Caramelizing Onions in the Slow Cooker...On The Small Scale

Hope you are having a good weekend! It's a gorgeous day here. The boys are at the park and I am catching up on Friday night's Grimm. I love that show.

We took a nice walk last night after dinner and played in the front yard when we got back. Coop played with his new yard toys the Easter Bunny brought him. After, he lined them up by the fence...I thought it was very cute.

My indoor cat also ran outside this afternoon....she eventually ran back in. After she had an adventure visiting with the outdoor cats and going under the house for a while. (please ignore the weeds, the backyard is still a work in progress....) I took a picture of her outside because the sun is so pretty on her fur. But...if she were an outdoor cat, her fur would not be this pretty...

Dang cat. 

Anyway....I am working on a recipe for Tofu Tuesday that requires sauteed onions. I decided this would be a good time to blog about caramelizing onions in the slow cooker. I did a post about this ages ago on my old blog, but that required a ton of onions and a larger slow cooker. We LOVE caramelized onions. They are great to keep in the fridge to heat up to put over some beans, on a sandwich or mixed in with sauteed peirogies. 

Ok...first you need a little crock pot/slow cooker....my Meme calls these dip sized. 

I used 3 yellow onions this time, but my favorite type to use are big sweet onions. Like the Strawberry Onions I referred to in another post. Slice them up and don't worry about separating them. You will stir them after they've cooked a while and that will divide all of the slices up. 

Place all of the onions and a glob of butter on the top...maybe 2 to 3 tablespoons. I used Earth Balance. Put the lid on a cook on low. After about an hour to 1 1/2 hours...open them up and give them a stir. If they seem to be sticking on the bottom, add some more butter around the edges. 

It only takes 2 to 3 hours to cook them. Really keep an eye on them after you stir them the first time, to prevent them from burning. Let them completely cool, if you don't plan on using them right away, and store in the fridge for up to a week. They 'perk up' if you put them in a hot skillet with a dab of butter for a few minutes. 

Ok, Grimm's over....I have dishes to wash. 

Sigh.