French Onion Soup

I don't know about your vegetable storage situation, but ours is down to onions and potatoes, and they need to be eaten! What to do with a lot of onions? Since the weather is still not very "springy" yet, I am making French Onion Soup in the slow cooker. Warning: use your favorite method to keep from crying onion tears...and you may want to take a page from my mom's book and put the crock pot outside if you don't want the house filled with the rich aroma of onion soup!

1/2 of the beautiful onions

Here is the recipe, adapted, of course, as I am inclined to do (usually for lack of planning ahead and therefore lack of ingredients) from my favorite, Fix it and Forget It Cookbook with a bit of Betty Crocker and Caruso Kitchen experience thrown in at times.


French Onion Soup  (makes 10 servings)
8-10 large onions, sliced (I had to use a lot more small ones)
1/2 cup butter
6 10 1/2-oz cans condensed beef broth (or 8 cups beef bullion)
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
10 slices French bread, toasted (or as many servings as you plan to serve)
shredded gruyére, mozzarella or swiss cheese

1. Saute onions in butter until crisp-tender.  Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves.
3. Cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours, or until onions are tender. Discard bay leaves.
4. Place 1 slice of bread in each serving bowl.  Pour soup in bowl. Top with cheeses.  Put bowls on cookie sheet or shallow baking pan.  Broil 2 inches from heat for 1-2 minutes until cheese is golden brown, being careful not to burn cheese.