Grilled French Onion Soup

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Oh yes. You MUST make these! Trust me. TRUST. ME.

These are heaven in a foil wrapped package. Heaven. In Foil.

So easy. SOOOOOOO….SO EASY!

Summer is upon us. Get your grill heated up and get going on these nummy babies!

Trim, core and peel a sweet onion. Slice it like shown. Stuff that sulfur smelling root with: 1 tbsp of unsalted butter (MUST BE UNSALTED…or you will swell up like a balloon); 1 tsp BEEF bouillon (honestly, I like Better than Bouillon, but any brand will do) and then wrap that baby up. Heavy duty foil please, and tightly wrapped, no juices leaking….

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Now, put that package of UFO communicating awesomeness on your grill. I use the gas grill. At 20-25 minutes you might have to move it up onto the rack, but maybe not. On a charcoal grill, maybe move it to the side, away from the heat. At about 40-45 mins start with the ‘test’. If your tongs can squeeze it gently, and it gives easily…its likely done. Sizzling is a good sound too. Sizzling means caramelization…unless it’s too hot, then you have burnt. Browning is good, burnt, not so great. Be smart. Watch your grill.

When done, have a bowl ready to tip all this goodness into. This is deliciousness beyond compare. French onion soup? Oh heck no. That is child play. This screams ONIONY GOODNESS like you can’t imagine. Oh, trust me on this one. This is the best main/side dish you’ll ever love. And it’s all on the grill. No muss, no fuss. Easy Peasy.

Summer is here. Go on, give it a try. It won’t disappoint.

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‘Out of the Box’ (or Bag) Breakfast

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Sometimes we just need to take a short cut or two. Over brunch, we can take our time with planning, preparation and cooking. But when it comes to breakfast, true, race-out-of-the-house breakfast, speed and ease is of the essence.

Every once in awhile, I like to use a pre-done product to shortcut and streamline a meal. Alexis Potato Puffs are a delicious, gluten free, way to have a creatively fun breakfast option.

Heat up your waffle iron first. Spray or lightly grease it, then layer your frozen, right out of the bag, tots evenly across the surface. Cook until well-browned, which will look like this:

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While your tot ‘cakes’ are cooking, you can fry your ham and eggs. I encourage you to leave the yolk runny, that way you have a built in healthy ‘sauce’.

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My trick to a perfectly cooked egg: Start the egg in a skillet, then throw a tight fitting lid over the pan, turn the heat down and ‘steam’ the whites on the top. Voila! Isn’t that a beauty?

This meal is so versatile, you can dress it up or down. Serve it with a hollandaise, or melted cheese sauce. Salsa would be delicious if your meat was fried chorizo sausage. Add a thick slice of tomato, basil and bacon and you have a riff off of a BLT.

Give it a whirl, and be sure to leave your ideas in the comments below!

Product Review: Sriracha Hot Popcorn

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I confess: I’m a grocery store troll.
Not the kind that lives under a bridge, cause that would be weird. Instead, I’m the kind that trolls the aisles of my local upscale grocery for fun. (Ok, I’ll admit that can be called weird by some.) I love to walk the aisles and check out new products. My local store usually makes it easy for me to find new product by featuring it in a display or on top of the butter/egg cold case. (Cause they know we eventually all end up in the eggs and butter aisle, right?)

Recently, finding myself with a bit of time on my hands, I spied this little gem. In my house hot sauce is a condiment we use more than ketchup, so, my interest was piqued. Combine time to peruse and having a winter that refuses to budge here, (I am still in cold food mode) I snapped up a bag and thought to myself, ‘well, won’t this be delish with beer cheese soup!’.

Normally, beer cheese soup is not on my meal rotation because it’s fattening, it is not gluten free and well, it’s heavy. I might get a cup in a restaurant, but not make a batch myself. This time however, my daughters were off at school and I just had a hankering to try this product out.

I am here to tell you, it is fab. I didn’t find it ‘hot’ at all, but keep in mind, we like chilis in this home. My fellow Minnesotans, who think black pepper is spicy, might find this having a bit of zing. What we enjoyed about it was the flavor. All that sriracha flavor without the vinegar or pop of heat. Just great chili flavor with a touch of zing. It was fantastic served the traditional way of our neighbors to the east, (That cheese heaven – Wisconsin) over a homemade beer cheese soup.

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It’s good enough to eat on its own. It would be wonderful mixed in to a homemade popcorn mix: cheddar, sriracha and plain popcorn to serve as an appetizer, or home movie snack.

If you spot a bag, pick it up and give it a try. We enjoyed it tremendously here! Two thumbs up!