Time Well Spent

 

As we all know, recipes lie.  

"Cook onions until soft and brown, 3-5 minutes."

Riiiight.  

 

So, every now and then, I'll buy a bag or two of onions, slice them up, then dump into a huge pan with olive oil and melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and sugar, and spend the next few hours slowly cooking them down until they're a gorgeous, sweet and caramel-y (totally a word). 

The above photo is the result of six pounds of onions, cooked down to just under 18 oz.  

And it was worth every minute.

Not only do they taste amazing, this one-day-every-six-to-eight-months project saves me So. Much. Time when I cook.

Instead of chopping and sweating/cooking down onions for dinner, I pull out a spoonful of these beauties, give them a rough chop, and add to the pan. 

I do the same thing with onions, celery and green peppers - cook down until soft and sweet and packed with flavor, and after cooling, put generous tablespoons into baggies and store in the freezer. 

My mirepoixpsicles. 

A half day's work that saves me hours and effort throughout the year.  That's time well spent.