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Spring Closet Refresh: Replacing Wardrobe Basics

  This post contains affiliate product links. Clicking on these links may result in my being paid a small commission based on product sales. Regardless of commission, all opinions expressed in this post are my own. For more information, please review our site policies . As the weather warms up here in New England, it's the perfect time to give your wardrobe a little spring refresh. After months of layering up, our favorite basics—like tee shirts and tank tops —can start to show signs of wear. Whether it's stretched-out necklines, faded colors, or mystery stains that just won't budget, spring is the ideal season to replace those go-to pieces. As moms, we're so focused on taking care of everyone else that it's easy to overlook our own needs. But something as simple as replacing a few well-loved pieces can be a form of self-care —reminding us that we deserve to feel comfortable, confident, and put-together, too. I recently stocked up on affordable wardrobe essentials ...

Caramelized Red Onions with Merlot

Caramelized Onions | Taste As You Go

When I caramelize onions, I typically use yellow onions since I always have one or two of them in my kitchen. Yet one weekend, I found myself with one large red onion and a smidgen of Merlot left in the bottle after I had a glass couple of glasses after work earlier in the week and after I had baked some pretty freakin' fantastic brownies. Before I could even blink, I knew what I had to do next and I started moving around my kitchen as if someone had switched on my auto-pilot function.

I sliced the onion...

Sliced Red Onions | Taste As You Go

... then heated 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Sliced Red Onions Cooking in Olive Oil and Butter | Taste As You Go

Once the butter melted, I put the red onions in the pan, added a pinch of salt, and began cooking the onions down, stirring every once in a while, until the onions started to look like this:

Caramelized Red Onions | Taste As You Go

I reached for the bottle of Merlot...

2005 Merlot from JT Cellars - Russian River Valley | Taste As You Go

... and used about 1/4 cup of wine to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape the brown bits off the bottom. As the alcohol began to cook off, the onions soaked the luscious deep red color of the wine until I was left with a pan of richly flavored caramelized onions.

Caramelized Red Onions with Merlot | Taste As You Go

Don't those look amazing?

Although I could have easily eaten those onions straight out of the pan with a spoon, I restrained myself and set upon serving them as an accompaniment in one of my later weekend meals. So, how did I use the Caramelized Red Onions with Merlot?

You'll have to check back to find out!

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