Soup

...or why I spent my Valentine's Day crying alone in my apartment.

This has been a soup week for me. Even the Onion is talking about it being Perfect Soup Weather.

My mom was very excited to see that Progresso Soup's are labeled "gluten free". "You don't need to make soup any more!" Since I haven't had the greatest luck with soups and broths (many contain milk and/or wheat), I started making my own broth (which is easier than it sounds - I'm close to having a chicken broth recipe to post here - I keep changing my mind with ingredients lately! No two batches have been the same). My own broths led to my own soups filling plastic containers in my freezer. When I want soup for lunch, I move it from the freezer to fridge the night before. But now there is the option for a commercially available, conveniently labeled can of soup for a really low price! Progresso currently has quite a few options of gluten free soups on the market and their attention to declaring allergens clearly is much appreciated. I stocked up on the Garden Vegetable soups and keep a secret stash in my desk drawer at work so I have access to a quick, flavorful and filling lunch.

And for when I do not want the ease of opening a can, dumping the contents in a cup and microwaving for a few minutes: I make my own soup. I bought a soup bone and let my meet cook and stock simmer for over four hours. The next day, I quickly sliced five onions (hence the Valentine's Day tears) and started the hour and a half long process of making the French Onion soup. Near the end of the cooking time, I placed two defrosted slices of Udi's bread on tin foil and grated some Teese (vegan cheese) on top. I cooked the bread and cheese for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. After my soup was in the bowl, I placed the bread on top. The taste was good - I realized that I should have let the stock reduce some more and cook the onions just a few minutes longer, but for my first attempt at beef stock and French Onion soup, I did a great job!