French Onion Soup

Melissa d/Arabian's Soup recipe

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
4 yellow onions (about 1 3/4 pounds), thinly sliced with the grain to hold their shape
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups beef stock
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Swiss
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
4 (1-inch thick) baguette slices, cut on the bias
Directions
In a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt, cover, and cook until deeply caramelized, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium and sprinkle the onions with the flour. Stir and allow to cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add the thyme, bay leaf, lemon juice, and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Ladle the soup into 4 ovenproof crocks.


Heat the broiler to high. Mix the cheeses together in a small bowl. Top each crock with a baguette slice and evenly distribute the cheese on top of each. Place the crocks under the broiler just until the cheese is bubbly and browning, about 1 minute. Serve hot.

Chocolate Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup wheat)

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture and mix just until combined. Transfer to a greased loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes for large loaf or 35-38 minutes for mini loaf or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pans to wire rack.

Butterfingers

16 oz. candy corn
16 oz peanut butter
chocolate for dipping candy

In a glass bowl micro wave candy corn for 1 min. Stir. Continue in the micro wave at 20 second intervals and stirring until candies are melted. Stir in peanut butter. Put mixture in a square pan lined with parchament paper. When cool cut into pieces and dip in chocolate.

Cheeseburger Muffins

If you think these are just for kids, you would be wrong... The adults in our household loved them.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 T mustard
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tube (12 oz) refregerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
1/2 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta)

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.

Press each biscuit onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin cup. Spoon beef mixture into cups; top with cheese cubes. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Tomatillo Guacamole

4 tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno
2 chopped avocados
1 tsp salt

Boil tomatillos for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, puree cilantro, onion, jalapeno, and a splash of tomatillo cooking water in a blender. Could probably substitue a little lime juice for the cooking water. Drain tomatillos and add to blender with avocados and salt. Blend and serve with tortilla chips or as a garnish for just about any Mexican entree. Couldn't be easier!

Baked Stuffed Papaya Squash

Ingredients:
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound sausage
• 1 (16-ounce) diced tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno chile, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 papayas (about 12 ounces each)
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Preparation:
Cook and stir ground beef, onion, and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is light brown. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, salt, and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Cut papayas lengthwise into halves and remove seeds. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture in each papaya half. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Arrange in shallow roasting pan. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1 inch of tops of papaya halves. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees until papayas are very tender and hot, about 30 minutes.

Sausage and Peppers Penne

This tasty dinner is low in fat, low in cholesterol, low in calorie, and only takes 30 minutes to prepare.

8 oz penne pasta
1 pound Italian turkey sausage (about 4 links)
1 each: green, red, and yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup coarsly chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat 14-16 minutes or until sausage is browned and no longer pink, turning occasionally. Remove sausages from skillet. Cut diagonally into chunks and set aside. Cut bell peppers into 1/4 inch strips.

In same skillet as sausages were cooked, cook peppers, onion, and garlic over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add sausage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasoning. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add pasta and toss. Sprinkle with cheese, and serve.

I've made this recipe a few times and always enjoy it. It makes a large batch.