French Onion Soup

At work, one of the TVs stays on the Food Network. I always have my eye on it. One day, Sandra Lee was making French Onion Soup. One of my coworkers, Pat, was saying how it looked good. I printed off the recipe for him so he could make it the next day at lunch! When I got to work, he was cutting up onions and poured everything in the pot. VERY EASY. Once it was lunch time..... we sliced bread to put on soup, topped with cheese, and broiled until browned. It was so good!! I didn't think I liked onion soup but this was delicious!! The aroma from the soup flowed through the home... you could smell it when you walked in the front door (rehab is in the back of the building) so everyone up front kept asking what we were cooking and they wanted some of it! It would be great on a cold night.

5 small sweet onions, thinly sliced

2 cans (14 ounces) low sodium beef broth (recommended: Swanson's)

2 cans (10 ounces) beef consomme (recommended: Campbell's)

1 packet onion soup mix (recommended: Lipton's)

8 slices French bread, about 1 inch thick

1 cup shredded Gruyere (we used Monterey Jack cheese)

Combine onions, broth, consomme, and soup mix in a slow cooker. Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours, or LOW setting for 8 hours.

** We did not use a slow cooker. Pat boiled the soup for about a hour and simmered for about 2-3 hours.

Ladle soup into serving bowls. Top with a slice of French bread. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each bread slice. Put soup bowls under broiler until cheese is melted. Alternatively, place the bread on a baking sheet and top with cheese; broil until cheese has melted, about 30 to 40 seconds, and set on top just before serving.

Enjoy!