Michelle's Weekly Menu - Week of 2/28/16

Hi everyone!

I neglected to post last week but did some minimal cooking - nothing to write about. I made the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. I <3 my slow cooker. The pork shoulder was super simple:

Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
Liquid Smoke
Pineapple juice

Then in the slow cooker on low for 11 hours (because that's how long I was away). I then shredded it and doctored it up in different ways - we made tacos one night, threw it in a salad another night. I'm going to make it into a ragu for Monday's dinner.

We had the girls' school gala Saturday night and Will and I danced too much. Before that I got together with a friend for lunch, who then came over while I got ready (1 bottle of wine and 1 bottle of prosecco later...) so needless to say Sunday was a recovery day.

Here's what we have going on this week -

Sunday: Chicken soup (recipe below since I kind of threw things together that I ended up loving)
Monday: Pork Ragu + Pasta for the girls, roasted broccoli for me and Will. I'll probably do this recipe, but use pork instead of ground beef or turkey.
Tuesday: I have an appointment after work, so Will will probably feed the girls.
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Asian Sweet Chili Chicken I'm traveling for work so will have this cooking for them during the day.
Thursdays: Leftovers because....
Friday-Monday: In Houston for Eva's baptism!!

So excited to celebrate Eva. The girls, especially Annelise, will randomly proclaim their love for baby Eva. Heart-melting.

Here's the Chicken Soup that I made last night:

1/2 stick of butter (I swear this is the worst part)
1/2 cup of flour
You're going to make a roux so if you want to use something else beside butter (bacon grease), proceed.

Make the roux, then slowly add in coconut milk, whisking the entire way to make sure the roux is smooth - I probably add a total of 1 cup of coconut milk.

Add 1/4 cup of each of onions, carrots, celery, potatoes (definitely add more if you want!). Continue whisking.

Add 4 cups of chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.

Add shredded chicken (I bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it). Keep the soup at a simmer at this point. Taste for seasoning - add salt, pepper (I use white pepper in soups usually), thyme, whatever floats yer boat.

Add orzo and cook until soft.

I also added in corn, but might do peas next time. I think the big difference is the roux and coconut milk. Made it creamy but light.

What do yall have going on this week?? xo

Weekly Menu - February 7, 2016

Hi everyone!

I have been feeling rut-like lately in the kitchen. Life is just really crazy - lots of travel, a new dog, schedule juggling. Sharing menus might help me feel inspired again! I'm in Seattle Wednesday and Thursday night of this week, come back on Friday afternoon. The below menu is something that Will can even handle!

Sunday: Will made chili - the old standby at our house is PW's Frito Pie Chili recipe This is the foundation of mine as well but I've  modified over the years.

Monday: Order in. Since I was in Houston over the weekend, I'm not having Peapod delivered until tonight. The cupboards are bare.

Tuesday: Italian Sausage + Turkey Bolognese Sauce. Will and I eat it over veggies, girls over pasta.

Wednesday: Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Will and I are going out with friends to Table Donkey and Stick. Girls will eat Mac and Cheese probably :)

Saturday: Brisket! I make this in the slow cooker with a bunch of quartered onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. Makes so much that we have leftovers for days.

Please share your menus!! I'm kind of over ground beef/turkey. I've made Bolognese and/or Chili every week all winter long and could use a break from those two dishes!

What are yall up to?? xo

Week 2 2015 Menu

Hi everyone, not a lot going on in the food category - been an emotional few weeks (to say the least) so keeping things simple. Below is what we have going on:

Monday: Shrimp and veggies
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs for the girls. I have a work event and Will is traveling. Our cousin Karla will feed the girls.
Wednesday: Beef stew
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Sausage and Bean Cassoulet
Saturday: Cheat day!! The world is our oyster. Or our hamburger.

What do yall have going on? xoxo

Week 50 Menu! 50!

I can't believe it's almost the New Year, but more importantly it's almost Christmassss!! We leave for Nicragua in almost a week (who's counting!?) and will be there through New Years and I'm so excited to get out of the cold.

