When I got married, my husband said he loved soup. I had never made homemade soup.  The only soup I ever made came out of can.  I soon decided I was going to  give  homemade soup a try and now I probably make 20 varieties.  We eat a lot of soup. I even freeze it in 12oz. deli containers, that I get at GFS, so we always have a variety on hand.  

This recipe comes from Jacques Pepin and I believe it is the best onion soup recipe.  It is easy enough if you are a soup beginner and doesn't require a lot of ingredients.  It does, however, pack a ton of flavor.  It is savory and cheesy and the final presentation will impress even if you are a seasoned cook.

A couple of notes on the ingredients in this recipe.  First the stock.  This one calls for chicken stock, however, you can also use beef stock.  Both are delicious.  Homemade stock is always tastier no matter what you are making, but here is my rule about stock and soups.  If the stock is the "star" of the soup like chicken noodle, then use homemade.  If you are using stock as an ingredient like in potatoes soup, store bought is fine.  Just make sure that you are using a quality stock/broth.  There are a few good ones out there that I use; Kitchen Basics, Pacific Rim & even the organic ones from Costco or Sam's. Second the cheese.  Traditionally, Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese is used for this soup/gratin but I found that provolone also works nicely with this recipe.  Remember, a recipe can be a base for your creativity and taste.  How else would new recipes be created? 

2 tablespoons oil
1-tablespoon butter
1 ½ pounds onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
½ teaspoon of dried thyme
Salt to taste
5 cups of chicken stock
¼ cup of red or white wine (optional)
 
For each crock
1 toasted slice of baguette bread1/4 inch thick cut diagonal
2 to 2 ½ ounces of Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese grated (about ¾ cup)
 
In a stockpot over medium high heat add the oil and butter.  When the butter has melted add the onions, thyme and salt.  Cover the pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the onions are quite tender, uncover and raise the heat slightly.  Cook for another 20 to 25 minutes stirring frequently until the onion are dark brown. (Lower the heat if the onions are in danger of burning)
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Stir in the stock, scraping any dark bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a boil.
 
When soup is ready place crocks on a sheet pan.  Place one toasted baguette slice in each crock, ladle in onion soup and top with Gruyere cheese.
 
Place backing sheet in a 400-degree pre heated oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Did you make the roast chicken?  Are you planning on making it?  If you do, or are, you might have some left over chicken.  I make a lot of beef chili, sausage chili and turkey chili.  I usually don't make chicken chili but I hate wasting leftovers and I love recreating them into a new dish.  The base of this recipe can be used with the protein of your choice or with lots of veggies for a meatless option.

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 a large Spanish onion, or 1 medium onion, diced
1 cup of green, red, orange or yellow pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 whole jalapeño, diced (optional)
2 tablespoons of chili powder 
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 can of diced tomatoes with the liquid (14-15oz can)
1 can of tomato sauce (14-15oz can)
2 cans of your favorite beans drained and rinsed (15oz can)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups of frozen corn
4 cups of shredded roasted chicken off the bone

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, pepper, garlic and jalapeño and saute until just soft and translucent.  Remember to use as much or as little jalapeño as you like.  In our house we like it hot so I used a whole one.  

Now add your spices to the veggies and sauté for 1 minute.  By adding the dry spices to the pot, before the liquid, you wake up the spices.  They hit the heat and oil and come back to life.  The smell will be amazing.  

Next add the canned tomatoes with the liquid and the tomato sauce.  Both cans of beans go in and stir to incorporate everything.  Turn the heat down to medium low and let simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

After 25 minutes, add the frozen corn and the shredded chicken.  You don't need to defrost the corn first.  It will heat through once  it is mixed into the hot chili.  I used some left over corn I had in the fridge from dinner the night before.  

Taste and check for salt and pepper.  I do it at the end here because some tomato sauces and canned beans have salt in them.  If the chili is too thick, add a bit of water or chicken stock, 1/4 cup at a time, until you get the consistency you like.

We also added shredded cheese to our bowls.  

In my option, nothing goes better with chili than cornbread.  I love cornbread any time of the day or night.  I make it in muffin tins and in a 9x13" pan.  This recipe will make 24 muffins or 1, 9x13" pan. 

Today I made apple cornbread muffins.  I recently bought some cinnamon honey from a local farm and I though it would be great drizzled on top of these muffins.  The slight sweetness of the apples and the honey will also compliment the spicy chili.  

3 cups of flour
1 cup of yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2 cups of milk
3 eggs
2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
2 apples peeled and diced 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder  and salt in a large bowl.  Stir the milk, eggs and melted butter into the dry ingredients.  You want to mix it well but don't over-mix.  Just fully incorporated.  Fold in the peeled, diced apples.  

Spray your baking pan or muffin tin with cooking spray.  If making muffins, use an ice cream scoop to fill each one 3/4 full.  The ice cream scoop helps to fill each one evenly and without a mess.  

Bake 25-30 minutes(for muffins) until set or until a toothpick come out clean when inserted.  Remember to use any baking times as a guide.  Each oven heats differently.  I usually check 5 minutes before the recipe states and then I continue my baking time based on the doneness of my bake.

Cornbread muffins make a great breakfast, heated in the microwave, topped with a bit of butter and some maple syrup or honey.  Some other thing to try adding to the cornbread base: shredded cheese, jalapeños, dried cranberries, herb mixtures, chilies, corn.  The list is endless.  

