Beef and French Onion Soup

The ground was covered in mud puddles, the sky was a dark charcoal gray. Looming over the city was a dull rain and the cold wind could cut you in half. All I wanted was to be at home in my coziest pajamas with a bowl of something warm and comforting.

He has been wanting beef almost everyday for some strange reason. It's not typical and since we are not huge consumers of the meat I had to find some recipes that would fit the bill.

The smells lingering from the kitchen were divine. At last I had come up with something that would suit all of our needs. Beef and French Onion Soup! As we all sat around the table laughing over the days events, this soup certainly warmed the soul! Enjoy!

7 small onions, cut in half and thinly sliced (7 cups)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
3 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) condensed beef consommé
1 AND 1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) French bread, toasted
2 cups shredded mozzarella, provolone, or swiss cheese

Toss onions, butter and sugar in slow cooker. Top with bay leaves and beef.

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 hours or until onions are brown.

stir in beef consommé, apple juice and thyme. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until hot. Remove bay leaves.

To serve, spoon into ovenproof soup bowls and top each serving with slice of toast and 1/4 cup cheese.

We had some loaves of sourdough bread from our recent trip to San Francisco stored in the freezer. I topped our yummy soup with toasted slices!

Alongside this yummy dish, I served grilled sandwiches. My vegetarian daughter had to have a colby/jack grilled cheese. For him, a turkey and meunster.