Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast is one meal I am always looking for a quick wholesome meal for Nugget during the week.  As everyone knows getting up and out of the house is a challenge during the week.  Before Nugget I often used to pack my breakfast as well as lunch to school.  I can still do that for me, but I like to know that Nugget has had something good before he goes to day care.

Last week I was reading some new food blogs and saw a post about baked oatmeal on the blog Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  I thought it would be perfect.  I knew that Nugget would enjoy the recipe.   Ever so slowly Nugget is starting to expand his food tastes past scrambled eggs and mac & cheese.  I'm finding that if he can feed it to himself he is much more likely to eat something new.  Nugget likes oatmeal, so I knew he would like this for breakfast.  

Nugget is always a little leery with the first bite.

By the second bite you know what he thinks!  :o)

The biggest surprise with this breakfast was that Bear liked it too!  He does not like oatmeal, so I didn't think he would enjoy this breakfast, but he did.  Bear even ate the last piece that I was going to have for breakfast on Monday morning.

This was a great recipe because it was healthy and I could use it for breakfast one day, and the next day Nugget had a piece for a snack in the afternoon.  Then it packed nicely in Nugget's lunch on Monday.  Perfect.

The recipe calls for mixed berries, but I am not a fan of raspberries so I only used blueberries.  I think this is a very versatile recipe and you can add any fruit you may have on hand.  Next time I make it I am going to substitute bananas for the applesauce.  A small piece of this and some yogurt makes a perfect breakfast!

Berry Baked Oatmeal 
Adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1/2 C applesauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 egg
3 C oats (quick-cooking)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C  fresh or frozen

Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl and stir well.

Add in the milk, vanilla, egg and applesauce.

Stir until moistened.

Then, gently stir in the berries.

Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 inch glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 for  35 minutes, until center is set.

Christmas Cookies - 2010

Welcome to my new cooking blog! I thought I would start a new blog for my baking and cooking ramblings.  I figured not everyone that follows my blog (even though there aren't many followers any more) will be  interested in my fumbling around in the kitchen.  


I couldn't think of any better way to start this new blog than with my Christmas cookie post.  This year was a little different in that I made an executive decision to keep it a nut free cookie year.  With my little cookie monster I didn't want to worry about whether he got hold of a cookie with nuts.  Other than the few (hundred) complaints about there not being cherry winks on the tray from my brother it turned out alright.


After several weeks of planning and searching I found some cookies that I was excited to try.  From my nephews' perspective the carmel filled chocolate cookies were the favorites.  The cookie is called Rollo chocolate cookies, but my nephew J said that I should call them Galaxies.  So from now on Galaxies will  be in the Christmas cookie rotation.

Sugar cookies, Snickerdoodles, Molasses Cookies, Galaxies, Chocolate Crinkles, 
Chocolate Chip, Oreo Truffles in the center.

Galaxies

While reading some of my favorite food blogs one day I saw these butter cookies on Annie's Eats.  I couldn't wait to try and bake them.  The best compliment I received was when Bear came home from work and tried one of the cookies for the first time.  He commented that the cookie reminded him of the cookies that you get in those tins.  Woot!!  Woot!!!  That is exactly what I was striving for.  

Chocolate Pinwheels, Coconut, Butter Sable, Chocolate Sable, 
Chocolate Sandwich, Vanilla Butter, Pinwheel

This is how I packaged the cookies for friends and family.

I'll wrap up this first post with the galaxy cookie recipe.  The original recipe said to roll the dough balls in sugar before baking and to drizzle white candy coating over the cookie after they cool.  I didn't think they needed any of that extra sweet.  I think carmel is sweet enough already.  I have to be honest I didn't try any of the galaxy cookies.  I don't care for carmel at all.  Bear likes carmel and chocolate, that's how they made the cookie tray this year.

Galaxy Cookies

Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
48 Rolo® Chewy Caramels in Milk Chocolate; unwrapped

Directions
In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; mix well.

In large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture; blend well. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.

Preheat oven to 375°F. For each cookie, with lightly floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around 1 caramel candy, covering completely. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375°F. for 7 to 10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes or until completely cooled.