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Sparkle (2)
My Aunt Emily sends me a birthday card every year. But it's my responsibility to IMMEDIATELY call her upon receipt of this card. Or else. I'm done. Seriously.
On my last birthday, I received my card as usual. So I called.
"Thank you for the card, Aunt Emily," I shouted. (You may recall that she can't hear very well.) "How are you?" Demerits are also given for not immediately asking how she is doing.
"Oh I don't want to talk about that. I want to hear about someone special." Translation: She wants to know about my love life.
Really?
"There's no one special right now, Aunt Emily," I responded, still loudly, and through gritted teeth.
"Well, you're just getting fussy," she decides.
Fussy? I have two things to say about this:
1. The last time she asked me this question, I happened to be dating someone. When I told her this, she took me aside and whispered in my ear, "Play the field." Huh.
2. Yes, indeed, I am fussy. Here's why:
I will demonstrate with the use of pie charts (this is a food blog, after all).
As demonstrated above, I have a perfect right to be fussy. There aren't many guys that fit into that narrowest pie piece. And I feel the same way about food. Do you have a favorite food? Just one? Would you eat it, if you could, every day?
Why would I eat sub-par pasta? What's the point? I'm not looking to fill a void (although my stomach is frequently empty). I want those calories to count! As the above chart suggests, I do have a few foods that I would eat every day.
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Cranberries
I actually do eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning. Add that to the list of things you really didn't need to know. Usually, my cabinet is stacked with this brand, but recently I decided to give baked oatmeal a try. What resulted was the equivalent of a giant, chewy oatmeal cookie that filled my apartment with the aroma of cinnamon and warm blueberries. Here's the recipe, which was inspired by this one at Fresh and Foodie.
What you need:
2 large eggs
1/2 cups sugar (you can use brown sugar)
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons ground flax seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3 cups rolled oats
As many blueberries and cranberries as you want to throw in there. Or none - your call.
Top with: Nuts, and warm milk
What To Do:
Lightly grease an 8″x8″ baking dish (I actually used a round one).
Mix eggs and sugar in the bottom of the dish, whisking to remove lumps. Add melted butter and carefully whisk to combine. Add baking powder, vanilla, ground flax seed, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt directly to the dish and whisk well. Add the milk and stir to combine.
Stir in the toasted coconut and oats, folding into the mixture, making sure everything is combined well. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the oatmeal for approximately 45 minutes, or until the edges are brown. (I actually woke up, popped it in the oven, set my alarm for 45 minutes and went back to sleep. When I woke up breakfast was served!)
Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Then cut yourself a piece, top it with milk and whatever else you want. Make sure you get some of the crispy edges in your slice.
Lunch: Sweet Potato Fries with Arugula Salad (AKA Working French Fries into Your Daily Diet)
I get a little overwhelmed when I try to express my love for French fries. Where to start? The salty, crispy outer shell or the inner mushy, slightly sweet center? I like all varieties: original, sweet potato, truffle flavored, those Old Bay seasoned ones you get at the Frying Pan... a perfect food.
