“MaryJane reports that during childhood bouts with colds and flu, her grandma would have her eat a slice of onion sprinkled with salt to chase away the germs.” Shery Jerpersen

How are you doing with staying well this winter?

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. (Num. 11:5; NIV)

Often times when Jerry and I travel we seek out a Whole Foods Grocery Store to nourish our hungry bodies. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the name, Whole Foods is a large, natural foods grocery store with bountiful and beautiful organically grown food and other natural products. The closest Whole Foods store for us is almost a four hour drive. We don’t get there often.

So, on our recent trip to Portland, Jerry scouted and discovered a Whole Foods Store within walking distance of our hotel. Wahoo!!! I am literally like a little kid in a candy store when I enter Whole Foods.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Food historians tell us the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking.”  www.foodtimeline.org

How are you doing with the health goals that you started at the beginning of the year?

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.  (Nu 11:5; NIV)

How well do you like French Onion Soup?  Is it one of your favorites?  I can still remember of going out to a restaurant as a teenager and having my first taste of this “rich, can’t stop at one bite” soup.  It was one of my Dad’s favorites so I began experimenting with various recipes a number of years ago.  And there are so many variations to this recipe.  Many recipes call for the use of wine.  I’ve not used much wine in cooking so I developed this recipe without it.  Feel free to use about 4 ounces of red or white wine if you’d like.

Many recipes call for beef broth instead of the chicken broth that I use.  It’s difficult to find organic beef broth, especially in the cartons.  And most of the commercial, canned beef broths contain additives and MSG.  One could always make their own beef stock from beef if time wasn’t a factor.  I’ve used the organic chicken broth many times and am pleased with it.  The addition of organic Tamari and a bit of unsulphured molasses brings out the flavor and deepens the color of the cooked onions.  The rich flavor of the soup actually comes from the caramelized onions.

Caramelization is the process in which onions are cooked very slowly at a low to medium temperature until the onions cook down and become brown. This can be accomplished within half an hour, but many chefs allow for hours of cooking to bring out the complex flavors of the onions’ sugars.  I’ve also read of a recipe that called for cooking the onions in the oven for several hours to enhance the flavors.

Another key ingredient to the soup is melted cheese.  Gruyère cheese is traditionally used.  It is a hard yellow cheese made from cow’s milk, named after the town of Gruyères in Switzerland.  Gruyère is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely with age.  I used to use this cheese exclusively for French Onion Soup.  However, in recent years I use whatever organic cheese I have available and the soup still tastes great.

Prayer Power
Father we are so thankful to You for all of the wonderful foods that You have created for us to eat and enjoy.  Bless our readers with health and strength for this day.

Link of the Day
French Onion Soup

Blessings on you as you enjoy some French Onion Soup.