When I first told them what it was called, they were less than enthusiastic – until I said it was a variation of French Onion soup. Then they were excited. Hypocrites.

This recipe does take about an hour to make, unless like me you think the red onions at my local grocery store are “large”, and not actually almost twice the size of the stereotypical large onion. By the way, a large onion comes to about 1 to 1.5 cups of sliced onions. The red onions I bought came to about 2 to 2.5 cups sliced. Can you see where I started having difficulties? LOL! So, after taking half the onions out of the pan after they’d been cooking for 20 minutes, everything go back on track and the dish was done within a reasonable about of time.

It turned out very good, with the balsamic vinegar giving it a tangy sweetness enhanced by the onions and mustard. The original recipes is Caramelized Balsamic-Red Onion Soup with Cheese-Topped Croutons at Serious Eats. I made some changes, based on the ingredients I had on hand.

Caramelized Balsamic-Red Onion Soup with Cheese-Topped Croutons

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
6 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (I used Meijer Gold spicy grainy mustard)
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or a combination of the two)
6 slices French bread
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

Heat a large pot over medium heat for one minute. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, and then add the butter. Once it melts, add the sliced onions and salt, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and mustard, stir well, and cook for five minutes.

Pour in the six cups of water, and turn the heat to high. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for five minutes. Carefully remove the sheet, and turn on the broiler. Divide the cheese between the slices of bread. Set the sheet under the broiler for however long it takes to melt the cheese, about 30 seconds. Remove the sheet, turn off the heat, and set aside.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a crouton. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

This recipe made a very thin batter, which in turn created very thin pancakes. Which isn’t a problem, though it is different from what I normally make (we’re into thick, fluffy ones). Regardless of our preferred type of pancake, these were delicious. I made a slight change to the original recipe. It called for orange peel, but I couldn’t find the bottle of dried Valencia orange peel I know I have in my spices. Instead, I used the zest of a blood orange, because that’s what I had (and my family adores blood oranges).

One thing that should be noted is that my pancakes turned out a lot darker looking than the picture on the original recipe. Either they used a not quite so dark beer, or they used a generic pancakes picture.

Spiced Dark Craft Beer Pancakes

1 cup sifted all purpose flour
¼ granulated sugar
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup beer
2 tbsp melted butter
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp orange zest

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and spices. Add all the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined. It’s okay if there are lumps – over mixing will make bad pancakes.

Heat skillet or griddle on medium, and coat with butter pan spray. Add batter in ¼ cups and wait for bubbles to form, flip and cook until golden brown.

Serve with some additional orange peel, butter and pure maple syrup.

For those who are looking to compare my version with the original, here are the differences: I used a red skinned yellow fleshed potato, about 6 oz. of whole wheat penne, and Bone Dust seasoning instead of Old Bay (I’m not going to spend $9 on a large container if I’m not sure I’ll ever use it again). I’ve got the cookbook Hot, Sticky and on Fire book by Ted Reader, where the Bone Dust recipe comes from. Unfortunately, it’s only available in Canada or through Amazon.ca. I got my copy as a gift several years ago, and we love many of the recipes in it.

Anyway, my version of the recipe can be found after the jump.

Corn Chowder Mac and Cheese

Makes 4 servings plus around 2 servings of leftovers

Salt and black pepper
6 oz whole wheat penne
2 cups frozen corn kernals
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red skinned yellow fleshed potato, diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
2 tbsp. Bone Dust (or your favorite bbq dry rub)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red chile pepper, such as fresno, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic (what can I say, we love garlic)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups whole milk
Few grates fresh nutmeg (I used about 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg)
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the corn, potato and Bone Dust to the skillet and brown for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the celery, chile pepper, bell pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add butter to the skillet and stir it into the veggie mixture until it melts. Add in the flour, then stir until it’s all mixed in. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce coats a spoon thickly; lower the heat to low. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano and the cheddar until it’s all melted.

Add the pasta to the large skillet and stir together. Serve immediately.

