Baked Steel Cut Oats

Do you agree that homemade baked macaroni and cheese is head and shoulders above that stuff on the stove, and that the stuff on the stove is head and shoulders above that stuff in the microwave? Well, this is the exact same situation. Oats in the microwave are good, oats on the stove are better and oats in the oven are THE BEST.

I have been wanting to try baked oatmeal for a while now and figured there's no better time than now--a lazy Saturday morning. I combined a few different recipes I saw on other blogs and came up with this concoction. While "winging it" when baking can be quite risky, it turned out wonderfully this time. Oh, and did I mention this is healthy? Enjoy!

Makes two hefty servings (I like a big breakfast)

Ingredients
1 cup steel cut oats (straight from the pantry, no soaking necessary)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh or dried fruit (I used fresh blueberries)
Dash of sea salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray two ramekins with Pam.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Pour mixture into ramekins and top with a sprinkle of brown sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Serve immediately with milk and sweetener of your choice. I used brown sugar today, but plan to try maple syrup and honey in the future.

I guess you could say we enjoyed this one.

Quinoa Fruit Salad

For those that haven't given quinoa a try, the time is now my friends. Quinoa, pronounced KEEN-wah, looks like a grain, is prepared like a grain, but is actually a seed. This protein-packed seed is inexpensive, easy to prepare and extremely good for you. If you love a hearty breakfast such as oatmeal or cream of wheat, here's a more summery alternative for you.

While I frequently bake and enjoy my "Paula Deen style" sweets loaded with cream, sugar and butter, I also take pride in a healthy lifestyle full of balance. To balance my fat-packed indulgences (see nearly every recipe I've posted thus far), I counter them with healthy eats and lots of exercise. This sweet, fruity salad was my breakfast this morning and proved to be high protein indeed as my stomach didn't growl once before lunchtime as it usually does around 10:00am. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup dry quinoa (bag your own in the health food section of your grocery store, it's way cheaper than buying the pre-packaged stuff)
Plain greek yogurt, non-fat
Seasonal fruit (berries are my favorite)
Honey or agave nectar

Directions
In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of water with one cup of quinoa and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let cool (or run under cold water if you're really hungry, impatient or both like me).

Mix equal parts of quinoa and greek yogurt together and top with your favorite fruit. Sweeten to taste with honey or agave nectar. Depending on the amount and type of fruit use, you may not need a ton of extra sweetness.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

No big breakfast is complete without a little something sweet to finish. It couldn't get any easier than this simple coffee cake, so give it a try and make your guests think you worked way harder than you really did. I won't tell if you don't.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Mix together the first five ingredients with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, flour and baking powder. Slowly dump the flour mixture into your electric mixer on low speed until incorporated.

Rinse your blueberries with water and toss with a sprinkle of flour. This will keep your blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your pan in the oven. By hand, fold the blueberries into the batter.

Spoon the thick batter into a 16-cup bundt pan (or casserole dish) and pop in the oven for 45-55 minutes until browned and no longer doughy.

Let cool for about a half hour, flip upside down on a cake stand and adorn with your favorite glaze or topping. We served this with our strawberry butter, but no spread is necessary with this tasty treat.

This recipe comes from my amazing friend and baker, Kelsey Bulat.

Sunday Brunch

Some think of football, I think of brunch. When Sunday rolls around each week, nothing beats a hot cup of coffee, a runny egg yolk and a little something sweet. While I've always enjoyed breakfast, my true love began after experiencing Sunday breakfast at The Cafe, one my all time favorite restaurants. Throughout college, Sunday breakfast at The Cafe became tradition whether it was just Jory and I or whatever family happened to be in town from that weekend's track meet.

In honor of the good old days, we jogged our memory this morning with a little homemade brunch. This menu included eggs benedict on homemade english muffins, blueberry coffee cake with strawberry butter and fresh fruit salad with orange glaze. More recipes from this successful brunch to come!

Homemade English Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

4 cups bread flour

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 egg whites

fine cornmeal

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the water, yeast, baking soda, salt and two cups of the flour. Mix until a wet paste is formed and set aside for about five minutes. In the meantime, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks are formed then fold into the batter mixture. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Once the dough becomes too difficult to mix in the bowl, dump onto a floured surface and mix with your hands. Knead for a few minutes or until the mixture forms a smooth ball of dough. Put the dough ball into a clean bowl with a bit of oil, making sure all sides are coated. Cover and let rest for about an hour.

Place dough on floured surface and roll until 1/2 inch thick. Cut out circles with a round cookie cutter or glass, cover with cornmeal and set aside. Let the rounds rest for 30-45 minutes.

About five minutes before you are ready to start cooking your muffins, turn on an electric griddle to 350 or medium heat. Once heated, add a tablespoon of butter and toss in your muffins to fry. Flip the muffins every four minutes for a total of sixteen minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy while warm!

This recipe was found on CookingBread.com.


Strawberry Butter
I stole this idea from Ina Garten. There's really no need for a recipe or instructions, but you MUST try this on these homemade english muffins.

Ingredients
Strawberry fruit preserves, room temperature
Butter, room temperature

Directions
Mix together with an electric mixer, spread and enjoy!