This weekend was supa busy - our company holiday party was on Friday. Started drinking at 11am, stopped at 8pm. I'm still hurting. Then Saturday was our friends' annual Kissmas party so more drinks. Today we had brunch with Santa - Annelise would have none of the Italian Santa. Tonight we tried to go to Zoolights but the traffic/parking was so bad we bailed. We'll go again sometime this week when it's less crowded.

Amelia asked for a dog and a pink dress. Annelise just hung on to me for dear life.

I've had a lot of after work holiday events (one last week involved a shopping spree at a high end cosmetics/beauty store- um yes!), and I'm supposed to have more this week though I might cancel. This is what I have going on this week for food:

Sunday: Irish Beef Stew with mashed potatoes
Monday: Roasted Chicken in walnut sauce
Tuesday: Whiteboy Tacos
Wednesday: Meatloaf meatballs
Thursday: Leftovers for Will and the girls, I'm going out with a friend.
Friday: Out for a friend's bday - hopefully not too late of a night!
Saturday: Shrimp Scampi

What do yall have going on?? xo

Aji de Gallina

Aji de Gallina is a traditional Peruvian dish that we grew up eating at my cousins' house in Dallas. I always loved it, but never tackled the recipe myself- until today. It turned out to be pretty easy. And came out delicious. The hardest part was combining the 3 different recipes that I was given, and translating both the language and the foreign measurements (like kilos). The simplified version is below. Happy eating! 

Note: I ordered the aji paste from a gourmet foods site online (which is really second best to using the real aji peppers). 

Aji de Gallina

Ingredients:

-       4 chicken breasts

-       2.5 yellow onions

-       1 large box of chicken broth (32 oz)

-       4 garlic cloves

-       4 slices of white bread, with out crust

-       2 cups of chopped walnuts

-       2 cups of shredded parmesan cheese

-       1 can of evaporated milk

-       aji paste (to taste)

-       4 russet potatoes, boiled and chopped - optional 

Directions:

-       boil chicken breasts in chicken broth with salt and 1/2 quartered onion

-       Once chicken is cooked, remove from liquid and set aside to cool

-       Shred chicken thickly, and set aside

-       In a separate bowl, shred bread and allow to soak up a bit of chicken broth

-       Finely chop 2 cups of walnuts in a food processor. Set aside.

-       In a skillet, heat oil

-       To skillet add 2 onions chopped and 4 pressed garlic gloves

-       Once onions are translucent, add aji paste to taste (start with 1 spoonful; I used 6)

-       Once onion and aji mixer has cooled, blend in food processer

-       Add soggy bread to processor and blend as well 

-       In a skillet over low heat, add shredded chicken, can of evaporated milk, parmesan cheese, chopped walnuts, and onion & bread mixture (add optional potatoes here too)

-       Once all ingredients are blended together, taste and add more aji paste if necessary

-       Season to taste (for more heat, I decided to add a bit of cayenne pepper)

-       Traditionally, this dish is served over rice, with chopped hard boiled eggs and olives sprinkled on top (I never liked those toppings, so feel free to skip)

Week 43 Menu!

Hi everyone, I'm taking it easy this week since I'm recovering from the Dallas wedding and Will is traveling. The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time. Always too short of a visit though. It was great to see all the cousins and so funny to see all of our kids playing together.

Amelia slept until 7am, which is when I woke up too so this morning was crazy rushed to get Amelia ready for school and out the door.

This is what we have going on this week. Lazy and uninspiring, but, for consistency sake, still posting :)

Sunday: Ordered in Mediterranean food
Monday: Homemade Tuna Mac and Cheese with veggies (girls loved it!)
Tuesday: Chicken Broccoli Casserole (don't judge)
Wednesday: Frito Pie
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Halloween! No plans yet.
Saturday: Date Night. Much needed.

What do yall have going on?

Week 41 Menu

Hello hello! Hope yall had a great weekend!

We had an awesome, jam packed weekend. Will and I went to dinner and saw Gone Girl on Friday. Really good. Then Saturday, we met with the contractor, went to a Bubbles class for Annelise and Amelia was the teacher's helper (by helper, I mean riled up Annelise and all the little kids to not pay attention and run around like chickens instead of participating in the class). Afterwards we went to a pumpkin patch with another family - Amelia and Nola are super friends even though they only see each other a couple of times a year. They love each other and it's so fun to see her form relationships. Saturday night I made white boy tacos and we watched The Walking Dead until 1am. Sunday was the marathon, we saw our friend running in it, then we met them up for margaritas and tacos at Big Star.

