Slice the tomato 1/4 inch thick. 

Take out your pastry circles. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with olive oil, and place the tomato slices evenly spaced around the circle of dough. Sprinkle with sea salt. 

Bake on a baking stone for 15 minutes, or until the tarts are golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and garnish with basil leaves and serve warm.