So here's a good use for the scraps of beef that you trim from a roast. If you haven't trimmed a roast lately, try asking the butchers at the grocery store for theirs. I've done it before and they were more than happy to bag some up for me.

I honestly don't know what makes it "French" and if there is an authentic way of making French Onion Soup, so I like to call this Sweet Onion Soup. It's another one of my own recipes. I call for a small bottle of wine because I use one of the small bottles that comes in a 4 pack from the grocery store. I don't like most red wines for drinking but love them for cooking. So I buy the 4 pack and that way I don't have to waste most of the large bottle.

Sweet Onion Soup

Trimmings from the beef roast

Olive oil

1 TBSP salt

2 sweet onions, cut in half and then sliced

Small bottle of red wine- I used Cabernet Sauvignon

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP brown sugar

4 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

6 cups of beef broth

1 cup of water

Over med-high heat, use a heavy bottom pot and heat olive oil. Add the beef trimmings and salt, and let brown. Lower heat to medium, and let cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the beef (if there is a lot of grease, drain it off) add the onions, and let them cook down for about 20 minutes. They should be very soft and translucent. Turn heat up to med-high and add the wine. Let the wine reduce to about ½, about 10 minutes. Add the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, broth and water. Cover and lower temp again to low. Let simmer for 2-3 hours.

To serve, cut chunks of French bread into crouton size and heat in the oven on 400* for 3-5 minutes until crispy. Ladle soup into an oven proof crock, add croutons, and layer cheese over the top. You can use Gruyere, Swiss, provolone or whatever you like. Put under the broiler, and watch closely- until the cheese melts.