Baked Oatmeal

This is a post I never thought I'd write.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a fan of oatmeal. I never ate it growing up, maybe when I was a baby (Mom, can you weigh in on that?) but as far back as I can remember it wasn't a breakfast choice for me. SP happens to love it and my friend Melissa has raved and raved about this Baked Oatmeal forever so I finally decided I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The verdict - I'm still not a fan of oatmeal. This makes me really sad, actually. I wanted to like this. I even tried it a few different ways, discussing the options with Melissa before finally deciding that maybe oatmeal isn't my thing. I've run into this a few other times in my life with thing such as hot dogs and pineapple. I desperately wanted to like hot dogs but every time I'd try them my taste buds said no thanks. Same deal with pineapple. Then I got pregnant and couldn't get enough of pineapple - it was, and still is, so darn good - and after having Baby Girl I finally started liking hot dogs. Oatmeal, though, is going to be a work in progress.

SP, on the other hand, declared this the best oatmeal he's ever eaten. His actual words were "out of this [bleeping] world." So I know it's me and not the recipe, which is apparently amazing and should be made and enjoyed by any oatmeal lover out there. I'll be making this once a week for the foreseeable future so he can enjoy it for breakfast during the week. He's already asked me about adding raisins or dried fruit. At least it's an incredibly simple dish to put together and easy for him to heat and eat at work.

Baked Oatmeal
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen, originally from Foodie with Family

2 tablespoons butter
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (do not substitute quick or instant or steel cut oats)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the 2 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch x 8-inch or 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and let the butter melt as the oven heats. (Don’t forget it’s in there. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven or the butter may scorch.)

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, pour over the dry ingredients and mix together with a sturdy spoon or spatula until everything is evenly combined and wet. Scrape into the pan with the melted butter and stir until most of the butter is incorporated.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool and package in air-tight containers stored in the fridge.

To serve - combine oatmeal with 1/3-1/2 cup of water or milk, heat in the microwave for 1 minute. You can drop in some dried blueberries, dried cranberries or sliced banana and put the lid back on for a few minutes to soften the fruit. I've also served it with vanilla yogurt, sliced banana and a few chocolate chips.

Salted Fudge Brownies

These brownies. Oh lordy, these brownies.

Now you all know I rarely bake. Too many steps, too much precision, too much time waiting for things to cool, too much fat and calories for my waistline. But sometimes, sometimes I see something calling my name and I decide I want to make it. Usually this means I print out the recipe and wait for a time when I'm going over to someone's house so I can make the recipe and share it.

But then Eva posted these Salted Fudge Brownies on our cooking board and I just couldn't help myself. I printed out the recipe and while folding laundry that night I decided to just go ahead and make them right away. I had all the ingredients and when I looked at the instructions I was taken aback by how easy it is. No mixer required, no letting things rest, just melting a few ingredients in a saucepan and pouring into a baking dish. Right up my alley.

Unfortunately it was 8:30pm but the time these went into the oven, so baking for 35 minutes plus cooling for an hour on the counter plus another hour in the fridge meant I didn't get to sample them until the next day. I removed the brownies from the pan and cut them into squares. I could tell just by cutting them these were going to be the best brownies I've ever had. They were gooey and rich and fudgey, just the way I like them. And the flavor...I can't even fully describe how delicious these were, the sweetness paired with the saltiness was pure perfection. Dangerous.

If you have a well-stocked pantry I'd be willing to bet you have all the necessary ingredients to make these. So go, right now, into the kitchen. You won't be sorry.

Salted Fudge Brownies (aka the best brownies you'll ever taste)
As seen on Eva Bakes

1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line an 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch square baking pan with tinfoil, then generously butter or grease the foil.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir occasionally until the mixture is uniform. Turn off the stove and remove the saucepan from the heat.

Whisk in the cocoa until it is fully incorporated. Do the same with both sugars, eggs, vanilla and flour. Be sure to add in each ingredient individually and fully mix them in before adding the next one.

Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Evenly sprinkle the sea salt over the top of the batter. Using a spatula or knife, swirl the salt into the brownie batter.

Bake the brownies in the center rack of your oven for about 35 minutes, or until the edges are done but the center is still slightly gooey. If you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come up with a little bit of the brownie batter.

Remove the brownies and set on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to cool for an additional hour.

After the brownies have been chilled, cut them into 16 squares and serve at room temperature.

The brownies can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Yield: About 16 brownies

June Re-Make Recap

How is it already the end of June? I know summer didn't officially start until June 21 but I still feel like it's 1/3 of the way over already. SP, Baby Girl and I are making the most of the extended daylight, hot temps and (mostly) nice weather and I can't wait to experience the next two months.

Whenever I make Mexican food these homemade refried beans have to be part of the meal. I've said it before and I'll say it again, once you try these you'll never go back to that stuff from a can.

I've been making this creamy macaroni salad a lot this summer as an alternative to potato salad. It's simple, delicious and I'm always shocked that 1/2lb of pasta can yield so much food.

The first time I made these Shake Shack burgers I was hooked. And promptly made them again following week and the week after that, too. There's really nothing out of the ordinary about these burgers - the toppings and even the Shake sauce are all made from things most people have in their fridge or pantry - but they come together so beautifully.