Lunches for Amelia have been going smoothly. I have a good rotation of pasta with peas (tortellini or elbow or something like that), sandwiches (peanut butter, turkey) or wraps (turkey, hot dog). Every once in a while, I'll do leftovers, but she had to have really liked it. My focus with her is protein - she doesn't naturally gravitate towards it so I have to make sure she's getting enough. I'll add in a fruit, cheese, carrot sticks, and a cookie- usually a few nilla wafers or a milano. She devours her lunch which I love to see. On Fridays, I've ordered her the hot lunch at her school to give me the day off. I keep an eye out for good/easy lunches though because I don't want to wear out the lunches I'm currently using! Any ideas are super welcome :)

Here's what I have on the menu for the week:

Monday: Shepherd's Pie
Tuesday: Slow cooker Tikka Masala - I have a Junior League event so this will be ready for Will and the girls.
Wednesday: Lou's Chicken Marbella 
Thursday: Honey Garlic Chicken
Friday: Out or leftovers

What have yall got going on? xoxo

Week 40 Menu

Hi everyone! Hope yall had a good weekend. We had a really great time. Friday night we did a movie + pizza night. We watched The Nightmare Before Christmas and the girls loved it. We ate pizza on the floor while watching the movie. They were riveted. Scared at times, but nothing too bad.

Saturday we had Bubbles and ballet class, then went to a deli to get sandwiches and matzo ball soup. The girls also got haircuts.

Sunday we went to Ikea to look at kitchen layouts and then to Fall Fest at Amelia's school. Bouncy Houses, huge slides, face painting and ice cream. It was a great time - below was the post-fun bathtime.

Here's what we have going on this week:

Sunday: Brisket, veggies, and beans. Dad sent these beans- they were sooo good.
Monday: Shrimp Scampi
Tuesday: Korean Beef with rice and broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Braised French Onion Chicken
Friday: Out

What do you have going on? xo

Week 37 Menus!!

Hi everyone! After moving and getting settled, I'm finally posting. Been cooking a ton, but didn't feel inspired to post. We've also been sending Amelia to school with lunch everyday which adds a fun new complexity to menu planning. So far so good though! It's fun to plan everything out.

We had a fantastic weekend of ballet and Bubbles class, apple picking, dim sum, and parks. One of the best weekends in a long time.

Below is our menu for the week.

Sunday: Lighter General Tso's Chicken and rice *First time making this and turned out really well! Lot of work so peepeepared.
Monday: Chili mac and cheese  *Made this a few weeks ago and it was a HUGE hit with Will and the girls.
Tuesday: Slow cooker Irish stew and mashed potatoes *An oldie but a goodie
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Herb roasted chicken with roasted broccoli
Friday: out

What do you have going on?? xo

Week 7 2014 Menu

Hi everyone!

We had a rough weekend. Amelia was sick throughout so I didn't sleep much. Will did plan a wonderful Vday dinner for us - oysters and king crab legs. Saturday, we hung around with the girls and prepped for a brunch that we were hosting on Sunday. Then yesterday, our offices were closed for President's day, so Will and I went to see Monument's Men. I thought it was good. Will hated it, though.

Here's this week's menu- nothing too elaborate, except I'm really excited to try Lou's Chicken Marbella recipe.

Monday - Rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes
Tuesday - Leftovers (or Will has to fend for himself - I have a class at CrossTown Fitness to check out!)
Wednesday - Chancho en pepsi-cola (a Yoli recipe, I'll save the breakdown for another time if we haven't shared on here already)
Thursday - Beth's Poblano Pepper Tacos
Friday - Chicken Marbella
Saturday - Shrimp tacos (or something like that)

By the way, for the brunch, I made two types of breakfast casseroles - one vegetarian, one not - , along with steel cut oats. I'd never made steel cut oats before, but really recommend them! Much heartier than the quick cook stuff and it's the exact same product.

