Small Batch Baked Oatmeal

I love this all year.

I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal cooked on the stovetop -- I can't seem to really get with the consistency, something that makes overnight oats even worse. But I like oatmeal bars, and I love how easy it is to cut the baked oatmeal into squares that I can wrap up and take with me hiking or on road trips or to work. They are great on their own, and they make a fantastic addition to yogurt, with or without fruit. 

Ingredients

1 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (do not use quick oats--they get mushy)

¼ cup  lightly packed brown sugar 

½ teaspoons baking powder

¼  teaspoon salt

½  cups dairy or non-dairy milk

1 egg (small or medium eggs are fine here)

½  teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons melted butter or oil 

Toppings: additional milk, berries, sliced bananas, chopped nuts, etc

Spices and Variantions: I like to use whatever is in season. Follow your heart. 

Mix any spices into the dry mix, and add the fruit to the pan just before baking.

Yes, you can add chocolate chips.

• My absolute go-to is cinnamon and a diced apple.  
• Blueberry lemon is like sunshine.
• Cherry with extra vanilla is lovely, or your could use vanilla powder
• Pear and cardamom is amazing
• Peach and ginger capture late-summer in a pan.   
• For Mexican Mocha Oat Bars, add cinnamon, cocoa powder, and just a few grains of cayenne to the dry mix, and add a tablespoon (or more, as you like) espresso or coffee to the milk, making sure it stays at half a cup. You could even substitute coffee for the milk if you'd like. Increase the brown sugar if you'd like; it will balance the cocoa and help the cayenne bloom.

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Mix remaining wet ingredients in a separate bowl, including the egg, and whisk together, then pour into dry ingredients and stir to mix.

Pour into a small baking dish that has been greased with oil or butter. (Mine was a rectangle dish, roughly 7x4.5 inches, but you can use a 6” ramekin, or a couple small dishes, or whatever makes sense.)

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Let the dish cool before cutting.

Wrap and store in the fridge for several days; up to a week (if they ever really last that long). 

Classic French Onion Soup

There's something about a bowl of French Onion Soup that feels like a healing spell for the soul, especially after a long winter. 

By the time the first shoots of green are coming up, the idea of "fresh vegetables" is getting a little thin. Likely even the last of the winter squash are gone, and the only thing that remains are potatoes and onions. Here's a classic recipe for French Onion Soup which will make the most of the onions that still linger, and warm your soul in the process. Bonus for using yesterday's bread, which is the perfect texture for topping a bowl of soup. 

Caramelize the Onions

French Onion soup is more of a process than a recipe, and it starts with the onion.

Caramelized onions are great in so many dishes, including quiche or focaccia, and as a topping to burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, or on a BLT. Put them on anything and everything. Your friends will think you are gourmet, and your taste buds will love you for it. And really, if couldn't be simpler. It takes some time, but you can absolutely caramelize onions in advance and keep them in the fridge for a few days. They'll keep in the fridge for up to four days, so this makes them an excellent weekend cooking task. 

The best onions to use are sweet ones, like Walla Walla or Vidalia, but you can mix it up with sweet and yellow onions. If all you have the the old yellow standby, just add a splash of balsamic vinegar ot a pinch of brown sugar after the onions have caramelized. 

Slice the onions thinly and add them with a pinch of salt to the pot on top of the melted butter. Start on medium heat, then lower it. Gentle heat is what allows the caramelization to happen. The whole process will take 45 minutes to an hour depending on your stove and the amount of onions you're cooking. If you're using a skillet, tongs make the turning process easiest. You want to be able to turn them so that they cook evenly. Once they start to soften and turn golden brown, lower the heat. If the onions are sticking at all, add a splash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Continue stirring over low heat until the onions are the color you want. If you're using the onions in soup, add a splash of broth at the end to pick up all the browned bits and deepen the flavor.

Broth

Beef stock or broth is the hearty base to this recipe, and what makes it stand out. You can use vegetable or chicken stock, just be aware that it will change the flavor profile a bit. If you are making your broth from scratch, this is the perfect way to use it. You can add some red wine or sherry to the soup pot after you pour in the broth to give it that classic French Onion Soup taste. The alcohol will cook out.

Pour the broth over the onions and bring to a vigorous simmer, covered, for 10-20 minutes, stirring as needed. When the soup darkens and the aroma fills the kitchen, it ready. Slow cooker note: The caramelized onions can be placed in a slow cooker with the broth and heated on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

To serve, ladle the soup into ramekins, bowls, or mugs, filling halfway to two-thirds. Add a piece of crusty bread on top and cover with thinly sliced cheese. I like Gruyere cheese here. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve with milk and more bread.

Ingredients

1/4 c. butter, melted*

2-3 onions

Pinch of salt

Balsamic vinegar

4-6 c. broth

Swiss cheese, sliced thinly

*You can use 3-4 Tablespoons oil instead. I like to use a high quality olive oil if I'm going that route. You can also go half and half on butter and oil (or any ratio you like). 

Pantry Goodness: Dry Onion Soup Mix

I love being able to whip up a batch of prepared seasoning mixes that simplify recipes and make busy days manageable. Of course we can always spend time adding single ingredients but some dishes call for a particular flacvor profile that you want to be able to provide reliably. 

Dry Onion Soup Mix is one of those ubiquitous ingredients in a whole plethora of recipes. If you're trying to avoid preservatives (I'm looking at you, MSG!) or sodium, though, it can pack a heavy punch. And of course the cost per serving of a homemade batch is wildly less. My favorite part is being able to use organic ingredients, or even to use ingredients I've dehydrated or powdered myself. 

Mix up a batch of this (or a half batch, or a quarter batch) and store it in the pantry to give a boost to soups and stews. I particularly like it for cooking stew beef in the crock pot. Add one ounce of mix, 2-3 pounds of stew meat, and one stick of butter to the crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. Serve over egg noodles or the grain of your choice for some can't-be-beat comfort fare any day of the week, and any season.

Ingredients

1 cup dried onion flakes

8 tablespoons beef bouillon powder or granules* 

    (my favorite is Frontier Organics No-Beef Broth Powder)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

½ teaspoon celery seed

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

*You can also use low-sodium bullion here to help keep sodium in check.

Directions

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork until well combined. 

Store in a glass container in the pantry in a space that less likely to be humid.

Use

The typical dry onion soup mix pouch is 1 oz. 

I recommend using a scale, but really it's fine to make a best-guess.