I give her credit for asking how to can it safely. Has she indicated what she hopes to gain by canning this recipe or the nature of her allergies? Entirely aside from the safety issues, I'm not sure this would be very appealing canned. The dried cilantro may not come through very well and this seems a little bland fresh, so canned it will be even flatter. If she has the room, cooking and freezing a triple or quadruple batch at intervals might be a more suitable option. If she really wants to can this, the closest she can come to this recipe (sans the barley, as you mentioned) would be the beef and vegetable soup. The main issue would be making sure that the solids (meats, beans and veggies) are no more than 50% of the contents with the remainder being broth. In other words, this would need to be a real soup, not a stew or braise. Another option, though less of a "quick meal" is to can meat cubes in a homemade stock. That has more versatility and provides a base to which the other ingredients can be added. Then there are no concerns about barley or any other ingredients. Kidney beans could also be prepped and canned separately. Again, she has a base item ready for that recipe or others she may wish to use them in. I hope she understands pressure canners. I'm a little concerned about that issue as well. Canner manuals are not always up-to-date in their recommendations for vent time and wait time, so again, the NCHFP pressure canner operation instructions are worthwhile for her to study. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: How to Can Soups

Are you looking for a nice rustic looking serving dish? If it doesn't matter the white corning glass bowls with the little tab handle and plastic top would probably hold up pretty well. But then if you are looking for personal experience - I won't risk my two old ones with glass tops - they are my most precious kitchen possession:) I have been using them in the microwave for years - I don't like the new plastic tops. You can usually buy these at Wal-Mart etc. Actually the don't look that different from the LeCreuset ones except they only come in white. If you want the rustic look - check a restaurant supply house for the brown ones you see in restaurants - or ask a restaurant if you can buy some of theirs. Here is a link that might be useful: corning bowls on amazon

This is our current favorite recipe - undoubtedly it would be better if made with homemade stock, but that's one of those things I just never seem to get around to. We don't bother with the large bread croutons - we just sprinkle regular croutons over the top of the soup (Musso's Cheese and Garlic are great!), then lay a couple of slices of Jack cheese and some Parmesan on top before broiling. Becky * Exported from MasterCook * French Onion Soup Gratinee Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon salt 2 large red onions -- thinly sliced 2 large sweet onions -- thinly sliced 1 can chicken broth -- (48 fluid ounce) 1 can beef broth -- (14 ounce) 1/2 cup red wine 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 sprigs fresh parsley 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar salt and freshly ground black pepper -- to taste 4 thick slices French or Italian bread 8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese -- at room temperature 1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese -- at room temperature 4 pinches paprika 1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy. 2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread. 3. Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler. 4. Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one. 5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately! Source: "www.allrecipes.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : 11-26-07 Made using croutons instead of bread, with Jack and Parmesan cheese. Used 1 teaspoon dried thyme.

I made the recipe this morning and it simmered all day. I used my 3.5 qt crock pot since my big 6 qt was still soaking from the crock pot lima beans last night. We bought focaccia bread. We use the big 16 oz. soup mugs, so we toasted the bread, then put the cheese on top and put the mugs in the broiler to allow the cheese to brown. It's delicious! I made the original recipe and didn't double since the smaller crock pot wouldn't hold that much. That was enough for a full mug each for each of us. Next time, I'll probably wash the big crock if it's dirty and use it so we have enough for two meals. DH loves it too! We both love French onion soup, but this is the first time in almost 20 years of marriage that we've made it at home.