#3772 - Toaster Oven Hot Dogs

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 TBSP olive oil
1 large yellow onion
4 good quality hot dogs
4 hot dog buns
6 TBSP mayo
2 TBSP spicy brown mustard
4 TBSP BBQ sauce
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon (fried and crumbled)

If hot dogs are frozen, place them in water for 15 minutes or until thawed. Cover your toaster oven tray with foil and spray it with Pam. Place the thawed hot dogs on the foil (not touching each other) and spray the hot dogs with Pam. Set toaster oven to "BAKE" and a temperature of 400 degrees. Bake the hot dogs 15-20 minutes or until plump and browned. While the hot dogs are baking, peel and quarter the onion, then separate the rings. In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil and onions--cook/stir until brown and caramelized. In a bowl add mayo, spicy brown mustard and BBQ sauce--stir well. Slather the BBQ mixture evenly over both halves of each opened hot dog bun. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon evenly over the buns. Place one hot dog in each bun. Top each hot dog with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. Note: hot dogs come out GREAT in the toaster oven. You can top/dress them any way you wish instead of using the ingredients in this recipe.

#3667 - Ham and Onion Sprouts

(by Shirley McNevich)

6oz. country ham (cubed)
5 TBSP olive oil
2 lbs. fresh Brussels sprouts (washed, trimmed and halved)
2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. yellow onions (sliced)
1/4 cup honey (optional)
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
shredded mozzarella cheese

In a skillet over medium heat add 3 TBSP olive oil and the cubed ham--cook/stir until crispy. Remove ham cubes to paper towels to drain but leave the drippings in the skillet. Add halved Brussels sprouts and 1 tsp. salt to the drippings--cook/stir over medium heat until Brussels sprouts are almost tender, then remove from heat. In a separate skillet add 2 TBSP olive oil and the sliced onions--cook/stir over medium heat until onions are brown and soft. Add honey, black pepper, red pepper and 1 tsp. salt to the onions--stir to mix. Add Brussels sprouts and ham--cook/stir until the whole thing is hot and mixed. Pour the whole mixture into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese all over the top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts and mixture is hot.

#3249 - Cooked Onion Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 large yellow onions
2 TBSP butter
1 1/2 cups Breakstone's sour cream
8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to your taste (optional)

Peel the onions, slice them and separate them into rings. In a skillet over medium heat add the butter--melt. Once butter is melted, add the onions--cook/stir over medium heat until onions are tender and caramelized (it takes a long time--at least 20 minutes). Remove skillet from heat and allow onions to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, drain off any grease from the onions and chop all of the onions into bite sized pieces. In a bowl add sour cream and cream cheese--beat with a spoon until mixed and smooth. Add the chopped parsley, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce--stir well. Add the chopped onions--stir to mix. Taste--add salt and pepper if necessary--stir to mix. Serve with good quality crackers.

#3180 - Fried Oven Latkes

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 lbs. russet potatoes (peeled and coarsely grated)
1 yellow onion (peeled and grated)
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup flour
1 cup canola oil

Into a large bowl grate the potatoes and onion--mix the grated potatoes and grated onions with your hands until blended. Put a handful of the potato/onion mixture into a fine sieve--squeeze out all of the water that you can, then dump remaining potato/onions mixture into a separate bowl. Repeat with all of the potato/onion mixture until all of it has been pressed through the sieve. Press a paper towel on top of the potato/onion mixture to soak up more moisture. Stir and keep repeating with new paper towels until mixture is as dry as you can get it. In a separate bowl add the eggs, salt, baking powder and flour--beat with a fork until mixed. Pour the egg mixture into the potato/onions mixture--mix well. Pour 1 cup of canola oil (1/2 cup on to each) of two jelly roll pans (cookie pans with a lip on all four sides). Carefully tilt each of the jelly roll pans to make sure they are both evenly coated with oil. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place both of the jelly roll pans in the oven for 10 minutes (to heat the oil). Remove one pan from the oven at a time and drop about 1/4 cup of batter on to the pan for each latke (using the back of a fork to slightly flatten them and keeping them about 2" apart). Fill the first pan with latkes, then place it back in the oven and repeat making latkes on the second oiled jelly roll pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until bottoms are browned and crispy. Use a slotted spatula to carefully flip each latke and bake them 10-12 minutes longer or until tops are brown and crispy. Use the slotted spatula to take them off of the jelly roll pans and place them on paper towels to soak up extra grease. After a minute or two, flip them to get the grease off of the opposite sides.

#1493 - French Onion Soup

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 large yellow onions (washed, peeled and sliced)
12 beef bullion cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup Parkay margarine
8 cups hot water
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 loaf French bread
shredded Swiss cheese

In a frying pan over medium heat add Parkay and sliced onions--stir and cook until onions are caramelized. In a crockpot add hot water and bullion cubes--stir until cubes dissolve. Add salt and Worcestershire sauce--stir. Empty contents of the frying pan (onions and margarine) into the crockpot--stir. Put lid on crockpot--set heat to medium low and cook for 4 to 6 hours--stir occasionally. You can serve soup as is--if you wish, scoop soup into serving crocks, slice bread into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle bread pieces on top of soup in each bowl--sprinkle shredded Swiss cheese on top of each bowl of soup. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.