Orange You Glad ...

We are in the deepest depths of winter here in PA. The weather has been brutal. We seem to get some snow every couple of days and the temperature has been in the single digits, hitting negatives at night and early mornings.  Personally, I do not like winter. Its long and seems never-ending in the midst of it. BUT, I've been trying to not let it get me down. I'm trying hard not to focus on it too much. I've been trying to exercise more regularly and eat better. Its a slower time for photos, so I've been reading and studying photography more. I planted a small rosemary plant as well as some rosemary seeds - having green, living plants indoors can help reduce stress and provide a feeling of well-being.  I'm all for that! I'm catching up on my nursing CEUs - I have to earn 30 credits every two years to renew my license, and have only earned 3 so far (due in October) - you could say I'm slacking a little bit in that department.  Finally, I'm trying to keep my family healthy through this winter season ... so far, so good. (knock on wood).

I've also been eating lots of clementines. They are about as sweet as candy with a little bit of a tang to them. They are juicy and a decent source of vitamin C. Also, they are orange; nice, bright orange. It's such a cheerful color ... "the happiest color", as Frank Sinatra said.

Looking on the bright side, January is almost over. February is a short month and my daughter's spring (yes, spring) track starts in March. That means warmer weather should be soon to follow. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

So here's to trying to focus on the brighter side!  :)
xo,
tish

French Onion Soup

I'm a little late on this post, but as promised, I'm sharing the French Onion Soup recipe I used last week. I adapted the recipe from allrecipes.com.  This recipe was easy and the soup was fantastic!! It makes a mild, somewhat sweet broth, not quite as dark as a traditional Onion Soup. We loved it, as it reminded us of the French Onion soup at one of our favorite little French Restaurants in NYC, Parigot, located in SoHo.

The ingredients I used include:
4 Tablespoons butter                                
1 teaspoon salt                                          
2 large red onions, thinly sliced                
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced          
48 oz organic chicken broth                      
14 oz organic beef broth                            
1/2 cup red wine                                      
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce          
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
 salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
8 slices Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced, room temp
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese, room temp
4 pinches paprika



First, melt the butter in a large pot over med-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. (I used a mandolin to slice my onions thin enough). Cook 35 minutes until the onions caramelize and form somewhat of a syrup, continue to stir.





Next, mix in the chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and worcestershire sauce. Bundle the fresh herbs, the parsley, thyme and bay leaf, together with twine and place in the pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce heat to low, add vinegar as well as salt and pepper. Cover and simmer while bread is prepared.





Preheat broiler. Arranged bread slices on a baking sheet and broil for three minutes, turning once, until toasted on both sides. Remove from heat, leaving broiler on.



Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each 2/3 full with soup and top with a slice of toasted bread.



Thinly slice Gruyere cheese and place on top of toasted bread. Sprinkle 1/4 of the asiago over it. Sprinkle each with paprika.



Broil for 5 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve hot.



My crocks are small, so there was quite a bit of soup left over. I toasted extra slices of bread and stored them in an airtight container for the next day. I reheated the soup, placed the toast on top and added the cheese. I then placed them under the broiler and it made for an awesome lunch the next day! I hope you give it a try!!

have a fantastic weekend!
xo, tish

S.A.L.S.A.

This morning, a friend and I  made an early morning trip to the local 

Grower's Market. It was the perfect fall morning. The sun was shining,

yet there was a crispness to the air. Even some fallen leaves

were scattered about the parking lot. 

Besides the cider and unbelievable ciabatta bread I 

purchased, I also got fresh veggies for homemade salsa.

It's a summertime favorite around our house, so before the market

is finished for the season, I figured I'd take full advantage of this 

unusually free Saturday to make fresh salsa. 

I start by cleaning and dicing green peppers. 

Next, I dice up a purple onion or two. 

Then, I chop up about five cloves of garlic and add that to the 

peppers and onions. 

I add the tomatoes next ... but got so excited about the end 

result, I forgot to snap a photo of those red beauties. 

After the tomatoes ... I chop up a jalapeno and throw in some fresh 

lemon juice and some salt. (We are not fans of cilantro, so that is

an ingredient I happily leave out.)

It is wise to wait 3-4 hours for the flavors to blend, though in 

our house that seems like an eternity and we can't seem to hold out. 

The end result ... a gorgeous blend of color and flavor!! 

I made a huge serving bowl full of salsa and half a day later, 

it's half gone. :D