Hello friends, I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season. We were away for about eight days, starting with visiting my dad’s extended family in Minnesota and then heading to my husband’s family in the Chicago suburbs. It is the longest I’ve been away from home in years, I think. I’m excited to be back among my projects, but it was so wonderful to actually have enough time to really enjoy family, rather than rushing in an out over the course of a weekend. I have definitely had a total disconnect from everyday life, which I think is what makes it a true vacation.

This year has been a great one for us, filled with new adventures, exciting family events and a lot of perfect “normal” time, too. I’ve started a new job that I love. We attended four wonderful weddings of close friends and family. My little brother proposed to his amazing girlfriend (and she said yes). We put a bathroom in our house. The blog has grown, and we’ve had some great projects around the house, too. In 2014, we already know that there will be some special occasions, like Dave’s sister Caitlin graduating from college. But there’s a lot of time in the upcoming year that’s not accounted for yet, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we end up spending this year doing.

I’m sure I’ll come up with some New Year’s resolutions at some point – I have a few floating around, like buying “real” art for our house and cleaning out the basement. I’m sure I’ll make some kind of fitness plans as well. But really, my main wish is that when this time rolls around next year, we feel happy, healthy and accomplished.

In January, I’ll be posting some healthy recipes to start the year off right, but there will also be sweets, as I believe that any “diet” or eating regimen that is without a little fun is doomed to fail from the beginning. A healthy mix of foods, with everything in moderation, is what I’ll continue to do in 2014. So with that, here is an amazing grilled cheese.

We made this before we left on our trip, still playing the “what can we make with what’s in the fridge” game. Onions are so underrated. They are super cheap and can take so many forms, like sensationally sweet and indulgent caramelized onions.

Here’s what you need:

Butter – lots!
1/2 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
4-6 slices of prosciutto
3-4 slices of mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan (NO GREEN CAN, PERIOD.)
4 slices of good bread
Salt and pepper

While you melt 1 tbsp. of butter over medium heat in a large skillet, assemble the rest of the sandwiches. I recommend putting some cheese on both slices of bread, then placing the prosciutto on one of the two.

When the butter is melted, add the onions into the butter and toss to coat the onions in butter. Salt liberally. Cook slowly, on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown but not burned. This will take 20 minutes or so.

When the onions are done, transfer them to the sandwich and complete the assembly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt another tablespoon of butter in the pan and return to medium heat. Slowly toast the sandwiches in the melted butter – try to balance the speed of the cheese melting with the speed of the browning on the bread. Flip when the first side is golden brown, and continue toasting the other side to the same level of doneness.

Let the sandwiches rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.