Amy Artisan

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Month: February 2015

Currently…February

Snow sparkling in the sun

Snow sparkling in the sun

In February…the calendar says this is always the shortest month…somehow it always seems among the longest months…this year, it was a very busy month with several big work projects…and in the midst of the depths of winter weather, the daylight hours are increasing – a harbinger of spring somewhere on the horizon…these are some of the things that filled my February days…

A Saturday morning read...

A Saturday morning read…

Reading…not nearly as much as I had hoped…continuing to work through The Giver Quartet…the first Saturday of the month, I settled in after a week of traveling and lost myself in the story of Lizzy and Jane – a delightful read on so many levels…after thoroughly enjoying my Advent read, I’m starting a new Lent tradition with evening readings from Bread and Wine: Readings for Easter and Lent

Watching (on the small screen)…thoroughly enjoying Mr. Selfridge on Amazon Prime…viewing most of my shows via DVR playback to “recapture” commercial time…

Watching (on the big screen)…McFarland USA was a great “feel good” flick to enjoy with the family…

Happy Hearts!

Happy Hearts!

Crafting…my box of crayons plus some simple embossed notecards from Etsy made for easy Valentines to wish “happy hearts” to dear ones…

Browsing50 pieces of creative adviceturning snow & cold weather into a rainbow igloorethinking the word “busy” to describe lifea delightful celebration of knitting & grandmas

A definite citrus theme to a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen...

A definite citrus theme to a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen…

Cooking…my Baked Savory Oatmeal was perfect for a stretch of cold mornings…I was on a citrus kick with cooking – roasted broccoli & clementines (twice) – citrus roasted chicken with sweet potatoes & pears (twice) – citrus salad…chocolate chili & my carrot-coconut soup were also in rotation – with the travel, I’m glad to have meals waiting for me in the fridge when I get home…

Civic Duty on a Monday

Civic Duty on a Monday

Serving…on an icy Monday, I had to appear at the county courthouse for jury duty…a morning of waiting & then an afternoon on a panel in the courtroom…and at 4:20 that afternoon learning that I was not selected to serve on the jury for the case at hand…I’m glad to have my civic duty fulfilled for at least the next 3 years…

A Sunday stroll along the beach

A Sunday stroll along the beach

Traveling…2 weeks of the month were spent with my project in FL…on the first of these trips, when I arrived on a Sunday afternoon, I immediately headed to Deerfield Beach to a favorite “hole in the wall” restaurant for some fresh & tasty seafood & some time along the beach…on the second of these trips, I am enjoying a detour home to the ‘Ville for a weekend with the family before heading back to PA…

A blooming Valentine's Day

A blooming Valentine’s Day

Cultivating…as I focus on my word this year…reading The Fringe Hours and using the prompts within the book as a catalyst for cultivating some of my time…also, cultivating my Christmas amaryllis into full bloom on Valentine’s Day (thankfully the blooms opened while I was home)…

Looking Ahead….more trips to FL for work…the return of “longer days” as we spring forward…

Linking up with Leigh Kramer for the monthly “What I’m Into” round-up. What are you into these days? Was February a “long” month for you, too?

Baked Oatmeal: The Savory Edition

Apples & Bacon & Cheddar & Oatmeal…Oh, My!

When the family was here for Thanksgiving 2013, I made my first foray into Baked Oatmeal and have been hooked ever since. I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and since I had fresh cranberries from the farm I had visited, it seemed like a great one to try. The recipe isn’t too fussy & since that first pan of it, I have made it numerous times – the fruit would vary based on what I had on hand – cranberries, apples, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pears…all have been folded into the mixture.

Recently I have been thinking about savory oatmeal and even looked at recipes online – but nothing jumped out as “must try this.” I kept thinking of my go to baked oatmeal & wondered how to make it savory. Last weekend I mentioned my initial thoughts to Mom & we talked through some recipe modifications.

Last night, I gave it a go. I stirred up a pan of the oatmeal & popped it in the fridge for the overnight. This morning, I pulled the pan out of the fridge and popped it in the oven. I could hardly wait for the timer to ding and see if my “experiment” had worked. In a word, Yes! As I shared with others: Apples + Bacon + Cheddar = Delicious!

Savory Baked Oatmeal
1 1/2 c applesauce (unsweetened)
2 eggs
1/4 c maple syrup
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c milk (I used coconut)
2 c rolled oats (old fashioned)
1 apple (cored, peeled, chopped)
3/4 c bacon (chopped/crumbled crispy cooked)
1/2 c shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

  1. Preheat oven to 375 & grease 8×8 baking dish
  2. Whisk together applesauce, eggs, maple syrup, baking powder, cinnamon
  3. Whisk milk into wet mixture
  4. Fold oats, bacon, apple & cheese into mixture
  5. Pour into baking dish & bake 40-45 minutes (until golden brown)

(Note: can be mixed assembled the night before, pull from refrigerator while preheating the oven in the morning)

With the “full on” winter weather this weekend looking ahead into this coming week, this warm and hearty breakfast is a good thing to get my day going and the “stick to your ribs” staying power to keep me going through my mornings of back-to-back-to-back conference calls.

When I was little, a favorite oatmeal was a packet of the instant brown sugar flavored oatmeal at Grandmas house on the weekend while watching Transformers cartoons. While I still like that flavor (& a packet today takes me back decades), since then I have enjoyed so many different iterations of oatmeal – from the stovetop…to the crockpot…to the baked versions. What are your favorite ways to eat oatmeal?

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