DIY Wednesday: Caramelized Onions

July 8, 2015July 8, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Fun fact time: I have never had caramelized onions. I know what they are, I know people love them, and I’ve listened to many a chef on Food Network talk lovingly about making them just right. Despite all that, I have never eaten them or attempted to make them. I don’t have anything against onions, I use them all the time. I always have some in my kitchen and will throw them into any meal.

The biggest thing stopping me from making my own caramelized onions? Time.

If you have ever made caramelized onions, you know that it takes quite a bit of time. You have to cook them for a long time, at least an hour, over a very low heat. That’s how you get the onions to release their sugar and caramelize. I don’t know about you, but on most days I don’t have over an hour to slowly cook onions no matter how delicious the outcome. Plus, now that it’s summer the idea of standing over a hot stove for an extended period of time doesn’t sound too appealing. Have no fear though, I have the solution to our problem.

The slow cooker.

I always forget about the slow cooker during the summer because I always equate it with soups and chili’s and their ain’t nobody who wants to eat soup when it’s 90 degrees out. But the slow cooker does so much more than cold weather favorites and today it’s going to do all the work for you when it comes to caramelized onions. While this method actually takes much longer than the traditional way, you don’t have to do anything but turn the slow cooker on. Nothing could be simpler than that!

Caramelized Onions

3-4 large yellow onions, I used 3 very big onions each a little over a pound
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Peel the onions and cut each onion in half, longways (cut from the top down to the root) then cut the onions into half moons. Place all of the onions into your slow cooker. You want to leave just a little room at the top.
I actually switched to my bigger slow cooker because I had so many onions!
Drizzle 2 tbsp of the oil over the onions and toss to coat. If you need more add in the last tbsp of oil. Sprinkle the salt over the top and stir to combine.
Cover the slow cooker and cook the onions on LOW for at least 10 hours. If you can stir the onions occasionally, but this isn’t a necessary step.
At the end of 10 hours, turn off the slow cooker and let the onions cool. Drain off any liquid and store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze the onions in ice cube trays to be used later.
Just freeze and then pop them out whenever you need them!

See wasn’t that simple? Now go put caramelized onions on everything and enjoy the caramelized goodness!

Recipe Re-Do: Even Better BBQ Sauce

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I was trying to come up with a good 4th of July recipe to give you guys today. I had some really awesome ideas, but they all involved a grill. Sadly, I don’t own a grill and didn’t have access to one in time to make any of my awesome ideas. That’s ok though, I’ll have some great grilled recipes for you later this summer.

In lieu of a grilled recipe, I thought that I would go back and re-visit some of my other BBQ-worthy recipes. I decided that my Quick BBQ Sauce could use a little make over. And what could be more important to a BBQ than the BBQ sauce? Beer, but that is beside the point.

I didn’t change too much to the ingredient list, but I did change the way you make the sauce. It does take a little longer, but it makes the flavor even better. And because it’s easy to double or triple you can whip up a big batch of this sauce for your 4th of July party and put it on everything. Maybe not the beer…

Even Better BBQ Sauce- adapted from my Quick and Delicious BBQ Sauce Recipe

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce, no salt added
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp liquid aminos or tamari sauce
1 1/2 tsp grainy mustard
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. Mix well
Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until it has thickened.
Remove the pan from heat and let it cool completely before moving to a jar or squeeze bottle. Keep the sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

DIY Wednesday: Pickles

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Let’s talk about pickles for a second. Is there anything more satisfying than the briny crunch of a good dill pickle? Put a pickle on anything and it’s instantly elevated. Sandwiches are good but add a pickle and they become phenomenal. Need a little zip on your burger? Slap on a pickle. You can even make soup out of pickles. It’s better than you would think, trust me. Pickles also come in so many different types. Spicy, sweet, dill, bread and butter, gherkins, kosher…. The list is endless.

I’m sure you know that you can make your own pickles. It’s not that difficult of a process, but for some reason pickling anything causes some people to back away slowly. It seems like a complicated process that can be messed up very easily. It isn’t, but I get it. For the longest time, I shied away from making my own pickles and just bought mine at the store. Unfortunately when I started to read labels, I had the hardest time finding any that didn’t have added sugar, preservatives, or weird ingredients. There were a few out there, but they were few and far between.

