Over the weekend I went down to Philadelphia's Italian Market. Scott and I had brunch and then wandered through the shops and stalls. He bought himself some new knives at Fante's (the best kitchen supply store in the Philadelphia area) while I ogled the rectangular removable bottom tart pans. After that we wandered into a funky little used bookstore that has a great section of cookbooks. I picked up a copy of Marion Cunningham's Lost Recipes, and I've been reading it in snatches, as if it were a novel, in my spare moments.

I've actually wanted a copy of this book since it came out in 2003, but as is often the case, there are just so many cookbooks and so little time. But when it crossed my path for $8, I was hard pressed to say no. The thing I'm loving about this book is that it captures the essence of American cooking as it was forty, fifty and sixty years ago. It has the same intangible feeling of nostalgia that I chase after with all my old cookbooks and the contents of my grandmother's recipe box.

One of the recipes that is calling to me is the one for "A Side Dish of Onions." It calls for 2 pounds of onions, sugar, butter, mustard and spices and sounds like it would be something that would tempt me to eat it straight out of the pan. The full recipe is after the jump. A Side Dish of Onions
from Marion Cunningham's Lost Recipes

2 pounds small white onions
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop the onions into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, drain and remove the outer skins.

Place the onions in a buttered shallow 1-quart baking dish. Combine the butter, brown sugar, mustard, salt and pepper and pour over the onions.

Bake the onions until they are browned and well heated throughout, 20 to 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, taste an onion to see if it's done. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.