The vegetarian breakfast casserole came out amazing so I really recommend it:

Mediterranean Breakfast Casserole
cubed challah bread
eggs
milk
cottage cheese
feta cheese
basil, chiffonade
jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped

preheat oven to 375
lay the cubed challah bread in the casserole dish and sprinkle the feta cheese and roasted bell pepper on top
whisk together eggs, milk, cottage cheese and pour over bread mixture in casserole dish
top with basil
bake in the oven until it starts to brown on top and is no longer wobbly if you jiggle it (super scientific metric, nbd)

Also - these are my sous-chefs:

Week 4 2014 Menus

Hi! I have zero energy. Probably because I drank more than 3 cocktails on Saturday night and I'm still hungover. Man it hurts to get old. Here is this week's menu. Total coincidence that everything is roasted... or not because that's the easiest way to cook anything.

Sunday: Slow Cooker Chicken - This is the most Walmart recipe I've ever made. It was delicious, but I don't think I'd make it again. Chicken, Italian dressing mix, cream cheese, 2 cans of condensed soup, and a slow cooker.

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Wednesday: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Thursday: Roasted chicken legs with green beans

Friday-Sunday: IN NEW YORK TO SEE BABY BLAKE AND WHIT'S BABY SHOWER!!

What are yall up to this week? 

xo

Week 3 2014 Menu

We have another Polar Vortex on our hands. This means that Peapod is getting overused, and they run out of things between the time I place my order and when they are set to deliver my order. It wreaks havoc all around! First world problems, I know. Cristina and Beth- I don't want to hear a peep out of you :)

Last week's menu went really well! We had plenty for leftover nights and to take to lunch. We've been really good about taking our lunch 4 days a week. 5 days a week seemed like an unrealistic goal, but we've been on target so far! We also went to an Ethiopian restaurant for the first time. It was fine, definitely not anything to write home about, but not unpalatable either. Then on Sunday we went to brunch with friends and CPK with Nano and the kids to celebrate Ali's engagement. All of that led to a ton of leftovers that we put a good dent in yesterday.

Here's this week's menu!

Sunday: Out (CPK)
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Braised French Onion Chicken - Made this a few times. Huge hit!
Thursday: Irish Beef Stew
Friday: Friends are coming over for game night. And this is what's on the menu:

Smoked Salmon Spread and Cheese and Crackers
Peruvian grilled chicken (we're the crazies grilling during a polar vortex)
Friend Jess is bringing a salad
Szechuan green beans
Dessert is still TBD

Saturday: White Fish Special

What are yall up to?? xo

Week 2 2014 Menu!

Heyyy everybody!

Last week went really well with quantity- giving us enough for leftovers nights and to take to work for lunch. Will went the entire week bringing lunch, and I only bought lunch once. Last week's Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash and Potatoes and the Sausage Ragu and Polenta were new recipes last week but HUGE hits. Super easy so I'll definitely keep those two around for future menus. I did a horrible job with the gym last week- didn't go once, and quite honestly, didn't even think about it. I'll get there. I'm planning on running the half marathon in Santa Cruz in April, so I'll have to start training soon!

Here is this week's menu:

Sunday:  Leftovers
Monday: Slowcooker BBQ Chicken and broccoli
Tuesday: Beth's Korean Beef and rice
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden copy-cat version. Don't judge)
Friday: Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake
Saturday: Leftovers or Out

And there you have it! I'm going to give myself a few more weeks of this brutal cold before I start kicking my toosh in to gear for the half marathon.

Are yall cooking? What do you have going on?

xo

New Year, New Motivation! Weekly Menus + Bolognese Recipe

I've missed everyone posting, especially since I know we've all been cooking (except for maybe new mama Lou). We're going for cooking 5 days/week AND taking lunches to work as often as possible. Means that I'll be making extra portions of dinner so that we have extra leftovers. Since I usually designate some nights for leftovers anyway, we'll see how this works out. We might be starving by the end of the week! Here's what we have going on:

Sunday: Spaghetti with homemade Bolognese sauce (recipe below
Monday: Salmon
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Sausage Ragu with Polenta
Thursday: Roast Chicken with Butternut Squash and Potatoes
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Black Bean Soup

Homemade Bolognese sauce- I looked at a few recipes and then just winged it. The key, though, was that I let it cook on the stove for at least 4 hours.