So I decided to try and make my own. I looked at a few recipes and came up with my own brine and got to pickling. It was really easy and I was left with some tasty pickles. I’ll share how I made my own brine, but I’m also going to share a little secret. You don’t have to make your own brine to make homemade pickles, you can use a little shortcut. If you have a brand of pickles you usually buy and the ingredients are good, you can just re-use that for your own pickles. All you have to do is cut up your cucumber and add it to the jar. Voila! You have pickles. Easy-peasy!

DIY Pickles

1-2 cucumbers, sliced into spears
3-4 cloves garlic
1 cup vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp dried dill or small bunch of fresh dill
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric

Find a large jar that has a tight seal. Place the cucumber spears and cloves of garlic into the jar and pour in the vinegar.
Add in all the seasonings. Close the jar and then shake to disperse the seasonings throughout. Place the jar into the fridge for about a week to fully pickle the cucumbers.

Isn’t that simple? And it’s even easier if you’re just reusing a store bought jar. You can play with the seasonings and adjust them to your taste. If you want to have a spicy pickle try adding in cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. If you want to try something a little sweeter add in a little honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. You can also change up which vegetables you use. Try carrots, beets, cauliflower, parsnips, or zucchini. This is a great way to preserve the vegetables you get at the market and it makes for a quick healthy snack.

Have you ever tried making your own pickles?

Blog Recipe Roundup

June 26, 2015June 23, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but it has been HOT here this week. The heavy, muggy, wet, kind of hot. It seems like summer is either cool or super hot, there is no in between. I guess it could be worse and at least it isn’t snowing sideways anymore.

I don’t have a new recipe for you this week, but I do have some delicious things that I have found on some of the blogs that I follow regularly. I think it’s good to share a little blog love and I hope that you find something here that strikes your fancy. Enjoy!

Eating Bird Food- Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

Have you ever tried overnight oats? If not, then you need to jump on the bandwagon. Not only are they delicious, it’s the perfect breakfast for a busy morning because you can make it the night before. Plus chocolate and banana are born to be together.

Kath Eats Real Food- Orange Dill Bean Salad

This is the perfect dish to bring to a summer BBQ or party. It’s easy to put together and you don’t have to use the oven which is a must on hot summer days.

Cotter Crunch- Gluten Free Spicy Rice Noodles

I could eat noodles for every meal. Sorry, I’m not sorry. I like the versatility of this dish and it’s a perfect summer dinner!

PaleOMG- Watermelon Mint Granita

Ok, this looks amazing. Whenever it’s super hot out all I want is ice cold watermelon. I feel like this is going to be a regular around here this summer…

Monday I’m going to be introducing a new feature for my blog, so make sure you come back and check that out! It’s gonna be a good one! Have a great weekend!

DIY Wednesday: Grainy Mustard

June 24, 2015June 23, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I love mustard. I put it on everything. Sandwiches, vegetables, pasta, rolls, spoons… Yes, I have eaten mustard right out of the jar. I love the spicy bite that it adds and I especially like the texture of a good, grainy mustard. After peanut butter, I would say that mustard is my favorite spread.

Which is why it’s shocking to me that I have never made my own. I mean, it’s fairly simple. Mustard seeds, some vinegar, salt, and turmeric is all it takes to make standard mustard. Once you get that down, you can get fancy and make honey mustard or horseradish mustard or spicy mustard. You can make it super smooth or keep it nice and grainy. The possibilities are endless.

Here is the basic mustard recipe. Once you get this down, you can play with some variations and have an endless supply of mustard. That sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?

Grainy Mustard

1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup brown mustard seeds
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
water, as needed

Add mustard seeds and apple cider vinegar into a small bowl and make sure all of the seeds are submerged. Let the seeds soak for a day or two.
Add everything into a blender. Blend until the mustard reaches the consistency you would like. If you want a smoother, thinner mustard blend for a longer time and add a little water to smooth things out. For a grainier texture, blend for a shorter amount of time and don’t use as much water.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

I don’t think that I will buy mustard again after realizing how easy it is to make my own. Plus, I can make my own specialty mustard for much cheaper. I’m all about homemade and less expensive!