Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Today is a big day. I graduate from training for my new job. We get a ceremony, pizza party and everything. Its nice to work at someplace that celebrates its employees success. But none of that is why today is a big deal for me.

I am so excited about graduating today because three weeks ago I was seriously thinking about quitting and going to ask for my old job back. If you knew how much I hated my old job at the end you would know how low I was feeling. I cried at my desk several times. I was so overwhelmed. On some level, I think I didn’t believe I could do the job.

I am fortunate that I was surrounded by people who believed otherwise and worked with me until I it believed too.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From Cookie and Kate

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt1/8 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

2 1/2 TBS honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 TBS melted butter

1 1/4 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375. In 1 1/2 quart baking dish, spread 1 cup of the blueberries on the bottom of the dish.

In a small bowl, combine the pecans, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder. Spread the oat mixture over the blueberries in the baking dish.

In the small bowl, combine the milk, honey, egg, vanilla and butter. Pour the milk mixture over the oat mixture. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup blueberries over the top.

Bake 40 – 45 minutes. Serve with milk or yogurt.

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence isn’t going to write any more cookbooks because …. “Recipes are dead.”  His reasoning behind this statement is …. “I’ll publish a cookbook and I’ll have a 125 recipes.  People only use five and they won’t even follow them:  They’ll use those like a guide that they’ll kind of interchange different ingredients with ….”   (The Smart Kitchen Summit via The Washington Post).

I can’t even begin to tell you how much this statement irked me.  First of all, every recipe since the first caveman threw a piece of meat on the fire has come into existence because someone used someone elses’ recipe as a guide and changed out the ingredients.  This includes every recipe that Chef Florence has ever created.  Second, I wonder if it ever occurred to Chef Florence that more people would use his recipes as written if they were more accessible to the average home cook.

Maybe, I am sensitive to what Chef Florence said because I have spent the last 5 1/2 years adapting other people’s recipes.  Over the years I have asked dozens of professional and hobby bloggers for permission to post my adaptions for their recipes.  None of them have said no because they don’t want their recipes changed in any way.  Most of them are happy I like their recipes enough to include them on A Solitary Feast.  In fact, only one blogger has ever said no when I asked permission to post one of my adaptions. It was more of wanting the views for her recipe on her blog rather than mine not because she was upset I changed her recipe.

Personally, I want you to take the recipes I have posted here and make them your own in whatever way you wish.  To me finding new ways to make a recipe is what cooking is all about.  It’s where we get new flavor combinations, new recipes and new cooking techniques.  So go grab a recipe, get into the kitchen and play.  When you are done come here and tell me about it so can get in the kitchen and play too.

 

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From Budget Bytes

1 cup pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin,  brown sugar, egg, vanilla and milk; mix well.  In medium bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  In a 1 quart baking dish, spread the oat mixture in the baking dish.  Bake 45 minutes or until firm. 

 

Strawberry Baked Oatmeal

Life has kind of ganged up on me.  Between the awful heat, work stress, having to put one of my beautiful rattie girls to sleep because of a tumor and having a bird with a lump on her wing that can’t get looked at until my vet, the only vet in the city who takes care of birds, get back from vacation in a week, I haven’t been really inspired to cook any thing.   All I have been inspired to do is curl up in my easy chair and binge watch Supernatural with a big bowl of popcorn on one side and a very large glass of iced tea on the other.  I know this to shall pass and I will get out of my funk and get back into the kitchen more.

The only thing I have managed to cook in the last few days is a strawberry baked oatmeal.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted from My Forkin Life

3/4 cup strawberries, chopped

1 cup  rolled oat

2 1/2 TBS brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 TBS butter, melted

1/8 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk milk and eggs. Add in melted butter, vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.   Place the oatmeal mixture in a 1 quart  casserole dish. Place strawberries over mixture. Bake  in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Vanilla Chai Baked Oatmeal

This has been a very exciting week.  I am starting a new project and the pieces are all falling into place very, very  nicely.  Some time in January, 2018, I will be giving a Whole 30 cooking demonstration at Natural Grocers.  Ever since I started blogging 3 1/2 years ago, I have wanted to find away to teach people how to cook.  The cost of renting a place to cook, the cost of ingredients and incidentals and the cost of advertising the event have always put it out of my reach.  Knowing I really couldn’t afford to do it, I really just quit thinking about it.

Last week, after an incredibly encouraging conversation with one of my online friends, I decided to try finding a place to do this one more time.  I went into Natural Grocers and asked about renting their kitchen space.  About 5 minutes later, I had a potential place to cook, a potential budget and a belly ache, I was so excited.  I still have one hurdle to jump, I need to submit a proposal to the corporate office and they have to accept it.  The lady I was talking to at the store was really excited about the idea and said it shouldn’t  be a problem getting my idea accepted.

I am proceeding like this is a done deal and starting to develop my presentation, make a handout and deciding what I want to cook.  I could use your help with this.  If you have any questions about the Whole 30 ask them in the comments.   I will answer them to the best of my ability here and use them to help me draft my presentation.  Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

from Running With Spoons

1/2 cup rolled oats or flaked grains

2 TBS oat bran

2 TBS flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1 TBS maple syrup or brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a l cup baking dish with cooking spray.  Place dry ingredients in the baking dish and mix well.  In a small bowl, combine vanilla and milk and mix well.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with additional milk and sweetener, if desired. 

Brown Sugar Molasses Baked Oatmeal

Brown Sugar Molasses Oatmeal

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients
1/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp molasses
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 TBS milk
2 TBS water
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Add oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar, sugar and baking powder and mix. Add molasses, vanilla, milk, water and apple cider vinegar and mix. Bake for 20 minutes. In the last 3-4 minutes, turn heat up to highest possible. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.