Caramelized Onion Dip

A good dip must be two things: thick and addictive!  This one satisfies both of those requirements and then some.  Sweet and salty, thick and creamy, tasty and delicious – this dip has it all.  Once you make this homemade dip, you will never buy that jarred sour cream and onion stuff again!

I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten and tweaked it to be soy-free:

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Spectrum Canola Mayonnaise because it is soy-free)

Directions:

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds.

Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool, about 15-20 minutes.

Place the sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the onions and mix well.

Serve at room temperature with regular potato chips or plain crackers (or any other vehicle to get that dip into your mouth!)

Any Day Pasta

Like every great Italian, I enjoy pasta more than a few times a week.  Sometimes I choose marinara, other times a good aglio y olio (garlic and oil).  Tonight, I needed something fresh and substantial – and certainly not something from a jar!  What I created can be used as a guide in which you can add an array of fresh produce, any time of year.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (I chose angel hair)

4-5 large tomatoes, largely diced

4-5 small cherry tomatoes, halved

4 medium onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

10-15 larges leaves of fresh basil, cut chiffonade

¼ cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Red chili flakes, optional

Directions:

Put your water on to boil – so it’s ready when you are.  When it comes to a boil, add salt.

Roughly dice your tomatoes and add them to a pan on medium heat.  Then add in your garlic and onions.  Drop in the cherry tomato halves, which will give texture to the dish.  If you only have one type of tomato or the other, that's fine - use what you have.

Stir to combine and let the ingredients cook, forcing their flavors to come out and, in turn, flavor your sauce - about 10 minutes.

Add in the chili flakes to your desired heat level.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in the olive oil, let the mixture come to a bubble, and then reduce to a simmer.

Sprinkle the strips of basil over the mixture as it simmers away.  At this point, you could use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until smooth.  I opted for a more rustic sauce, but the choice is all yours.

Next drop your pasta in the salted, boiling water.

When the pasta reaches just before al dente (it will continue to cook and absorb the liquid in your sauce), add it to your pan.

Gently combine for a few minutes, then serve with a few small leaves of fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Balsamic Pie!

Strawberries are in abundance during this time of year, so I just had to pick up as many as I could!  So what to do with all of these plump, red, juicy berries?  Make a pie, of course.  This pie is loaded with tangy, tart, sweet and succulent spring flavor.

Here's how I made it:

Every great pie must start with a great crust.  I adapted this one from Kelsey Nixon:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces, chilled or frozen

4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour and the salt; cut or work the butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry blender until you have large pea sized chunks scattered throughout. (You could also do this is a food processor with a paddle attachment)

Add the ice water slowly while stirring with a fork, or in the food processor, until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough into two disks, flatten and refrigerate each for at least 15 minutes.

And now for the pie filling, which I adapted from Dulcis Serenus:

Ingredients:

6 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced (2 cups reserved)

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pie crust

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients (minus 2 cups reserved strawberries) in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat 12-14 minutes until it thickens and begins to boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer mixture to a glass bowl and cool for 15-20 minutes. Stir in reserved strawberries. This gives the pie better texture since the cooked strawberries get broken down by all that stirring.

When the strawberry filling is no longer molten hot, roll out one chilled pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. (Reserve the second pie dough disc for another use or for topping your pie.) Transfer dough to pie plate, pressing the dough lightly into the plate; trim the edges. Dock the dough with the prongs of a fork evenly over the bottom of the pie plate.

Fill crust with slightly cooled filling and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. (Hint-Placing an aluminum foil wrapped baking sheet under the pie helps prevent sticky messes!)

Let the pie cool completely for easy slicing and enjoy!

The Beginning

Hi everyone!  My name is Amanda and I love baking, cooking, and everything in between!  It all started back when I was just a little girl, having my pretend cooking show with my Dad.  My passion for food has since elevated after being diagnosed with a soy allergy about a year ago.  My world completely turned on its head, leaving me feeling stranded…. and hungry.  So what was a girl to do without the ability to eat most of the items in the grocery store (and forget about restaurants!)?  COOK, of course.  Here are my culinary delights that were created out of necessity, but kept out of desire!

..And yes, aprons are required.

Mangia!