Since we're talking now about the holidays and food, let's pass on this recipe that we found in Miss Ruby's Southern Creole & Cajun Cuisine, Peanut Butter Publishing, 1990, which seems to be out of print.

It's billed as Rod's Grilled Onions in the book, but we usually bake them.

1 medium onion
1 beef bouillon cube or beef base equivalent
1 pat butter -- about 1/2 tablespoon here
Cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (375 is not too high.)

Peel the onion. Slice enough off the root end, if necessary, so it sits flat.

Carve a shallow hole in the top of the onion with a sharp paring knife.

Put the bouillon cube or base in the hole, then top with the pat of butter. Sprinkle with cayenne to taste.

Set in a square of foil large enough to bring up and twist at the top for a good seal.

Bake for an hour or so. The longer the onion bakes, the softer it becomes, and the more it resembles a stout onion soup. We like about an hour and a half. I test by squeezing the onion while it's in the oven. When it's soft enough, I take it out.

Then carefully tip the onion and it's juice into a soup bowl, and eat with a spoon.

Wonderful with French bread, and makes a good side for all kinds of meats.

Lyman's son loves this recipe, and has been working on variations, adding garlic or horseradish. He has passed it on to friends, so we're developing a community of baked-onion eaters.

Of course, you multiply the recipe by the number of servings needed.

One of the nifty things about this recipe is that you can walk into the kitchen and start it, then go about your business with the rest of dinner or whatever while it's baking.