I didn't actually make these baked chicken burritos with creamy poblano sauce, I found some of the filling and sauce in the freezer (score one for saving leftovers so they didn't go to waste). All I had to do was add the filling to tortillas and bake them off, then reheat the sauce. Brilliant.

This taco rice was actually a recipe redo that turned out just the way I imagined it would. I guess you could also call this a burrito bowl. Whatever you call it, it's delicious and I can't wait to make it again.

This is another meal I didn't remake but got to enjoy from the freezer. I found one serving of spicy pork and asparagus stir fry in the freezer one day when I was hunting for something for lunch. I decided to serve it over angel hair pasta, which was brilliant. I need to remember angel has as a good alternative to rice.

I asked SP what he wanted me to add to the meal plan one week and his quickly said weeknight spaghetti and meatballs. He and Baby Girl have been on a meatball kick lately. I was able to prep the meatballs during the day, which made this an even easier dinner since all I had to do was cook everything when we got home. I really love one-pot dishes like this where even the pasta cooks in the same skillet as the rest of the ingredients.

I got it into my head one day that I needed spicy chicken lettuce wraps. Maybe it's the heat and the idea of lettuce wraps sounded refreshing and not too heavy. Like I did with the leftover spicy pork, I made myself some more angel hair pasta to go with the leftover filling for lunch the next day. Delicious.

Chicken and Bacon Burgers with Fried Egg

I love a good chicken burger. My all-time favorite are these Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayo, but I was looking for something a little different. I've had my eye on Elly's Chicken and Pancetta Burgers with Fried Egg for awhile, but I've been putting off making them until I planted my rosemary. I finally got that done recently so these went straight on the menu.

I decided to sub bacon for the pancetta because we always have bacon in the house. The flavors were a tad smokier but that was alright by me. I love the smell of fresh rosemary that permeates the whole burger - so good. And you can't go wrong topping anything with a fried egg. Such a decadent touch. SP opted to enjoy his without the egg but Baby Girl, a child after my own heart, was adamant about having an egg.

This is a messy sandwich but so, so good. The gooey cheese and the flavorful patty combined with the fried egg and peppery arugula made for a delicious sandwich. Baby Girl, sadly, wasn't a fan of the arugula (too spicy, she said) but polished off the rest of her burger. I'm already salivating thinking about the leftovers for lunch.

Oh and get used to seeing a photo that includes Baby Girl's portion. She's VERY big on being included on the blog right now and, really, how adorable is that?

Chicken and Bacon Burgers with Fried Egg
Slightly modified from Elly Says Opa, adapted from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries

4 oz. bacon (or pancetta), diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
1 lb. ground chicken
Salt and pepper
4 slices provolone cheese
4 eggs
4 buns or rolls, split and toasted
Mayo
Arugula

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until starting to brown at the edges. Add the onion, cooking until translucent. Add the garlic and rosemary. Continue cooking until the bacon is golden brown. Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Once cooled, add the mixture to the ground chicken, along with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly mix everything together and form into 4 patties. Let the patties sit for about half an hour on the counter, or for longer in the fridge.

Wipe out the skillet and place it over medium heat. Add the patties to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, then flip and cook another 4 minutes. During the last minute, add a slice of cheese to each burger and let it melt. Remove the patties from the skillet.

Crack the eggs into another small skillet and cook to your liking.

To serve, Place a burger patty and a fried egg on each roll.

Chicken Quesadillas with Avocado Corn Salsa

Ever have one of those days where you're super excited to make dinner only to discover you're out of one of the main ingredients? In my case I was all set to make this Chopped Chicken Taco Salad with Cheese Quesadilla Strips when I discovered the bag of Romaine hearts I thought I had in the fridge was actually half a heart that I needed for another recipe anyway. Oops.

It ended up being a happy accident, though, because these Chicken Quesadillas with Avocado Corn Salsa were born. And that's a very, very good thing.

Really all I did was keep the recipe the same but instead of making it into a chopped salad I took the grilled chicken and added it to the quesadillas. Then I turned the rest of the salad ingredients into a corn, tomato and avocado salsa reminiscent of this grilled corn salad we all absolutely love. Win-win all around.

Once again Baby Girl asked if I'd photograph her plate, too. This kid, she kills me with the cuteness. Also note, see how she has one triangle of quesadilla on her plate? Yeah, she ended up loving these so much she ate one of my triangles and one of SP's for a total of 3 pieces (aka almost an entire quesadilla to herself). Must be a growth spurt coming on...

Chicken Quesadillas with Avocado Corn Salsa
Inspired by How Sweet It Is

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 limes, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and trimmed of fat

cooking spray
4 burrito-size tortillas
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 cup sweet corn
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive olive
1 lime, juiced

The night before (or a few hours before) combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper in a large plastic food storage bag. Add chicken and toss to coat evenly. Marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium-heat heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and let cool for a few minutes, then cut into chunks.

Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add a tortilla and cook both sides until they're spotty brown. Combine the shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar, then add 1/4th of the cheese and 1/4th of the chicken chunks. Fold the tortilla in half and cook until the cheese melts. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken. Cut each quesadilla into triangles.

Combine the avocado, corn, tomatoes, and onion in a bowl, then toss with the salt and pepper. Add olive oil and lime juice, tossing well to coat. Season to taste and serve on top of the quesadillas.