Tag: caramelized onions

Tomato Cobbler with White Cheddar Biscuits

Well Dined | Tomato Cobbler with White Cheddar Biscuits

Through a combination of being really lazy and really busy, I haven’t been cooking that much at home lately.  Or at least anything new or interesting (I mean, how many vegetable pastas do you want to see, right?).  So I haven’t been posting very frequently, either.  Thank goodness for my lunches with Melissa, from Smells Like Brownies, or I wouldn’t be posting at all!  We made this savory tomato cobbler on a rainy day with terrible lighting, and it was just the right kind of comfort food.

Well Dined | Tomato Cobbler with White Cheddar Biscuits

Caramelized onions and cherry tomatoes get bound together with the help of a little flour, and flavored with balsamic vinegar and fresh basil.  I love using multi-colored cherry tomatoes, so pretty!

Well Dined | Tomato Cobbler with White Cheddar Biscuits

Then the mixture goes into a baking dish and into the oven.  We used the same cast iron skillet that we caramelized the onions in.

Well Dined | Tomato Cobbler with White Cheddar Biscuits

While the tomato mixture cooks, roll out and cut out some biscuits.  The dough, made savory with the help of sharp white cheddar and black pepper, will have been resting in the fridge while the filling was put together.  You want that butter cold in order to achieve maximum flakiness.  We used whey in place of buttermilk, because we will never run out of whey (so much whey). (more…)

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese – Three Ways

Well Dined | Buttery Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese

So I got this combination of ingredients into my head and couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways I could use them.  Pasta, pizza, tarts – the list goes on.  I decided to caramelize a big batch of onions, roast a big squash, and use them all week in a few different dishes.

Well Dined | Roasted Butternut Squash

First off, I peeled and cut up a large (4 lb) butternut squash and laid the cubes out on a baking sheet.  I drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg.  Then I roasted them at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  I used some right away, and stored the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.

Well Dined | Caramelized Onions

For the onions, I bought one of those bags that has about 5 onions in it, sliced them all, and threw them in a large pan with olive oil.  After they turned translucent and soft, I turned the heat down from med-hi to med-lo and let them caramelize.  This will take anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes.  About halfway through, I added a few sprigs of thyme.  Once they were really brown, I added a splash of sherry to de-glaze the pan and removed the thyme stems.  Again, I used some right away, and stored the rest in an airtight container in the fridge. (more…)

Christmas 2013

Well Dined | Christmas Wreath

Merry Christmas, y’all!  We went on a bit of a crazy roadtrip (which I will tell you about later, because there are restaurants involved) and didn’t get back til late on the 22nd, which left us in a bit of a scramble to get ready for Christmas.  We managed to get some outdoor decorations up (check out the wreath I made!), but no tree or anything indoors.

Well Dined | Christmas Dinner

We also spent all our holiday money on travel, so no presents this year.  But we did have a nice Christmas dinner (I mean, come on – how could I not, right?).  Honey Baked Ham (going store bought on the main let me focus on sides); Spinach and Gruyere Strata; Sweet Potato Gratin with Caramelized Onions; and Bacon Popovers.

Well Dined | Cranberry Raisin Tart

And a Cranberry Raisin Tart with orange zest and spices for dessert.

Well Dined | Orange Cranberry Rolls

Oh yeah, and breakfast!  Can’t forget Christmas morning sweets!  I made these Cranberry Orange Rolls by Smitten Kitchen – yum! (more…)

Christmas 2012

I wanted to do a big Christmas dinner, but I didn’t want to be in the kitchen all Christmas Day. I also wanted to try something different than the usual rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. So I decided to do dinner on Christmas Eve and to do some easy, low-prep dishes for Brunch on Christmas Day.

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I ordered a half fresh ham through Whole Foods to try cooking a Christmas ham for the first time, but I made a few mistakes.  I wanted to cook it in the slow cooker with brown sugar and cider to make a glaze, but I didn’t realize that “fresh ham” is not really what we consider ham – without the curing or smoke, it is more like a pork roast – so I didn’t really get the flavor that I wanted.  I also couldn’t get the whole thing to fit in my (very large) slow cooker insert, so I had to chop a chunk off – which actually ended up being a good thing because I roasted that piece and it came out better. (more…)