Mimi's Cafe French Market Onion Soup

You might not imagine a tough World War II flying ace would open a restaurant called "Mimi's," but that's exactly what happened in the 70's. Arthur J. Simms flew spy missions over France during the war and helped liberate a small French town near Versailles. After the war Arthur ran the commissary at MGM studios in Hollywood, stuffing the bellies of big-time celebs like Judy Garland, Clark Gable and Mickey Rooney. He later joined his son Tom in several restaurant ventures including one called "French Quarter" in West Hollywood. This was the prototype for the French-themed Mimi's Cafe. In 1978, the first Mimi's opened in Anaheim, California. Today there's over 40 Mimi's in the chain with a new one opening every other week; all of them serving this amazing onion soup that can now be part of your culinary repertoire. Oui!

1/4 cup butter

3 medium white onions, sliced

3 14-ounce cans beef broth (Swanson is best)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons Kraft grated parmesan cheese

6 to 12 slices French bread (baguette)

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 slices mozzarella cheese

6 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

You've just cloned a batch of the best onion soup from any chain.

Got spoon?

1. Saute onions in melted butter in a large soup pot or saucepan for 15 to 20 minutes or until onions begin to brown and turn transparent.

2. Add beef broth, salt and garlic powder to onions. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Add the grated parmesan cheese in the last 10 minutes of cooking thesoup.

3. When soup is done, preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast the French bread slices for about 10 to 12 minutes or until they begin to brown. When bread is done, set oven to broil.

4. Build each serving of soup by spooning about 1 cup of soup into an oven-safe bowl. Float a toasted slice or two of bread on top of the soup, then add a slice of Swiss cheese on top of that. Place a slice of mozzarella on next and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese over the top of the other cheeses.

5. Place the soup bowl on a baking sheet and broil for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

Makes 6 servings.

ALMOST MARIE CALLENDAR'S POTATO CHEESE SOUP

Categories : Soup

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

8 c Potatoes -- peeled and

Cubed

2 c Chopped onion

4 c Chopped celery

2 ts Salt

4 c Water

4 c Half-and-half

6 tb Butter or margarine

1 c Shredded sharp cheddar

Cheese

Place potatoes, onions, celery, and salt in the 4 c of water in a large pot. Simmer about 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Put in blender and puree until chunky. Return soup to pot and add half-and-half, butter, and cheese. Simmer until hot. Do NOT Boil.

Hard Rock Cafe Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It's the chunkiest dang chicken soup you'll ever slurp down and it comes from the first worldwide theme eatery and hip hangout. Crank up the rock 'n roll and throw all this good stuff into a pot and enjoy this final secret recipe in our series of mouth-watering soup clones. Bah-bye winter!

Recipe Ingredient
1 pound chicken breast fillets

1 pound chicken thigh fillets

vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced celery

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1 cup sliced carrot

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

2 cups egg noodles

Garnish

minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Rub a little vegetable oil over the surface of each piece of chicken and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven when it's done and set it aside to cool.

3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Saut?the onion and celery in the saucepan for just 4 to 5 minutes. You don't want to brown the veggies.

4. Dice the chicken and add it to the pot along with the remaining ingredients, except the noodles.

5. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

6. Add the noodles and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Serve with a pinch of minced fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

Makes 6 servings.

Hard Rock Cafe Baked Potato Soup

Recipe Ingredient
8 Bacon slices - fried & crumbled
1 cup Yellow onions - diced
2/3 cups Flour
6 cups Chicken stock - hot
4 cups Potatoes - baked, diced & Peeled
2 cups Heavy cream
1/2 cup Parsley - chopped
1 1/2 tsp Granulated garlic
11/2 tsp Salt
11/2 tsp Red pepper sauce
11/2 tsp Coarse black pepper
1 cup Cheddar cheese - grated
1/2 cup Green onions - diced

Chop bacon; reserve. Cook onions in remaining drippings over medium high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps; cook for 3-5 minutes, until mixture just begins to turn golden. Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps until liquid thickens.

Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper sauce and plack pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes; do not allow to boil. Add grated cheese and green onions, heat until cheese melts smoothly. Garnish each serving as desired with chopped bacon, grated cheese andchopped parsley.
Makes 8 Servings.

EL TORITO CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP

Categories: Soups, Mexican
Yield: 4 servings


Recipe Ingredient
1 qt Chicken stock
1 c Julienne-cut tomatoes
2 Limes; (just the juice)
1/2 c Julienne-cut red onion
1 t Dried Mexican oregano
1 T Minced cilantro
1 t Dried basil
4 oz Jalapeno Jack cheese; cubed
1 t Pureed chipotle chile
2 Corn tortillas;cut in strips
1 Bay leaf
1 Avocado*
Salt & White pepper
4 Lime slices
2 Chicken breast halves*
4 Cilantro sprigs

*Note- Chicken breasts should be cooked and shredded. Avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced. Combine stock, lime juice, oregano, basil, pureed chipotle and bay leaf in stockpot. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add shredded chicken, tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Ladle very hot soup into warm soup bowls. Drop in cheese cubes. Garnish each serving with a few tortilla strips, avocado slices, lime slice and cilantro sprig.

Makes about 1 quart.

Church's Fried Chicken

Serving Size : 3
Categories : Chicken Sandwiches Salsa


Recipe
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
-----WALDINE VAN GEFFEN VGHC42A-----
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 1/2 cups Self-rising flour
1/2 cup Cornstarch
3 teaspoons Seasoned salt
2 teaspoons Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 cup Biscuit mix
1 Env Italian Dressing Mix
1 Env Onion soup mix

-----TO USE-----
2 Eggs -- mix with
1/4 cup Cold water
1 cup Corn oil

Combine all ingredients in a 4-cup container. Mix to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 3 months. TO USE-Dip the chicken pieces in egg mixture and then into dry coating mix and back into egg to coat the pieces evenly but lightlyand finally back into dry mix. Have oil piping hot in heavy skillet. Brown pieces skin-side down for 4 to 6 minutes. Use medium high heat. Turn and brown underside of pieces a few minutes. Transfer to an oiledor Pam-sprayed 9x12x2 pan. Cover pan in foil, sealing it on only 3 side of pan. Bake 350~ for about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove foil. Bake another5 minutes just to crisp the coating.

Serves 4

Applebee's Baked French Onion Soup

Applebee's Baked French Onion Soup

Don't even try to find this one on the menu at Applebee's, because it isn't there; though it's the most popular soupserved each day at this huge restaurant chain. This is the first of several big-time soup clones we'll unveil here inthe next few weeks to help get you through the cold wintermonths.

And they're all a cinch to make. Just be sure you have some oven-safe soup bowls for this one, since we'll have to broil it a bit before serving. Under the gooey melted provolone of the original version you get from Applebee's is a unique round crouton that's made from bread similar to a hamburger bun. So that's exactly what we'll use in our clone.

Ingredients for this recipe:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 medium white onions, sliced

8 cups beef broth (Swanson is best)

1 cup water2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 plain hamburger buns10 slices provolone cheese

10 teaspoons shredded parmesan cheese

1. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a large soup pot or saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the sliced onions and saute for 20 minutes until the onions begin to soften and start to become translucent. You don't want them to brown.

2. Add the beef broth, water, salt, garlic powder and black pepper to the pan and bring mixture to a boil. When soup begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

3. To make the croutons cut off the top half of each top of the hamburger bun so that the bread is the same thickness as the bottom half of each bun. Throw the tops away. Now you should have 10 round pieces of bread -- 5 bottom buns, and 5 top buns with the tops cut off. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the bread in the the oven directly on the rack and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until each piece is golden brown and crispy. Set these croutons aside until you need them.

4. When the soup is done, spoon about 1 cup into an oven-safe bowl. Float a crouton on top of the soup, then place a slice of provolone cheese on top of the crouton. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese over the provolone.

5. Place the bowl into your oven set to high broil. Broil the soup for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown (you may need to broil longer if you are making more than one bowl at a time). Sprinkle an additional 1/2 teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese over the top of the soup and serve. Repeat process to prepare remaining servings.Makes 10 servings.