NYT's Red Onion Preserves

Extended Shelf Life for: Onions

 As part of my new job, I get to assist my good friend in hosting the occasional ELL (English Language Learner) Family Night. For such an event we make sure to offer a complete meal to guests as well as helpful information for acquiring language and adjusting to a new culture. For the first family night, we served up large sub sandwiches courtesy of Wal-Mart and ended up bringing home more than a few containers of perfectly sliced, red onions. And while red onions are delicious on their own, they have an aroma which permeates all things and the upstairs kitchen was beginning to take on a rather foul odor.

So, I went to work and did what I do best, preserve them suckers!

A quick internet search revealed a 1988 New York Time's recipe for  Red Onion Preserves.

The only thing the original recipe lacks are pictures, so above you have a photo of the delicious, and I mean DELICIOUS, little onion slices and below, you'll find the recipe (in case you have an aversion to clicking on links).

Ingredients/Directions:

Peel and slice 6-7 red onions, cut in half, you'll need about 8 cups total. Heat 2 Tbsp. of butter in a heavy kettle and add the onions, 1/4 tsp. Allspice, 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp. finely grated Ginger. Cook and stir often for about 10 minutes. Stir in 3 Tbsp. Honey and 1/4 cup Red-Wine or Malt Vinegar. Cook, stirring often, for an additional 5 minutes. Let preserves cool and store in a tightly covered container for as long as you can go without eating them! They're great warmed up with meats and in omelets or as a sandwich condiment. What use will you find for Red Onion Preserves?

Tuna and Tomato Stuffed Baguette

The thing I love most about traveling, whether it's in the country where I reside or if it's an adventure which requires a seat on an airplane, is discovering new foods and combinations of old favorites.

When I did my study abroad in Granada, Spain, I lived with a host mother. Anytime my friends and I were going on an organized or spontaneous weekend outing she'd make me two Bocadillos - a simple yet always delicious baguette sandwich. No matter the occasion, I always left my home-stay with one baguette filled with an egg and cheese omelet and another baguette stuffed with tuna, tomatoes and a bit of olive oil.

I studied abroad in the fall of 2005, yet distinctly remember the joy of having these two sandwiches to munch on weekend getaways. So, 7 years later, it's time to re-create the magic!

Rather than simply slicing my baguette however, I dug out the dough and then stuffed a mixture of tuna, tomato, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper into the opening, let the olive oil have a couple minutes to soak into the bread and then enjoyed every last bite of this single meal which brings back some of my fondest Spanish memories.

Menu: Living Room Picnic Egg Salad Sandwich

We had big plans for a nice evening picnic underneath South Korea's cherry blossoms.

But the weather was uncooperative.

So we picnicked on the living room floor with home-made pickles and egg salad sandwiches (dressed up a bit with parsley and home-made yogurt).

It'll have to do for now.

Eggsplosions and Spicy Black Bean Soup

Pinterest is the source for so much inspiration, it is unbelievable.  This latest 'pinspiration' can be tracked back to this website, and let's just say - my world may never be the same! You may know that we have a deep, deep love for fried eggs, match that up with some toast and a slice of cheese and even the worst of days get to end in a glorious fashion. If you've ever made a grilled cheese and if you've ever made a toad-in-a-hole, you can nail this sandwich.

Using a biscuit cutter or a glass remove a circles-worth of bread from each slice of bread that will soon become a sandwich. Grease a fry pan, throw in one or two slices of bread (depending on space) crack an egg into the hole and let set for a minute or two until bread is toasty and egg is cooked through on the bottom. Flip each slice of bread over, sprinkle or lay on some cheese, let the cook on the other side, but two breads together and you have a eggy, cheesey, amazingly AMAZING sandwich! Serve that up with a bowl of soup and you've got yourself the perfect meal to beat the winter blues.

As for my black bean soup I boiled about 2 cups of Chicken Stock from the freezer added a cup or two of water, roasted about 6 tomatos and an onion, threw them in a food processor with some garlic for a quick chop dumped that into the broth mixture added about 2 cups of black beans and some crisp bacon. Seasoned with salt, pepper, red chili powder, cumin, cilantro (from the freezer) and a roasted green chili mix I had also froze before the chiles could go bad.

(These freezer concepts revolve around a desire to extend shelf life of certain foods, I've posted about the cilantro before, I did the chiles in a similar fashion. Roasted in the oven, threw into the food processor with olive oil and garlic, pulsed and placed in ice cube trays. Now, if I want to add a punch to my dish, I just throw in one or two cubes of 'fresh roasted' chiles from my freezer!)

Egg Salad

Seriously, why do I forget how delicious something as simple as egg salad is?

Hard boiled eggs (6-8)...which by the way, I SUCK at making (that's right, hard-boiled eggs get me EVERY time!)

Mayonnaise (1/2 cup ish?)

