Bella Tuscany.. and Delectable France

I picked up Bella Tuscany over Easter when my mom was in town. It is the sequel to Under the Tuscan Sun. I had a hard time getting into Under the Tuscan sun and never actually finished it. however, this book just looked better to me. So, I decided to give it a chance. I enjoyed it. Frances Mayes has a way with words. Her descriptions of foods and places in Tuscany have a way of captivating me. It makes me want to be there enjoying spring, or summer, or whatever season comes my way. I could have done without the later chapters. A few of the recipes were really interesting and i play to try them some time. It made me excited for my first trip to Italy

While in Jersey last week I caught some Barefoot Contessa. The croque monsieurs she made looked pretty yummy. Today was more of a soup day due to the overwhelming grey rain, so I decided to try my hand at French Onion Soup. I decided not to try Ina's recip because it called for things I defintiely couldn't get here... i.e. veal stock nd sherry. Instead I went with one out of my AHA cookbook. So, it is even healthy if you don't use too much cheese... but then again, who doesn't want cheese? It turned out really yummy, and I totally reccomend it. I put extra cheese on top and put it in the oven to bake the cheese up, but it was good enough that i don't know if I'll do that with the leftovers. I really need to get some oven proof crocks for things like this! The recipe was pretty easy, so I reccomend it to any and all, as follows:
Ingredients

• 12 slices French Bread
• 1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (I actually used an italian mozerella/parm blend)
• 1 tsp light tub margearine
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme crumbled
• 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Put the bread slice ona baking sheet. bake for 10 minutes, or until toaste
2. Sprinkle the parmesan over the bread. bake for 1 to 2 minus or until cheese melts. Set aside
3. heat a large pan over medium-high heat. melt the margarine an heat the oil in the pan. swirl to coat the bottom. cook the onions for 2 minutes. reduce the heat to low. cook covered until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the sugar and salt. increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the onions are golden brown, stirring occaisionall. after the first 10 minuts stir more often to prevent the onins from sticking and burning
5. stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
6. to serve, ladle the soup into bowls. put two toasted bread slices in each bowl.

Serves 6...