Easy French Onion Soup; Target sale and HT doubles

For many of my readers, I'm sure you would agree that it almost seems as if we went from fall to winter overnight. Here in High Point it was 80 on Thursday and 38 on Friday evening--quite the drop. Many of you in the northeast are getting snow today, and as much as I now dislike the cold, there is a part of me that twinges with a sad nostalgia. I can remember as a kid, there was nothing more exciting than snow on Halloween! So, with the advent of cold weather, I thought I'd share this recipe that I found. I love French Onion Soup, but no one else in my family is crazy about it. Consequently, I generally save this for the few times a year that we eat out in nicer restaurants. This recipe is so easy though...mmmm. You can half the recipe if you don't want a family size batch.

Easy Onion Soup

(makes about 6-7 cups)
1or 2  medium onions
4 tablespoons real butter
2 tablespoon flour
4 cups broth - beef is best but chicken or vegetable will do
2 cups white wine - or water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
Good French Bread sliced in 1" thick slabs

Cut the onion in quarters and finely slice into half moons. Heat the butter over medium heat, then add the onions. Stir and cook over medium heat until they are slightly caramelized and soft - about 6 or 7 minutes. Don't let them get too dark or the soup will be bitter. Add the flour and stir until the onions are coated. Add the broth and wine, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the soup. Let it simmer for a minimum of 10 minutes or so, lifting the lid at the end to let it reduce a little. Taste and season. Serve with fresh grated cheese and good bread. If you want to spend just a bit more time and get the real "French" feel, place the bread on top of an oven proof bowl full of soup, smother with cheese, and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slighty crusty. To die for.

Top five: Davis, Will (17:34), Aaron(18:30), Connor, David

Lee (20:20)

Yesterday was the last Cross Country meet of the season. I'm so proud of my boys (and the whole team) for all setting personal records and finishing strong.

Today my husband ground the coffee and made eggs my favorite way--his Saturday morning tradition when I'm not yardsaling. We Skyped my daughter and later we are taking the boys to see Real Steel, compliments of a friend who actually sent me cash to buy the tickets. She said it was so good that I shouldn't wait until it was in Redbox, but she also knew I wouldn't pay for it. Funny thing is, she's a frugal type also, so it must be worth the money. Looking forward to a good afternoon. Tonight is the fall festival at our church...Friendly Hills in Jamestown. It starts at 5:30 pm. If you have little ones, bring them out for a good FREE time!

And a heads up for you triad readers. Next week is super double coupons at Harris Teeter (doubling to $1.50) Be sure to check http://www.southernsavers.com/ now as Jenny is already posting links to printable coupons. These will be the items that are still on the shelves. Anything with a recent coupon in the Sunday inserts will be sold out in the first 2 hours.

Also, for any Target shoppers, it has been reported that SOME Target stores are having a 70% off sale in parts of their "dollar spot" section, located at the front of the store. May not be worth a separate trip, but if you are going anyway, check it out. Great stocking stuffers or items for Operation Christmas Child.

Thanks for your continued votes in the cheap sally contest. http://www.cheapsally.com/contest/tricia-cliff/