Worth the Trouble

I've made a recent discovery: Caramelized onions. They are fabulous. I had tasted them before, and for some reason assumed that it was something difficult to do. It is not. You just cut up an onion (whatever your favorite variety is) and toss it in a saute' pan with a tablespoon or two of butter or oil. Turn it on med/low and walk away. I stir them once every couple of minutes or so. Once they're a lovely dark brown/maroon color, they're done! It takes about twenty minutes, and is sooooo worth the effort! Anything you would put diced onions in is made immediately fancier. For example, last week I made tuna noodle casserole and put these in instead of just chopped onions. Actually, it didn't take any longer to prepare the whole meal, because I started the onions first, and by the time the rest of the prep was done, they were ready to throw in with the rest of it. It was easily the best tuna casserole I've ever made. Caramelized onions are sweet and have a milder and more complex flavor than they do raw. I may from now on be adding them to casseroles and sauces like this, instead of just raw or sauteed. So delicious. They also don't make your breath as toxic as a raw onion will.

For those who are curious, here's my tuna casserole recipe. It's cheap and quick, and a family fave, even for the kiddos.

1 16 oz. box of whole wheat pasta (we like rotini or bowties)

2 cans of albacore tuna, drained (milder and less fishy than it's cheaper cousins)

2 cans of cream of celery soup

1 1/2 cups grated or shaker type parmesan cheese, divided

1 medium onion

2 tbsp butter

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 cup cracker or bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop onion coarsely. Put them in a medium saute pan with the 2 tbsp of butter. Cook covered, on med/low heat for twenty minutes or until dark brown, stirring occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Add tuna, soup, 1 cup of the cheese, peas, and onions. Mix well.

3. Put pasta mixture in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake until the top is golden and toasty looking, about 15 minutes.

There ya go. Cheap, yummy, easy, kid friendly.