Sunday afternoon I made onion soup because I had a half an onion sitting in the fridge (it was still good!). I was trying to follow this recipe, but I only used what I had on hand. So here is my adapted recipe for onion soup, using found food items.

about a TB (or more) of olive oil (I just poured what looked right in the pan)
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
up to a TB of garlic
a few dashes of pepper (I don't care for salt)
a tiny dash of chili powder
1 can 98% fat-free low sodium chicken broth (mine was a bit past the expiration date)
leftover shredded parmesan

I chopped up the onion half while the oil heated, then put the onion in. I dashed some pepper on it and let the onions cook. Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions about the garlic, and added it before the onions were caramelized. And! I used pre-roasted garlic from a small jar. And! I put in too much for my smaller meal. But you know what - I love garlicky soup, and it still came out all right! So you let the onion caramelize and then you add the garlic. I say up to a tablespoon, b/c not everybody likes garlic as much as I do. Then add the chicken broth. Boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. I added more pepper and a slight hint of chili powder. I can't taste the chili powder at all, but I know it's in there!

I add the parmesan as a topping, but I'm sure it would be good with croutons and cheese baked in. My version made about two large servings, which is great for the single gal (or guy).

Sidenote: my mother and I made Rachael Ray's Apple and Onion Stuffin' Muffins on Saturday and they didn't keep their form. At all. The stuffing came out very rich, but not that crusty.
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