Baked Oatmeal Recipe

I've been asked both online and in person about the baked oatmeal recipe. There are a lot of recipes for it online, but I've become rather fond of this version found in King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking.

Baked Oatmeal

1	cup (5 3/4 ounces) steel-cut oats
4	tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4	cups water
3	cups (10 1/2 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4	cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2	cups peeled and diced apple (1 large)
1/2	cup (3 ounces) diced dried apricots
1/4	cup diced crystallized ginger
1	teaspoon salt
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg
2	large eggs
1/2	cup milk
1	teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-square baking dish.

Place steel-cut oats and butter in a large bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over oats. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, apple, apricots, ginger, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir into oat mixture. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Bake, until center is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm with milk or cream for breakfast, or warm with whipped cream, ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert.

The book also includes variations such as Blueberry, Banana-Walnut, Cranberry-Apple, and Banana Split (includes chocolate - I haven't dared to try this yet).

The crystallized ginger can be expensive if you use the overly dried out stuff frequently found in the spice aisle at the supermarket. I've found that it can be much cheaper (and fresher) when I get it from a bulk foods section. It definitely adds a spicy little kick to the recipe. I normally buy steel cut oats from the bulk foods section, too. Definitely much more economical. I'm not overly fond of dried apricots, so I normally just increase the apple content. Depending on the apple variety (sweet or tart), I adjust the amount of brown sugar. Obviously, though, pretty much any fruit and nut combination could work as long as you keep the proportions similar.

I know some people pour milk on top of their baked oatmeal. I don't because I don't like milk, and, it isn't "dry". I know some people who have eaten ice cream with it. I haven't done this, but it sounds mighty yummy. Some people prepare it in muffin cups for easy servings, but I never have so I don't know how well that works. Obviously, if I make a pan of it I have a lot left over. This isn't a problem - it reheats in the microwave very well. Once the initial prep and baking is done, I have a very fast and easy hot and healthy breakfast throughout the week.

Feelin' Good!

The antihistamines are back in my system and I am starting to feel like myself again.

This hasn't been a productive work day, but I have managed to make chicken noodle soup, beef stew, and baked oatmeal. Most of the soup and stew is going directly into my freezer. I now have provisions for the busy times of the semester.

15 Hours

Then allergy testing.

Approximately 3 hours later, antihistamines!

It is truly amazing that I forgot about just how miserable I am without allergy meds. I mean, I vaguely remember feeling lousy before I finally agreed to take them - I don't like to take medicine and I thought it wouldn't make that much of a difference - but I really forgot about the constant sinus headaches, itchy eyes, disgusting nasal congestion, sour throat, etc. I feel like I should be sick but I know I'm not. When I think about the fact that I once felt like this almost all of the time, I wonder what I was thinking when I resisted the wonder of modern pharmaceuticals.

And Thus It Begins

The allergies have been completely out of control all summer, so next week I have the pleasure of fresh allergy testing. It has been over a decade since I was last tested, so I suppose I could have developed an allergy or two to something or other. And whatever is causing all of these skin reactions (rashes and hives) must be stopped! I must not be a red, blotchy, itcher come job interview time.

But, today was my first day off of my antihistamines (can't have those in my system before the tests). This is not going to be fun. I feel disgustingly congested. I honestly forgot how bad it can be when I'm not medicated. I want it to be Wednesday so I can get this over with and take my drugs. In the meantime, I will be inhabiting spaces with good air filtration systems and avoiding the evil ragweed, the scourge that plagues us all.

Newly Found Enlightenment

I just realized part of the reason why I love this book cover so much.



The little critter reminds me of Chewie!!!

Oops, I Did It Again

I bought more books. the Friends of the Library cart is really dangerous. Granted, five books for $1.75 is pretty cheap, but I really don't have the space for more books or the time to read them. I'm telling myself - justifications are great, aren't they - that they are work-related reference books. I picked up two anthologies of African Folklore, one book of Irish folktales, one book of English folktales, and book on bookmaking from 1906 that features an essay by one of the librarians in my dissertation. That makes it work-related, right?

Arrival

It arrived.

Shaun Tan's Arrival finally came! It is a wonderful wordless graphic novel about immigration.


I am very happy!

When Working Isn't Working

I have been trying to write at home this evening. I am a night person, so this is a good time for me, but I'm normally at school when I work. I'm accustomed to the sounds of the English department at night, but I figured that working from home for once wouldn't be all that bad.

However, the boys next door are being very loud. I feel like Prince is holding a concert in my apartment. Normally, the Prince-fest would not be an issue, but this isn't doing a whole lot for my writing. I think it is too early to ask them to be quieter, so here I am, blogging away. Also, I fear that I am becoming an insufferably stuffy old person. I mean, it is Saturday night and I'm trying to write my dissertation! Something must be wrong with me - I have no life.

Update: Noooo!!! They are now "singing" along and "rapping" along to R& B and rap music, respectively.

Employment

The online Job List comes out tomorrow. I am eager. I am anxious. I am scared, too. It would be nice if I felt like I had more control over the situation, but I know I can't. Part of the academic job search is not being able to control what jobs will open in a given year and where the open jobs will be located.

