No tooth (butter and OO), lamb broth (roasted bones), sherry, bay leaf, thyme. Any toasted crunchy bread with baby Swiss. My wife bought the bowls just for this dish, much to my chagrin ( I hate single use appliances, and serviceware). Top five comfort foods for us.
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That was my wife’s defense. Cheap and broiler friendly. That last part told me she did some reading. Still got 'em, and they are perfect for FO soup. Fat handles are a must. So dang hot.
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Become a cookware junkie. Embrace the single use tool that is truly incomparable. They can be so much fun. What else ya gonna do with a Madeleine plaque? Madeleines are such a delight! Ditto for tortilla presses and so many more!
A definite garage sale junky, I picked up 6 of these which stack, three on two in my space. Oven/broiler proof and rustic looking. Probably paid around $5 for the 6. I’m good.
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I would annoy the hell out of you - I have cookware, dinnerware and serveware for every season of the year and table linens to go with them…it can be exhausting
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They’re good for chili, too 
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I use Alton Brown’s recipe which uses super caramelized onions, apple cider, chicken broth, fresh thyme, and white wine. I top with toasted baguette slice and shredded gruyere or Swiss.
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Is that you, mom? I hear you. I’m a utilitarian thinker, she likes the seasons. God bless her. Hard to get cranky with folks I love. In the end, I’m glad she got them. One dish wonder, but I make the soup more frequently, now; which I’m sure was in her head as she perused the bowls.
I spend the time to go full brown on that pile-o-onions. I don’t mind a little tooth; but my love prefers the full brown. Hey, while I’m making the soup, she’s stacking wood. Mumma gets what she wants.
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SMH. I have brothers exactly like you. I am the mama bird…what more can I say??
Don’t go changin’, mama. They love you the way you are. I always grouse about helping her get Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever stuff out. The place looks so much more inviting with it, though.
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I have seasonal tableware and accoutrements. People love it, but I’m going to let the stuff go. Less work for the executor of my estate …
I have eaten more french onion soup made by my vegetarian SIL than any other kind, and it’s always delicious.
She uses BTB mushroom too, and occasionally a little of a different stock base for fullness of flavor. Bay leaves. Yellow onions caramelized for a long time in a heavy dutch oven. Baguette rounds with Gruyère on top, more Gruyère at the base of the bowl.
However, I do not get this as a complete meal (which is how she serves it). I’m always hungry an hour or two later. (I’m also not a big fan of Gruyère, so there’s that.)
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It’s a very heavy dish, for being mostly water.
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This is one dish I feel incomplete without the bay leaves. If not, thyme is great. Love what thyme adds to FO.
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To make it more sustaining when offered as a main course, you can add either cream or, for dairy free, pureed cashews. Substitute croutons for the bread and cheese topping if you wish.
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Yes and no… it’s filling when I’m eating it, and half an hour later I’m hungry 
Thoughtful of you, but if they bring you joy, keep them.
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I know this is a basic soup recipe, but I really like the looks of big olive oil crusty croutons. Instead of my usual toasted French bread slices.
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No need to get rid of it. I’m sure whoever your executor is would rather your happiness now than their own convenience later. They might even keep them in honor of your memory. My mom’s always doing this. I tell her to keep whatever makes her day. It’s just stuff. My brother and I got so pissed at her last time, we started calling her stuff. “I call the old pyrex and Corningware!”, “I call the couch!”
Knock it off, mom! I’m with Riley.
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Well, the people I used to do Xmas dinner for have died, so perhaps there’s someone who can make new good memories with the tableware.
