The Copycat Strikes! Lorry's French Onion Soup

Last month I tasted the most wonderful French Onion Soup I've ever had. The cook generously gave me her recipe and I tried it for the first time today. I thought a soup so delicious would be rather complicated or include specialty ingredients I've never heard of.  Nope, simple enough for a simpleton like me.  

Lorry's French Onion Soup

6 cups sliced onions

1/4 cup margarine or butter

3 cans condensed beef broth (do not dilute)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp salt

dash pepper

Parmesan cheese

croutons
A prayer and a pinch o' love

Saute onions in butter/margarine for 20 minutes or until soft. Combine with remaining ingredients and simmer a few minutes so flavors blend. Serve with Parmesan cheese and croutons.

MMMMMM, you should have been here to smell this!
As you can see, I improvised a little.  Shredded mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan, because I just love the gooey loveliness of melted cheese.

The Girls offer their analysis...

Thumbs up from 3 of The Girls.
Thumbs up from The Sister.
Thumbs up from The Cousin.
Thumbs up from The Copycat.

No Thumbs from The Husband, The Children, and 1 of The Girls.  Refused to participate in testing, due to the onions.

For those in the household requiring a more substantial meal, I cooked according to my regular meal plan with 2 tried and true Copycat recipes:

Chicken Parmigiana - copied so long ago I can't remember the source.

3 whole chicken breasts

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter

1 10 ounce can pizza sauce

6 slices mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese
A prayer and a pinch o' love

Cut chicken breasts in half. Beat egg, add salt and pepper.  Drip chicken in egg mixture, then coat with bread crumbs.  Saute chicken in butter, both sides.  Arrange in casserole dish, pour pizza sauce over.  Bake at 350 for approximately 30-40 minutes until fully cooked. Add cheeses for the last 10 minutes of cooking. 

Slow Cooker Option: Prepare as above. After chicken is sauteed, arrange in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, adding cheese during final 30 minutes. Serve with spaghetti.

As a side note, I rarely keep store-bought bread crumbs in the house anymore. Crushed seasoned croutons accomplish the job nicely, with much more flavor. Simple. Yummy.

Homemade Caesar Dressing. Copy source: someplace on the web.

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp milk or half 'n' half
A prayer and a pinch o' love

Mix until well blended.

AMAZING.  Even better than my favorite commercial Caesar dressing (Renee's).  Just a word of caution though: I tried to reduce the calories by substituting 1/2 of the mayo for plain yogurt.  I didn't think it would affect the flavor that much, but it did. Blech.  An insult to Caesar salad everywhere. Keep it real.