Pan-Fried Onion Dip

When I was working as a waitress in Park City, UT I fell in love with Burgies' Tuna Melts. I know, the tuna melt, not that exciting. But for me, it still is one of my favorite grilled sandwiches of all time. The Burgies tuna melt was as follows. Tuna salad made with good mayo, diced onion, celery, and S&P. The homestyle wheat bread was buttered and grilled with swiss cheese. Once that was melted it was topped with the cold tuna, lettuce and tomato. It was grilled for just a bit more and served with their waffle fries. I still make it this way today.

I've been craving a tuna melt and wanted to make something special to serve with it tonight for dinner, so I tried out Ina's Pan Fried Onion Dip from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. She claims it is ten times better than the original, and it is! I've had the Lipton Soup mix kind at least 100 times over the sports events held by my father over the years, but this one is special. I love that you can find the onion chunks throughout the dip. Give it a try!

Pan-Fried Onion Dip
2 large yellow onions
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 t ground cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 cup mayo

Cut the onions in half, and then slice them in to 1/8 inch thick half rounds. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan on 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.
Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature with crackers, chips, and veggies!

Corned Beef Hash, it's actually delicious!

Corned Beef Hash, Actually Delicious!
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2-3 cups finely chopped, cooked corned beef
2-3 cups chopped cooked potatoes, preferably Yukon gold
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a sautee pan. Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent. Mix in the chopped corned beef and potatoes. Spread out evenly over the pan. Increase the heat to high or medium high and press down on the mixture with a metal spatula. Until the mixture browns. If nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula. If there is too much sticking, you can add a little more oil to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes and the corned beef are nicely browned.
Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and add salt to taste.
Serve with fried eggs over easy for breakfast with a dash of tobasco. I dip in ketchup.
Serves 4-6.

What Makes the Best Fajitas?

I'm somewhat of a purist when it comes to fajitas. The best fajitas I've had are from a restaurant near a mall in Arlington, I have no idea what the name is, I'll have to ask Cassie- we had so much fun there once that I actually wet my pants. Really, if you knew me, you'd know that is quite possible. Just because the fajitas sizzle on a platter does not mean that they'll be good. For example the mixed fajitas at Puerto Vallerta in Rexburg tasted like they were made with soy sauce. That's yucky.

So I offer you my list of requirements for a great fajita:

• Smokin' hot grill or cast iron pan. I use a cast iron grill pan to get the grill flavor, and I'm not shy about it.
• Steamed tortillas. When the fajita filling is about done I toss the tortillas on top.
• No fajita seasoning packet, salt and pepper or a grill seasoning will do.
• Skip the green bell peppers, go for the pasilla or "poblano" with onions and red bell peppers. Pasilla peppers are low in heat, lots of flavor, and cheaper in the winter. I think you'll love it. WinCo always has them.
• Fresh squeeze of lime. Always.
• Toppings allowed: Veggies, meat, romaine lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.
• Toppings never allowed, but loved by my husband: beans and cheese. That's for burritos.
• Toppings considered: Grilled corn salsa, cabbage slaw, and that's about it.

Ina has the best chunky guacamole recipe, we made it tonight with our fajitas with a little tweaking. Here is our interpretation:

Ingredients
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped

Directions
Halve and pit the avocados. While the avacado is in the peel make small vertical and horizontal slices to make a small dice then scoop the flesh into a bowl with a spoon. Add the lime juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic and salt and pepper; toss with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

Make sure to cover it with plastic wrap placed directly on the guacamole. Great with chips or on your fajitas.