Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Bake

There is a snow storm coming, which means I want warm, yummy food. I also have some milk that needs used up before it goes bad. So, with those two motivators combined, I came up with this recipe. It doesn't take a lot to get me thinking about food or what I could cook. Since it is also the weekend, this is great cause we can just warm it up the next day for breakfast. It is quick and easy to throw together, and makes a good nutritious breakfast, or lunch, or dinner if you want.

Step by step instructions with pictures.

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 2.5 quart baking dish. 
2. Whisk 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 1/2 tsp. almond flavoring together.
    
   Then whisk in 4 cups milk (I used skim) until all is combined.
   It should look nice and frothy.
3. Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 2 Tbs. honey. Whisk together with milk mixture. 
   
4. Add 2 cups of old fashioned oats.
   
   Give it a quick stir. Pour all of the mixture into the greased baking dish. All the oats will sort of pile up where you pour it in, just make sure they get spread out and evenly distributed.
5. Sprinkle 1 cup of blueberries and 1/4 cup slivered almonds over the top of the oatmeal mixture. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. I used frozen cause that is what I had on hand.
   
   
6. This step is completely optional, but I also sprinkled 3 Tbs. of honey crunch wheat germ on top of everything. Just to give it a touch more of goodness. 
   
7. Pop it in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or so. When it is done most of the liquid should be absorbed and the oats should be cooked completely. if there is still a little liquid that is ok, it will absorb while it cools.
   
   Let it cool for a few minutes and enjoy. Store any leftovers in the fridge to eat later.
   
   
   Here is the recipe all nice and neat. 

The Kitchn Cookbook -- book review

My latest cookbook to take a look through, and actually read thoroughly is The Kitchen Cookbook. This cookbook is by Sara KateGillingham and Faith Durand. These ladies run a popular website with the same name, The Kitchn. The Kitchn website is a sister site to the popular all things home site Apartment Therapy. You may be familiar with both of these sites from their ever popular pins on Pinterest.

The Kitchn Cookbook isn’t just a cookbook though. Actually only a little less than half of the book is comprised of recipes. The rest of the book is comprised of all things kitchen relates; how to organize, helpful food prep tips, guide on basic cooking terms and how to do them, tours of several real kitchens, and much more. So, if you are looking for a good, lot of recipes cookbook this may not be quite what you are looking for. Now, if you love cooking, the kitchen is a central part of your home, or you love all things kitchen related, then this book you would probably enjoy. This would also may a good gift book for someone just starting out on their own in their own place, just getting married, graduating college, or buying their first home.

For me personally, this isn’t a cookbook that I think I would turn to often to find a recipe or get some food inspiration. I might also mention that many of the recipes in the book can also be found on Pinterest. With that said though, The Kitchn is an interesting read with a lot of good information in it. Also a plus is that all the kitchen tours featured in the book are of real kitchens that people really use, not just staged kitchens that aren’t even used. Thus said, the pictures in the book look real, not staged. This is a nice touch that makes this book a little different from a lot of other cookbooks. One of the things that I also liked about the book was these little sections called Dana’s Meditation. Dana’s Meditations are little beautifully written bits about the kitchen or cooking. One last note, the recipes are simple and truly easy to follow. In fact all of the book is simply written and quiet readable.   

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

My Ode to Green Chili Mac n' Cheese

I love Mac n' Cheese! I mean LOVE! If there were three foods that I would want as a last meal they would be mac n' cheese, nachos, and ice cream. So, the other night I was wanting mac n' cheese and we didn't have any boxed kind in the house, so I resorted to making it from scratch. I was inspired by this incredible mac n' cheese that I had last summer while on vacation at the Manito Tap House, in Spokane, WA. Their's is a green chili mac n' cheese, and it is amazing. I know, cause I still think about it almost a year later. That is how I know if a food is good, I think about it later. Mmmmmmm............mac n' cheese bliss. Here is my ode to that mac n' cheese. 

 

Green Chili Mac n’ Cheese

Ingredients

• 3 slices of bacon (reserve 2 Tbs. of the bacon grease)
• 1 16oz. box of mini rigatoni
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 4 Tbs. flour
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded muenster cheese (or whatever white cheese you prefer that melts well)
• 4 Tbs. green chili enchilada sauce
• 1 green onion sliced thin
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook bacon until it is crisp. Crumble into small pieces. Remember to save the bacon grease.
2. Cook the mini rigatoni according to the directions on the box.
3. In sauce pan, on medium heat, combine butter and bacon grease.
4. Add garlic and flour and whisk until combined. Cook for a minute or two.
5. Add milk and continue to whisk. Sauce will thicken quickly.
6. Add cheese, whisk until it is completely melted.
7. Add green chili enchilada sauce, salt, and pepper, and whisk again.
8. Combine mini rigatoni with sauce.
9. Sprinkle bacon and green onion on top.
10. Eat and enjoy!