A Flash of Inspiration, and a Headache

French Onion Soup, complete with extra melty gruyere

As I don't like wasting ingredients, it bothered me that half a box of beef stock was in my fridge, leftover from the beef stroganoff. In a flash of inspiration (partially assisted by the discovery of french onion soup bowls in the apartment cabinets), I decided to make one of my favorite soups of all time. It was, as the French say, Soupe a l'Oignon au Fromage.

I got this recipe from epicurious, an amazing site my aunt recommended. Also, who knew it was so easy to make this soup?

After a long day at work, I got a spontaneous headache during that final half hour before 5:00. This is an odd occurrence for me, but it hit me hard. So hard that I wore sunglasses during my commute - on a dark, cloudy, rainy day. I winced my way through the grocery store this afternoon, walking around like a zombie with a pained expression on his face. I was not sure I could bring myself to make dinner, let alone wake up from a short nap. But I did.

Something about the smell of onions sweetly caramelizing in butter brought my mood up. Chewing on french bread dipped with olive oil and salt was a nice distraction. Ultimately, as I pulled the bowl out of the oven, dripping with gruyere, the headache abated. This scrumptious meal was just what I needed.