CCCC

Proposal accepted!

And, I will be presenting on the first day. I really really like to present early, so I am very happy.

My Name is K8 And I Am An Addict

Seriously. I. Must. Stop. Buying. Books.

Friday, I bought two collections of Norse sagas. I'm not feeling very guilty about these, since I bought them from the Friends of the Library book cart for 50 cents each. But then came Saturday.

So, I went to Borders to use the last few dollars left on a gift card. I thought I'd get a magazine for a little fluff reading. I ended up with the latest Scientific American. I shouldn't have gone further into the store, but I did. I remembered that I wanted a cookbook focusing on soups as part of my efforts to plan meals both economical and healthy. Basically, comfort food. I strolled over to the food & cooking section and browsed the shelves. I saw a lot of books I would like to buy, but at least I used a little common sense and avoided the books of fancy soups featuring all sorts of ingredients I shouldn't be buying on my TA salary. I ended up with The Secrets of Jesuit Soupmaking: a year of our soups. For the most part, it looks like I can afford to make these soups. And, you've gotta love a cookbook organized by the headings Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. There appears to be a lot of other text in the way of stories, vignettes, little inspirational things, etc., but I'm really just in it for the soup. That doesn't mean I won't read it, though.

While in that section of the bookstore, I came across a book I almost bought in the past. Yes, I bought it. The next purchase was In the Devil's Garden: a sinful history of forbidden food. Are you sensing a theme? Scientific American's latest issue is a theme issue called "Feast and Famine." I suspect this is why I remembered my cookbook "need."

Fortunately, I didn't pick up anymore books. I successfully resisted the temptation to buy the following:

• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee. I will probably ask for this for Christmas. I am such a geek for reference books!
• Goth: Undead Subculture edited by Goodland and Bibby.
  
• Spice: The History of Temptation by Jack Turner.
  
• The Fairies in Tradition and Literature by Kathleen Briggs. I almost justified this one by trying to convince myself that it would be work-related.
  
• Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day by Joan Bolker. I think I was just feeling guilty at that point.
  

And there were others. I did notice in the history section that there are a whole lot of books about pirates. And there was a book about cannibalism that I found tempting, but I didn't want to check out with it and my cooking texts. I creeped myself out of that purchase.

Dangerous New Reward System

Since the semester has started, I don't have time to indulge in my summer reward system.

Old reward: read children's or young adult literature after working a set amount of hours each day.

Danger factor: Low

New reward: If I complete my weekly goals, I get to have a slice of carrot cake.

Danger factor: High - particularly since I realized it would be cheaper to buy a whole carrot cake. slice it, and freeze individual slices.

Now, temptation is within my reach. Carrot cake calls me from the freezer. This might have been a very bad idea. And yes, I do know that using food as a reward is generally a bad idea. At the time, though, I justified it by considering how ridiculously healthy I've been eating. And, with the exception of the carrot cake, I really am. I'm trying to take care of myself while I work on the dissertation and face the job market, and making sure that I eat healthy foods is an important part of this. Sadly, I can't think of a way to claim carrot cake (despite the presence of carrots) as a healthy food.

A Formal Declaration

No one is allowed to publish anything related to my dissertation research until my dissertation is complete. I do not have the time to examine and consider new publications, research, or ideas. I thank you in advance for your compliance.

(Yes, I am tired and cranky)

WHAT!!!!!

How does this happen??? How does one "inadvertently" load nuclear warheads on a plane?

Recognition!

I noted in an earlier post that my mom just retired after 39 (almost 40, really) years of work in social services for the state. At a "meeting" the day before her retirement (one she tried to get out of*) she was presented with the Distinguished Hoosier Award! This is sort of a big deal. And, from the sound of it, the "meeting" was mostly a big party to celebrate her. Yay mom!

*She had to make a little road trip to get there and she doubted the need for her to be there during her last week. She has always been good about going to out of town meetings, even if she was sick. This is a woman who worked on the day I was born and the day my sister was born. She probably would have gone to work the day my brother was born, but she went into labor during the early morning. My sister and I woke up to find our grandma at the house.

Update/Clarification: The award is from the State of Indiana. It is one of the highest awards/honors the state gives for service to the state. After an email conversation with a friend earlier today, I realized that the word "Hoosier" could lead people to mistakenly think this is related to IU. It isn't. Mom is a Michigan State alum who is very happy about this past weekend's Michigan game.

Children's Lit. Blog

I was just alerted to Kathleen Horning's (director of the Cooperative Children's Book Center) blog, Worth The Trip. The focus is LGBT Children's and Young Adult literature. Check it out!

Summer Is Almost Over

So I am posting a few pictures to remember it by.

My niece and nephew fishing.



In these next two, my mom is retrieving my niece's reel out of the lake.




A fish!



The lake.



A throw blanket at the lake cottage.



My brother as he paints the lake cottage.



And I can't leave out Chewie!


And, to start out the new semester, a new t-shirt from the TA union.