I love French onion soup.

When I think of it, I think of dark seventies steakhouses with tall booths and heavy wooden furniture. And I think of family weddings and events.

Some years ago, I believe after I had moved to Albuquerque, my dad showed me an easy way to make the soup although I don’t remember one detail: it wasn’t broth but it was a juice you could buy in a can (it looked to be the size of those cans of Hawaiian Punch that used to be available– in the days before plastic took over). I didn’t go back to look for the cans recently, instead I went online and found this recipe from epicurious.

And because it had such good reviews, I went ahead and made it. Greg, who told me he doesn’t really like French onion soup, said he liked it (but I think he really liked it because it meant I would make a loaf of bread for it). Still, the best part is the cheese set under the broiler to melt (I used provolone).

Perfect for a cold night and being that it’s only February, we all have at least a few more of those to endure.