Olive oil
1 package of ground turkey
1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 package of sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups of chicken stock
Basil
Oregano
Salt pepper

Brown turkey in a large stock pot. Add onions, celery, and mushrooms and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir a few minutes. Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken stock. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Add in salt, pepper, basil, and oregano to taste. Keep simmering and stirring occasionally for as long as possible!

*I didn't love it when I first tried it once all the ingredients were mixed, but LOVED the results. I really believe the secret is in letting things cook for a few hours and adjust the seasoning as you go. Super simple and makes a ton for leftovers!

How about you guys??

Hope everyone is staying warm!!

xo

Oven-baked Pork Baby Back Ribs with Guava Glaze

I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of this last night. It was off the chain good. I think I actually told Will that it was 'off the hizzook', which you'll forgive me for right?

I diverged a lot from the original recipe, but all I wanted it for was cooking temp/time and general direction. I'll let you know where I made my changes so that yall can feel free to take creative liberties as well.

I served these with a Cauliflower-Potato Mash and a Green Pepper Salad which I'll spell out below the ribs.

Oven-baked Pork Baby Back Ribs with Guava Glaze
Approx 3lbs Pork Baby Back Ribs (serves 2 adults)
Salt + Pepper
olive oil
12oz dark lager beer
  *I didn't have this, so I used 12oz of ginger ale. I can imagine that any number of cooking liquids could work here.

1/4 cup of Apricot Jelly
  * I didn't have so I used Guava Jelly (Callejas brand!)
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of lemon juice
  *I used apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 300*
Cover a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil (unless you love to do dishes, in which case skip this step). Place rack of ribs meat side up and salt + pepper 'em.
Drizzle olive oil on top and pour lager/ginger ale/cooking liquid to top.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hrs.
Remove from oven and increase oven temp to BROIL.
Pour off about 2 cups of cooking liquid into a sauce pan. Add jelly, ketchup and lemon juice/vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and let reduce by about half.
*I never have patience for this. I reduced for about 5 min at a boil.
Flip ribs over to bone side up and pour half of the glaze over the ribs. Place in the oven on broil and cook for 6 minutes.
Flip over to meat side up, pour remaining glaze over the ribs. Place back in the oven on broil and cook for 6 minutes.
Let rest before serving.

Cauliflower-Potato Mash
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

Put vegetables in a pot of water and boil until tender.
Pour off 90% of water.
Mash vegetables, add salt and white pepper and 2 tbsp of cream cheese
I used my immersion blender to get a really good puree.
Adjust seasoning to taste.

Green Bell Pepper Salad
1 green bell pepper, sliced
Malt Vinegar
Salt
Sugar

I of course don't have exact measurements because the recipe came from my dad. However, make the dressing to taste and his only recommendation is 'light on everything' and use more sugar than salt.

Weekly Menu- 7.13.13

Heyyy! I speak to all of yall on the regular so I know it's been a crazy crazy few months for all of us. I wanted to send out a quick list of what we have going on this week. We've been cooking consistently with the exception of the monthly pizza run and random ordering in. With the new job, I want to get in the habit of bringing my lunch in at least 3 times a week. With that in mind... here's this week!

Sunday: Dill Salmon with couscous (woot Lou!) with roasted broccoli
Monday: Poblano and Mushroom tacos (woot Beth!)
Tuesday: Braised French Onion Chicken with french bread
Wednesday: Shrimp in red salsa
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Probably order in because Will has class and...
Saturday-Sunday: We're off to the Hassberger's lake house! I'll make some banana bread or pound cake since we'll be arriving early Saturday morning.

Lunches: sandwiches, this salad, and possible leftovers.

What have yall been doing? Anything interesting and new?

Weekly Menu- 11.11.12

This last week kicked my butt up and down the blocks. Which is funny because I didn't leave the house Wed-Friday. Is that healthy!? Probably not. But it proves the kind of week that I had. I did not spend those days in my pjs (honest!), but work was just too crazy and then I was too tired. This baby is coming in less than a month and I think the sleepless nights due to semi-hourly feedings will be a welcome relief after the sleeplessness of the pregnancy.

In other news- Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks!? How did that happen?


