bulbs

french onion soup in 30 minutes

| circadee

You guys, SOUP!  I seriously can’t get enough of homemade soup on these chilly late fall days.  I have been making all kinds over here.  But my all time favorite has always been French Onion Soup.  Sometimes I just crave that salty tavern staple but don’t want to head to order it.  Surprisingly I usually have enough ingredients in the house to throw it together.  I have made it a few times now this month and we’re not sick of it yet!  I have got it down to 30 minutes because when you crave French Onion Soup, you crave it now.

French Onion Soup in 30 minutes

There are a lot of recipes out there calling for all sorts of seasonings like bay leaves, garlic, thyme, etc.  While these are all great, I skip them completely and use one simple ingredient.  Wait for it…

To make 4 servings, I simply chop a vidalia onion into about 1 inch slices.  I place them all into a frying pan with a dash of olive oil and the secret sweetener that my friend clued me into… brown sugar!  Approximately 2 tablespoons should do the trick.  This will help caramelize your onions in no time on medium-high heat.

French Onion Soup recipe

While the onions are sweetening, I put the broth on high.  I use about 4 cups to one large onion in a stock pot.  When the water boils, the onions are ready to be transferred into the pot.  Reduce the heat to medium and all the onions and broth to tango.

In the meantime, prepare your Gruyère cheese.  I prefer to cut them in long, thin slices.

For the bread in your soup, you can go in a few directions…

  1. You can simply use croutons.
  2. You can slice up French bread and pop it in the broiler for a minute or 2 to brown it.
  3. My favorite thing to do is use bread I already have – usually a whole grain of sorts.  If I plan to make onion soup that day, I leave a few slices out to basically dry out.  So glamorous letting your bread go stale, I know.

French Onion Soup recipe

Now it’s time to put it all together.  Place the bread in your crock.  Ladle the soup in it.  Drape the Gruyère cheese across the crock in sort of a Z.  I find this gives the best cheese coverage.  Pop it into the broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts and lightly browns.

Enjoy!

French Onion Soup in 30 minutes

a winter wonder: paperwhites

| circadee

As the holidays are quickly approaching, everyone seems to be looking for quick and easy decorating and gift giving ideas. Well look no further!

I present to you the paperwhite cocktail garden. This was originally posted here last year on the blog.  I noticed that it has been getting some pinterest action lately so I thought I’d break down the ins and outs of paperwhites.

paperwhite cocktail

First of all, paperwhites are a bulb.  Most commonly they are forced indoors in the winter and that is why they are typically associated with the holidays. Paperwhites are the cousin of spring blooming daffodils.  You may notice some family resemblance in their flowers although paperwhites are, well, white as the name implies.

paperwhite bulbs

Optimal bloom temperatures are 65 degrees.  A warmer home will have them blooming in less time.  On the other hand, if you have a cool home, they will take longer to bloom.  It is like putting them in the refrigerator to preserve the flowers.

So let’s get onto planting them, shall we?

I like to use vintage glassware and compotes like these ice cream sundae glasses.  They are sized just right for one bulb.

vintage ice cream sundae glasses

When planting the bulb, be sure the flat, basal side is down and the pointy, fleshy side is up.  The foliage and flower will grow from there.

paperwhite bulbs

Now you may have seen paperwhites planted in stones in the past.  This is very common however I am not a fan of that method.  Most people plant them in stones or pebbles to give the bulb support because the plant becomes top heavy as it quickly grows.  When paperwhites are planted in stones, you usually see the bulb sitting on top of the stones.  But because I like to plant them in small compotes, I use soil.  The moist soil and tight container help to give support.  I plant the bulb just under the soil with the point sticking out.

planting paperwhite bulbs in vintage glasses

Once the bulbs are in the glasses, I cover them with soil and make sure there is some underneath for the roots too.  You will be able to see the roots grow in just a few days if you use clear glasses like these – fun for kids!  You’ll all see the bulbs push themselves up.  There is really some instant gratification that comes with planting paperwhites.  The grow so quickly.

planting paperwhites

Don’t forget to water and garnish how ever you like!  Cranberries optional.

paperwhite cocktail

With all of the paperwhite planting I’ve done, you would think I’d have a picture of the blooms but I don’t!  You’ll have to plant some of your own to experience the visual and fragrant flowers.  We have some for sale in the shop and we’re open this weekend…

Linking to Funky Junk Interiors

Holiday

happy hour

| circadee

In the mood for a winter pick me up?  You don’t have to hit the bottle this happy hour.  Check out this delightful little glass of holiday cheer!  No need to count calories because this sweet cocktail is actually a mini garden.

I took some vintage dessert glasses of my grandmother’s and planted a paperwhite bulb in each.

Then I garnished each glass with a pinecone and added a cinnamon stick stirrer.

And can’t forget the seasonal cranberries to “float” on top.  They add just the right amount of seasonal color.

Now I’m just waiting for my holiday cocktails to bloom!

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