French day

Mmmmm....enjoying a France-inspired day today. Reminiscing on my trip to Europe last summer which included stops in Paris and Nice (the photo above is one that I took, myself, on my own camera, while I was in PARIS!). 

When I wasn't taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower while in France, I was shopping. This included a trip to L'Occitane, kind of like a French Bath and Body Works. I am well aware that there is a L'Occitane store at a mall close to my house here in the US, but it seemed so much more special to shop at the one in France, so I did! Also, a definite perk of the European hotels was the tiny provided L'Occitane shampoos and body washes.

I thawed out a small serving of my DELICIOUS French Onion Soup for lunch, and savored that all the while listening to the one and only Edith Piaf (some of my favorite study music, especially on a Sunday). Here's some for you :)

Parlez-vous Français?

I've had more time than usual this week to enjoy things like cooking and baking :) Though admittedly this recipe didn't take very much of my time at all. I found a French onion soup recipe here (through Pinterest, naturally) and modified it just a little for my vegetarian needs. Also, I scaled it back a little because I didn't need quite as much soup as it would have made. I somehow always thought that it would be too difficult to make French onion soup so I never tried. I was missing out! Basically the only effort I actually put into this was slicing the onions, the rest was just sitting and waiting.

My French onion soup consisted of:

2 sweet onions, sliced

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 32-oz carton of vegetable stock
French baguette, sliced on the bias
Asiago cheese

I melted the butter in my slow cooker on high for a few minutes. In the meantime I sliced my onions and added them to the butter to caramelize them, which took about an hour (my house smelled so great at that point!). Then I mixed the flour, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and pepper in a separate bowl, adding them to the crock pot with the vegetable stock. Then it was smooth sailing, as I let it sit for 8 hours on low as I went about my day.

When it came time for dinner, I toasted the sliced French baguette and melted the cheese on top. I put the bread in the soup, sprinkled a little more cheese on top, and voilà! French onion soup!

Also, it is imperative that you listen to this and this while you prepare and devour this meal!