French Onion Soup

French onion soup. Even typing the words makes my mouth water, though that may have something to do with the fact that I haven't eaten for about fourteen hours. Still, it's an amazing dish. I'd never had homemade French onion soup until Beth made it for me early on in our relationship. I'd only had it at restaurants, and most of that at Shallo's on the south side of Indianapolis. I'd swing by after work in the winter and enjoy a stout and a bowl of French onion soup before the kitchen closed. It was enjoyable for sure, but I'm of the opinion that in addition to the depth of flavor you get with homemade soup, nothing quite compares to your whole house smelling like caramelized onions for the rest of the day.

Black Bean Soup: Awesome

Well, it's fall, and we're broke right now, so that means black bean soup. It's super cheap, healthy, and delicious. It's best if you have a food processor or blender, but will be just fine without. 

Udon Noodle Bowls with Ramen Eggs

Well, today was a cold, rainy day, so naturally our dinner plans in the Piepan household gravitated towards soup.  Namely Japanese-style noodle soup. There is nothing that can warm you down to your bones like a perfect bowl of udon with fall vegetables. A word about noodle bowls and hotpots: I used more traditional Japanese ingredients because I have them around, and have easy access to them. The great thing about soups and hotpots is that the whole point is to use what you have laying around. Half a zucchini, a quarter of a potato that never got used, some random bits of onion, whatever. You can pretty much put anything in a bowl with some dashi and some noodles (or not!) and it will be delicious. Think of it as a great way to use your scraps.