Tequila Lime Marinade
 
1/4 c. tequila
1/4 c. lime juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder

The chicken marinated for about six hours. We took the meat off the chicken thighs and ate it wrapped up in a tortilla with a shredded Mexican cheese blend and lettuce (for those who wanted it). The chicken turned out really good, and I had Matt cook two extra thighs so I could have some chicken tomorrow at lunch.

3 lbs yellow-flesh potatoes (I prefer Klondike Rose)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 slices thick cut hardwood smoked bacon (not maple or maple smoked), chopped
1 cup diced onion (or more to taste)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes up into bite-sized pieces and cook in salted water until tender. Drain and return to the pot. Put a dish towel over the put and then put the lid on – this will keep the potatoes warm and help dry them off a bit.

While the potatoes are cooking, put the olive oil and bacon into a large frying pan and cook over medium to medium-high heat until the bacon is almost crispy.

Add in the onions and stir well, then cook until the onions are soft.

Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan and stir quickly, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add in the mustard and whisk until everything is combined. Let it continue to cook on low heat until the potatoes are ready.

While the potatoes (and the bacon mixture) are still warm, put the potatoes into the frying pan and stir well. Sprinkle garlic powder over the potatoes, stir, and add salt and pepper to taste.

This potato salad is best served at room temperature, and is even better when made a day ahead. The potatoes and the bacon mixture has to be warm (or hot) when combined, otherwise it doesn’t taste right.

Spiced Buttermilk Pancakes

3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 c buttermilk
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter, cooled
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat your griddle on medium high. Spray with cooking spray or lightly brush with more melted butter.

Whisk eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add in buttermilk and whisk together. Slowly add melted butter while whisking until well combined.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add buttermilk mixture. Whisk together until combined but still lumpy.

Pour 1/4 batter onto griddle for each pancake and spread the batter until at least 4″ in diameter. When the edges of the pancake are dry and the center is bubbly, flip. Cook another minute or so until golden brown.

Serve with butter and syrup.

They do taste pretty good warm and with nothing on them, but a lot better with butter and syrup.

The original recipe calls for green beans, but they’re not a favorite in our house, so we just have a nice side salad instead.

Chicken with Apple Gravy and Rice Pilaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice and toast until light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas and cheese.

While the rice cooks, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Pour the apple gravy over the chicken and serve the rice alongside. (The gravy tastes good on the rice too.)

Based on Chicken with Apple Gravy, Rice Piaf and Green Beans from Rachel Ray.

The original recipe called for broken up lasagna noodles, but we found we didn’t like it with the big pieces. We substitute in extra-wide egg noodles instead, and omit the ricotta – we don’t think it misses it at all.

Lasagna Stoup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound ground beef sirloin (we use whatever we have and the drain the meat)
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
One 28-ounce can Italian crushed tomatoes
1/2 pound extra-wide egg noodles
1 cup basil leaves, torn
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, to pass around the table

In a soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain if necessary. Stir in the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth and tomatoes; cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper then serve.

Based on Rachael Ray’s Lasagna Stoup.

Bowl of Bones

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot, divided
2 pounds chicken wingettes and drumettes
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash onion powder

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, 1/4 cup lime juice, garlic and 1 teaspoon ginger; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.

Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken on a greased rack in a foil-lined 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

While the wings are baking, combine the jam, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and remaining lime juice and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Brush over wings.

Bake for 40 minutes longer or until juices run clear, basting and turning every 10 minutes.

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen (approx.)

From Taste of Home.

Today, we’re trying something different: Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. They’re wonderfully dense and taste like an oatmeal cookie and can’t be easier to make. We all gobbled them up, and they’ve been added to the “must make them again” list. Next time I make them, I’ll be adding walnuts.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

4 c. dry oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3/4 – 1 c. canola oil
4 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c. Craisins
1 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and until everything’s moistened.

3. Press into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into individual bars.

From: http://stolenmomentscooking.com/oatmeal-breakfast-bars/

Per Serving: 357 Calories; 16g Fat (40.3% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 53mg Cholesterol; 90mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 3 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.