Ok, is it just me, or is it crazy how fast this year is going?!  How in the world are we on the downhill side of the year 2011?  And I haven't posted in an embarassingly long time.  Ouch!  I promise, I've been feeding my family.  It's just that in the mix of a bunch of new or special activities, I haven't been taking the time to try new things, or at least not take pictures of some of them to pass along, or even of those old favorites that I think would be wonderful to share.  

I'm in the process of bouncing back, but for now, I can share something that is kind of rocking my food world.  In case you didn't guess from the title, I am loving caramelized onions!  

I like onions anyway.  Raw, french fried, sauteed...they add lots of flavor with pretty little effort, so that makes them handy.  However, they take food to a whole new level when they are caramelized.  My favorite is a pepperoni and caramelized onion pizza or calzone.  I just love the contrast between the sweet onions and spicy pepperoni.  Yum!

Yes, I could start from scratch, take pictures and show you the whole process.  However, I learned from another website, and she does a better job explaining than I could anyway, so check it out and TRY THESE!  They are delicious on just about anything, from sandwiches and salads to topping a steak or just eating them straight.

Here are a few things that I have learned that she doesn't specify, just in case it's helpful to you.  

1. Don't bother caramelizing one dinky ol' onion.  It cooks WAAAAY down, and I can use up one onion on a single pizza.  Go ahead and do at least 3 good sized ones.  This is also affected by #2.
2. This takes a long time.  All told, expect it to take over an hour.  And don't try to rush it by turning up the heat.  You'll just end up with crispy fried onions instead of melty, sweetly caramelized ones.  It just takes time.  Put them on when you are in the kitchen anyway and just let them carry along in the background.
3. But don't forget to stir them.  If you tend to forget things like that, set a timer, starting with increments of about 5 minutes, and slowly moving back to 1-2 minute waits between stirs.  
4. She says to use a metal spatula to get all the browned bits.  DO NOT use a metal spatula if you are cooking in a non-stick pan.  May be stating the obvious, but you'll just tear up your pan.  I have had success with a silicone spatula in my non-stick pan.  It still gets the browned bits.  
5. I find that red onions work better than yellow ones.  Around here, at least.  It may be because they are juicier, and tend to soften up better.  Yellow ones usually crisp up too quickly.  Granted, this could be due to the skill level of the cook, but I'm just sayin'.  Red ones make my day!
6. Don't slice them super thin.  (See #1)  They'll shrink down to nothing and be hard to determine the consistency you want.  Leave a little girth on them and you'll get better flavor in the end, plus you'll actually be able to sink your teeth into the goodness.
7. Taste them as you go.  It's fascinating to see how they change from the sharp, crisp raw onions to milder, tenderly sauteed onions to gloriously soft, smooth, sweet caramelized onions.  Just with a little oil.  Crazy!

That's about all the pointers I have except that you really must at least try these.  You'll feel like a chef, your food will have that gourmet touch, but it's really not difficult, just a little slow.  I hope you love it!