I sometimes forget how easy and delicious some meals are to make.  The flavor of this chicken and the ease of roasting it all in one pan, will make you think twice before you grab that pre-made rotisserie chicken at the store.  

This recipe is for 2 chickens.
2 teaspoons of thyme, dried*
2 teaspoons of rosemary, dried
2 teaspoons of fennel, ground
2/3 cup of olive oil
4 lemons, sliced
6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large yellow onion, cut into large chunks
 3-5 lb. of small white, yellow or red potatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup of dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon

* I usually use regular dried thyme but I ran out so I used Za'atar . Zaatar is generally made with ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram and toasted sesame seeds. You can usually find it in the Middle Eastern section of the grocery store.  

First thing you will want to do is find an ovenproof pan big enough to fit everything in.  I used a cast iron pan but you can use a roasting pan.  

Pre heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Pour olive oil in a measuring cup and mix in the dried herbs.  
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Now you want to spatchcock your chicken.  Sometimes this is called butterflying or removing the backbone of the chicken.  If you are buying your chicken from a butcher they can do it for you or you can google "how to spatchcock a chicken" and you will find many step-by-step guides.  Its a good skill to have and as long as you have a sharp knife or kitchen sheers you can easily do this on you own. The reason I do this is because the chicken will cook quicker and more evenly this way.   Next you want to take paper towels and dry off the chicken inside and out.  By doing this you will get a crispy skin.  When I have the time, I brine my chicken for 24 hours (brine recipe to follow).  Once brined, I dry my chicken off with paper towels and let it sit in a pan, uncovered for a few hours in my refrigerator.  The brining will make the meat juicy and the refrigerated drying will keep the skin crisp.  If you don't want to brine or don't have the time, just dry with the paper towels and continue.

Add the sliced lemons, onions, garlic and potatoes to the bottom of your cast iron pan or roasting pan.  You can season with more dried herbs and salt and pepper as I have done below.  I like to season each layer of my dish.

Start by brushing 1/2 of the herb and olive oil mixture on the inside of the bird.  Place the chicken herb side down on top of the lemon, onion and potatoes.  Brush the top side (breast side up) of the chicken with the rest of the herb/oil mixture.  

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pour the wine into the pan while it is in the oven.  Do not pour it over the chicken.  You want to keep the chicken nice and crispy.  Roast for another 15 minutes and then check the temperature, with a meat thermometer, in the chicken breast area and the thigh area.  You are looking for 160 to 165 degrees.  

Remove from the oven, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the entire pan and cover with aluminum foil.  Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.  Cut the chicken up as you like sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and serve with the potatoes, onion and lemon.  

Brine recipe:
1 gallon of warm water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon peppercorns (optional)
1 tablespoon fennel seeds (optional)

Pour the warm water into a container that is twice the volume of the water. Pour in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, peppercorns and fennel seeds. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then allow the brine to cool to room temperature.

To use, place chicken in the brine, cover, and refrigerate two hours for skinless breasts, 4 hours for bone-in pieces, and 4 hours to overnight for whole chickens. Drain and pat the chicken dry before cooking. One gallon of brine is enough for 6 pounds of whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, and up to 10 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

I love these cookies!  The cookie dough itself is easy and very tasty but what I really love is that each cookie is like a canvas for creativity and design.  I'm sharing one technique for decorating but use your imagination.  

Cookie dough:
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.  Toss in the lemon zest.  Now add the eggs, mixing one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated.  Next the vanilla.  Finishing by adding the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low until blended.

Turn the dough out on to a counter and with a light touch, form it into 2 discs.  Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  

Work with 1 disc at a time and roll it out to approximately 1/2 thick.  Be sure to flour your surface first. You may need to set the disc out and let it warm up a bit if the dough has been chilling for more than an hour.    Use any cookie cutter you like.  I used a bunny, umbrella and flower.  Place your cut outs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until the bottom edges start to lightly brown.  Remember that baking times vary depending on your oven's temperature.  These cookies should be very pale but baked through.  You can re-roll any scrapes to make more cookies.

Cookie glaze:
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup 
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Food coloring

Mix the above ingredients together until smooth.  For the technique I'm showing you, you want the glaze to be slightly thick but still pourable.  You may need to add more milk or powder sugar to get this consistency.  Just add small amounts at a time.

Place some of the glaze in a shallow bowl.  Make sure that your baked cookies will fit in that bowl before you start.  Now add a small amount of food coloring to your bowl of glaze.  I use gel food coloring from Wilton.  I feel like I have more control over the amount I use and I like the fact that it doesn't add more liquid to my glaze.  Using a toothpick, start to swirl the color through the glaze until you are happy with the design.  Now gently dip the cookie into the glaze and lift straight up.  You may need to rotate your wrist a bit once you lift the cookie out of the bowl to get the excess glaze back in the bowl.  Place glazed cookie on a cooling rack or on parchment to set.  Continue on with the rest of your cookies.  You can also pull other colors through the glaze as you go along.  If you notice that there are a few bubbles on your glazed cookie, just gently pop them with a toothpick before they dry. Let the cookies dry uncovered for 24 hours.  Each cookie becomes a work of art!