Mustard Powder (or real mustard if you're so lucky :p)

Fresh chopped cilantro

Salt and Pepper

Toasted Bread

Into thy belly, and enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly -- Nothing Special

It's just a short post to remind myself in the future that the best way to make a PB&J for a day at an amusement park where there's all kinds of fried foods screaming your name is to use an out of the ordinary bread (croissant), a home-made jam/jelly from home (crab-apple butter) and throw in something unexpected (craisins). Just makes it a little more exciting to pull out of the lunch bag - don't you think?

Strawberry 'Mojito' and Open Faced Sandwiches

I enjoy throwing things into a blender and pretending it's something as fancy as a Strawberry Mojito...but usually, it's not. It's just frozen strawberries, a  bit of fresh apple-mint (?--does that exist outside of Korea?) and of course...Soju.

I also enjoy using home bread to make simple, delicious sandwiches...Bread. Cheese. Onions soaked in Balsamic Vinegar. Tomato. Fried Egg on Top.

Can't go wrong.

Brie and Avocado Sandwich

One of my primary motivations in traveling is dining on local eats and discovering new, stellar combinations.

After having just arrived in Cape Town after a few days in Port Elizabeth, South Africa Mike and I found ourselves sitting at a French cafe with our friends Abram and Mallory. The menu showcased a number of delectable treats - but for the hubs and I, one stood out above the rest: Bacon, Brie and Avocado on Ciabata.

It was one of the most amazing things to ever grace these taste buds.

So, I re-create it. Even when Brie and Avocados are extremely costly. I've been skipping bacon and still find I'm extremely satisfied.

You will not regret this sandwich choice. If you have a chance to make your own bread, that'll make the experience even more grand.

Bon Appetit!

Bulgogi Cheese-steak

In a dinner conversation with one of my husband’s co-worker’s and her family it occurred to me that Philly Cheese-steaks are delicious, and so is Bulgogi (Korean marinated beef). From there it wasn’t long until I was convinced a combination of the two would bring a little bit of culinary joy to these taste buds (and others).

On May 3 I finally had the chance to work my magic in these realms and the results were…divine.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a large skillet cook 2 cups of Bulgogi beef until cooked through. (If living in Korea: buy marinated at Home-plus or E-mart or purchase the meet and marinade separately at your local grocer. Others—try this out). In another skillet (or prior to sautéing the meat) sauté one green pepper, sliced; one red pepper, sliced; and one onion, sliced. Place meat and veggies on a hoagie roll or in a baguette, top with white cheese of choice and heat in the oven until cheese is melty. Enjoy with French fries or these Rosemary Potatoes.

Grilled Cheese French Toasted Bagel with Cilantro

If you've browsed through any of my past recipes, you know I run an egg-loving houshold. So, I've had this idea to make bagels in a fashion similar to French Toast, therefore, when it was snack time on Saturday, I was all too excited to give this dish a whirl. The concept is easy and open to great interpretation/change - I know I'll definitely be playing around with the idea a bit. Regardless, here is how things started and ended:

Ingredients/Directions:

Whisk together 3 eggs (for 2 bagels). Add seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic, fresh cilantro, etc. Dip bagel halves into egg mixture throw onto greased skillet and cook until egg is no longer runny on both sides. Remove from skillet, top with choice of ingredients (I made small cheese omelets), toast in the oven for approximately 10 minutes and enjoy!

Recommendations for toppings:
Fresh Tomato, Cucumber, Spinach, Deli-Meats, Sprouts, Cheese, etc.
Cream Cheese
Butter

Grilled Brie and Apple Sandwich

Remember South Africa? Remember some of Stellar Food Finds? If not, check them out here.

Turns out South Korea is no place for Avocados - so unfortunately NO Avocoado, Brie and Bacon sandwiches. Yet, have no fear, Brie is available and it pairs nicely with other foods - apples for instance. Should you find yourself in need of a small treat, light dinner or something simply delicious and simple, try this out.


Using your favorite bread, heat up a skillet, slice up some brie and apples create a sandwich and toast/melt the creation on the skillet for an absolutely FABULOUS experience! Don't forget to sprinkle a little cinnamon on the apples - gives it that extra something.


If you happen to have some extra time or should I make this sandwich again soon, I think I would stir-fry the apples first, then piece the sandwich together. But that's just a thought.

A perfect way to remember summer travels and welcome yourself into a new kitchen!

Antelope Dips

Extended Life for: Buns

I can take no credit for this recipe. I found the recipe at AllRecipes about a year ago for the Best Beef Dips Ever and have loved it every time. This time around, I raided our freezer for some Antelope roasts courtesy of Micah Herrboldt, threw them in the crock pot, added 1 cup of soy sauce, 6 cups water, garlic, bay leaves and rosemary - 10 hours later, toasted buns from who-knows-when donned the delicious meat and found themselves plunging into the salty au jus.