I think I need a good cry...

Man oh, man oh, man...I have GOT to stop watching the news.

Looting in Chile, car arsons in Richmond, record foreclosures, health care in crisis and...dag nab it...it looks like another five days of rain!

Where did my rerun of I Dream of Jeannie go? That's what I always watch while I sit holed up at my computer doing my morning bookkeeping. Guess I wasn't fast enough at the draw to click over to Bewitched before the 11 am newscast snuck it's way into my 1967 heaven.

I'm telling you, this real life stuff sucks. That's why I think today I'll grab a bag of onions and let it all out. I'm not kidding.

Some might turn to the bottle, others might hit the gym and there are those who might resort to a pint of Ben and Jerry's, a box of Kleenex and Steel Magnolias On Demand. Me? I think I'll grab a 5-pound bag of onions, arm myself with my weapon of choice and revel in the beautiful, salty, sweet flood of tears that will run down my face as I slice and dice my way to cathartic release.

Here's the bonus; when I'm done, I'll be left drained, but gazing before me at a pile of pungent goodness that, when coaxed, will become a steaming bowl of some of the best soul food I know...french onion soup.

The good news is that generally I have almost everything I need on hand to prepare my prescription: onions, stock, a little booze, some cheese and a loaf of bread (even better if it's a day or two old).

Do note, however, that this is what will happen if you let your first-grader engage in Jedi light saber warfare with your baguette. No worries...even a little guy needs to release a little pent-up stress after a hard day at the office.

Back to soup...

I've been making French Onion Soup for as long as I can remember but it wasn't until just a couple of years ago that I actually decided to learn how to do it right. I searched the internet, scoured cookbooks and consulted my trusty files of tattered tear sheets hastily yanked from stacks and stacks of beloved magazines that I force myself to ritually part with every couple of years.

As you can see, I sort my files by six categories, "Sweet Favorites", "Sweet Tried and Good", "Sweet-to-Try", "Savory Favorites", "Savory Tried and Good" and "Savory-to-Try". "Sweet Favorites" gets the most action...I just had to replace the manila folder because the spine blew out. It's a far from perfect system but I think I have made substantial improvements over Mom's recipe filing method. Check it out...(more on that another time)!

OK. Back to the soup for real now.

After trying a few different versions, I have decided that good old Julia wins again. This is a version of her recipe from The Way to Cook that I have decided is the most like what I think French Onion Soup should taste like. You decide.

Start by thinly slicing up some onions. I used about a half-a-5-pound-bag of plain old yellow onions. Wipe your tears, blow your nose then move on. This is how the onions will look after you cook them a little but before you add the salt and sugar...

Carly told me NOT to use the photo below since it looks like a pot full of bait. She's right. But, I wanted to show you how the onions change as they cook. These are almost there...

Here is some toasty bread ready to pile with loads of cheese...

Speaking of cheese, I grated some to pile on the bread then I placed slices over everything to cover the surface of the bowl...

Yeah baby...

French Onion Soup Gratineed

Thinly slice:

• 2 1/2 pound of onions to make about 8 cups

Melt in a soup pot:

• 3 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

Stir in the onions, cover the pan and cook slowly until soft, limp and tender (about 10 minutes).

Blend in:

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Raise the heat to moderately high and let the onions brown, uncovered. Stir them frequently so they don't burn (about 25-30 minutes until they reach a nice dark brown color).

Sprinkle in then cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes:

• 2 Tbs flour

Remove from heat, let cool a little then whisk in and blend:

• 2 cups of hot beef stock

Add in:

• 2 more quarts of beef stock
• 4 Tbs brandy
• 1 cup dry vermouth

Cover loosely and simmer about 1 1/2 more hours! Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

To gratinee:

Slice into 1" slices and toast:

• hardy French bread

Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls or crocks and float one slice of bread in each.

Top with:

• Grated or sliced sharp Swiss cheese (I used Gruyere). I piled some grated cheese on the bread then placed additional slices strategically around so that it would cover the bread and ooze down the sides a bit.

Place all six bowls on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until they are melty and toasty.

Serves 6

Note: Feel free to try chicken stock instead of beef if that's all you have or other kinds of booze such as white wine, or red wine for the Vermouth and Cognac or Armagnac for the brandy. I've seen versions using all of these and use what I have on hand.

Adapted from The Way to Cook: Julia Child

P.S. Since we're talking onions here, thought it might be a good time to share my two cents on how to dice one properly. Start by slicing the little stinker in half lengthwise. Cut the end off the stem end (shown on the onion on the right) and peel it leaving the root end in tact (shown on the onion on the left).

Place the flat side of the peeled onion half on the cutting board and firmly hold it down with the palm of your left hand (assuming you are right-handed). If you are going for a 1/4 inch dice, make horizontal slices up the onion, 1/4 inch apart, starting at the bottom. Slice from the stem end toward the root end leaving the root end in tact.

Now, make vertical slices down the onion, 1/4 inch apart, again, not slicing through the root end.

Next, slice across the surface of the onion, 1/4 inch apart until you reach the root and...

VOILA!