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Onions are good...onions are great....Let's have onions on a piece of cake! Just kidding....I think. (now I'm conjuring up ways to use onions in a cake...on a cake. Oh stop me now!)

Caramelized onions are so versatile in what they can be used with, I make them in a huge batch and freeze them in air-tight ziplock bags for use when I want them. And I want them on everything. ;-) This is the conventional way to make them. I have tried crock pot methods, and was not pleased with the results. They were soggy and the color was just not right. This process takes about 35 minutes to complete. Well worth the time.

Last night I used them on a grilled cheese and caramelized onions Quesadilla. Grab up two large flour tortillas, pile one with shredded cheddar cheese and the onions. Butter a flat griddle and get it hot, place the tortilla with the cheese/onions on it. Then put another tortilla on top and grill it till very lightly browned on the bottom. (you have to be sure the cheese is partially melted when you flip this or you'll have cheese everywhere) Use a large spatula and carefully flip it over to lightly brown the other side. Transfer to a plate and cut into wedges, with a huge dollop of sour cream and chopped basil in the center of the plate to serve. This is a great movie snack for two!

Ingredients:

5-7 Medium size yellow onions or red onions

1/4 C. Olive Oil

4 Tbs. Butter

1/2 Tsp. Thyme

1/4 C. Dry white wine. (I used Pinot Grigio)

1/2 tsp. Salt (I use coarse Kosher Salt)

Pepper to taste

You can also add a bay leaf if you like for more flavor

Add Butter and Olive oil to a skillet over Medium Heat. You don't want to do this on high heat. Cooking the onions too fast will burn them and not allow the sugars to develope

Cook and stir occasionally until onions start to brown. You will need to be patient. This process will take you from 30 to 45 minutes depending on the amount of onions used. If you rush it, you will not get that caramelized flavor and will wind up with burned butter and onions.

Now you can use them right away, or divide up single portions in ziplock freezer bags to freeze for later use. They freeze very well, and taste delicious even after freezing.

And just for kicks, I thought I would show the difference in the crockpot and coventional methods of making caramelized onions for my own attempt. The crock method took literally the whole day. The amount of attention that I had to keep giving the onions, stirring...removing the lid to allow excess moisture out, changing the heat setting from high to low and back again....well, I'll stick with the skillet method to save tons of time and get the texture and flavor I need. The crock pot method turned up soggy, textureless and off color results.

I made up some Tortilla wraps with lettuce, mayo, carmelized onions, sliced black olives, ham and cheese, and sprinkled in some chopped basil.

These will be great for warming up in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds for lunch.

Instructions below:

Spread Mayo on the tortilla keeping an inch or so from the edges. Sprinkle chopped basil (or whatever herb you like), then dot with some black or green olives.

Now add a layer of shaved ham slices, or turkey. Then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. You might use a little less cheese than I did, it was tough to roll without it coming out the ends.

Now roll it up carefully and tuck in the ends. I cut it in half and then wrapped tightly in microwaveable plastic wrap.

Microwave on high at about 30-45 seconds, depending on your microwave settings. Just until cheese is soft/melted.