Creamy Roasted Pepper & Caramelized Onion Dressing

Fresh, homemade salad dressings are so easy to make and can be customized to your liking.

This recipe started as a simple caramelized onion dressing (Adam loves a sweet vidalia dressing), but since we had roasted peppers in the fridge, we chose to add that as well.

This salad dressing is creamy, zesty and tangy, getting most of its flavor from onion, peppers, lemon juice, and some fresh herbs. Substitute your favorite herbs if you don't care for thyme or oregano -- rosemary, basil or dill would be fantastic!

Toss this in a salad, spread on a sandwich, or drizzle over some roasted vegetables! I love this dressing tossed with fresh spinach, healthy mix, avocado, apple, peach and mango.

How To: Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions, along with roasted peppers and roasted garlic, are something I love keeping jars of in my fridge.

They are really sweet and versatile, and add another layer of flavor to the turkey and cheese sandwiches I often eat for lunch.

The caramelization of onions is a process. Some people prefer their onions to be caramelized but not completely 'jammy.' I like mine jammy; the onions are brown, very, very soft, and would mash easily.

How To: Brown Butter

Better butter? Yes.

Brown butter is butter with an extra punch of flavor. Nutty, rich, delicious flavor.

It's really easy to make and you can use it just about anywhere that you would use regular butter.

If you have one, use a pan with a light-colored bottom to see the butter change color. If you don't have one, use a light colored utensil.

Grilled Peach Chipotle Ketchup

I can't get enough of peaches.

In summertime, I eat at least a peach a day, whether it be plain, in a smoothie, baked, or grilled.

This ketchup is just another excuse to pack more peach into my day. It's sweet and tangy with a lingering smoky spice from the chipotle peppers.

I made this sauce with the Brown Butter Burgers with Cilantro & Scallion in mind, but I have plans to slather this on everything I can.

How To: Roasted Garlic

I love roasted garlic.

I love how it makes the whole house smell as it's roasting. I love tossing it in dishes to add more depth and flavor. I love that it makes me think of my mom, who would roast big batches of garlic for us to spread on bread instead of (or along with) some butter.

I love that it's so easy.

Roasted garlic is really hands off and can keep in the fridge for several weeks.

My local produce market sells large containers of peeled garlic, so I use that for my roasted garlic, which makes it even easier.

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Cilantro Sauce

When I put this sauce together, I had my Leek, Turkey Bacon & Feta Frittata in mind. I anticipated the frittata being decently rich and salty and I wanted something fresh and light to help balance the dish.

This sauce is naturally sweet from the roasted red peppers and spicy from the jalapeno hot sauce. It's also fairly acidic from the fresh lemon juice.

It pairs perfectly with the frittata, but it's also wonderful as part of a chicken salad, on grilled fish or with some chickpeas.

How To: Roasted Peppers

Roasted red peppers add a lovely sweetness to dishes -- and they're easy to make.

I love roasting a big batch of peppers and keeping them in my fridge. I add them to sandwiches, sauces and sautes to balance out saltiness.

Typically, most cooks roast and use red peppers, but yellow and orange roasted peppers are also delicious.

Quick & Easy Lemon Garlic Aioli

Aioli has been gaining popularity and it's easy to taste why. It's like the best mayo you've ever had, it's delicious on nearly everything, and it comes in so many flavors.

I love my aiolis really tart, as most of the time I use them with fried dishes (Fried Chipotle Polenta Balls, french fries, dumplings) and the citrus really helps to balance the richness.

This aioli is really simple to put together, is luxuriously thick and creamy, and is packed with lemon and garlic. If no one was watching, I would eat it by the spoonful.

Garlicky Chinese Eggplant

A few weeks ago, my family and I got takeout from Sang Kee Peking Duck House. After ordering some soup, duck and pork, we settled on eggplant in garlic sauce as a veggie to (sort of) balance things out.

Of all the things we ordered, the first item that we finished was the eggplant. It was soft, garlicky and coated in a lovely sticky sauce.

When I saw Chinese eggplant on sale at the produce market this week, I knew I'd have to take a shot at my own take on the garlicky eggplant.

This dish is addictive. It's really comforting with a nice balance of soft, crunchy, sweet, salty, and tangy. It also packs a bit of heat from fresh ginger and tons of garlic.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Roasted spaghetti squash was something that I tried when I was 14 and my entire family was doing Atkins. Carbs like pasta were not an option, so spaghetti squash was one of the alternatives.

Back then, I liked it enough.

Now, I love it. It really is a great option to have. Though it takes longer to make than boiling a pot of water, it's much lighter than pasta, meaning you can indulge on a heavier sauce or a nice hunk of garlic bread.