Sunday: Spicy Pork Tenderloin - literally just honey, chili paste (sambal oelek) and sriracha on a tenderloin and popped in the oven for 40 minutes at 375*
Monday: Salmon - probably Louise's dill salmon because it's awesome
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie
Wednesday: Zuppa Toscana (OG recipe. NO JUDGING!)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Baby back ribs with mashed potatoes
Saturday: Moroccan Chicken - didn't make this last time I said I would and I'm still craving it.

And that takes us to the week of Thanksgiving! Can't even believe it!

xo

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe Reviews

I cannot describe in words how awesome this was. It's a totally walmart recipe but it can easily be high-browed up. For instance, using a crema fresca instead of cream cheese. Here is the straight recipe:

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas from MyRecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 Onion - chopped

2 4oz cans of chopped green chiles (The recipe only called for one. I used two.)

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

3 c of cooked, shredded chicken

White Pepper - to taste

8 flour tortillas

Monterrey Jack cheese

1 c whole milk (The recipe calls for 2 c of whipping cream, but I didn't have it and didn't want to use it)

Heat oven to 350*

Saute onions until soft

Add chopped green chiles and cook together for about 5 minutes

Add cream cheese and stir until melted and well mixed with veggies

Add chicken and stir until heated through and combined

Add white pepper to taste

Take a flour tortilla and fill with chicken filling, roll up and place on a baking sheet

Repeat until baking sheet is full or you run out of chicken filling or tortillas

Cover with monterrey jack cheese and pour milk/cream over all

Bake for 30-45 minutes (mine was getting golden after about 20 minutes so I took it out then)

It was so easy and so good and even better today for lunch. 

Enjoy!

Carne Molida Recipe

The actual name is Carne Enchorizada. Carne Molida is easier to say though :) This is something that we grew up eating at least once a week. Yoly would whip this up along with rice. I remember coming home from school or practice and seeing the serving dishes ready and waiting on the kitchen island. Ahh... to have a Yoly in my life again.

I'm sure she used ground beef, although I don't remember the flavors being all that different. I loved it with ground turkey and to be honest I don't think I have ever bought ground beef. So I'll stick with the turkey.

I'm new at the documenting process and completely forget to take a shot of the finished product.... I was starving and couldn't shovel food in my mouth and snap a picture at the same time. But here we go!

Pickled Onions

I apologize in advanced for the vagueness of this recipe. DEAL WITH IT! Just kidding. It's incredibly easy and fluid and substitutions are welcomed and sometimes necessary and that's ok.

You need an old jam or mason jar with its lid. You also need to make these about a day in advance. They stay good in the fridge forever. They're pickled. Indestructible!

This recipe depends on the size of your jar. You're going to fill it all up.

* Onions, quartered and sliced
* Habaneros
* Apple cider vinegar
* Garlic, minced

- Prep your onions and peppers.
- Add the onions, peppers, and garlic into the jar
- Cover all the way to the top with apple cider vinegar
- Put lid on the jar
- Use the jar as your maracas and dance to La Cucaracha
- Set out in the sun for a couple of hours *you can also microwave for 2 minutes (without lid) or store it in a warm place (above your toaster) for a bit. Or skip the warming phase all together. I do that sometimes too.
- Store in the fridge

Some notes:
1. This is honestly what I do. I use an old Bonne Maman jelly jar, so it's not very big: Cut up one onion, add about a teaspoon of minced garlic, fill to the top with whatever vinegar I have on hand, and add about 10 dashes of hot habanero sauce. Then I leave out on the counter near my toaster for a couple of hours. Feels warm there. Then I put in the fridge and use whenever.

2. Like I said, I have used habanero hot sauce in the past and it works fine! If you need these onions and don't have peppers on hand, don't sweat. Hot sauce also works.

3. I don't always have apple cider vinegar. In fact, I almost always use white vinegar. Any type works.

4. I haven't added amounts because it depends on how big your jar is, how spicy you like it, and many other personal preferences. Perhaps a good place to start is 1:1:1. One onion, one habanero, one garlic clove. Adjust accordingly if you like spicy.
5. Some people add sugar. I never have, but some do.

6. When you're done with the onions, SAVE THE LEFTOVER VINEGAR! That is deliciously pickled and flavored. Just cut up some new onions, peppers, and garlic and top off with more vinegar if needed.