Monday Munchies: Maple-Cinnamon Apple and Pear Baked Oatmeal by Oh She Glows

 Hello Friends and Welcome to Monday Munchies. First off, Happy Martin Luther King Day. Yes, it is a holiday. You don’t get the day off for nothing. And second, If you have ever read my About Me page (or have scrolled down long enough on my home page) you will know I like to cook and bake and eat. Boy do I love to eat. The smell of food just makes me happy. Except if it’s mushrooms. I hate the smell of mushrooms. Anywho, because of this (my love of cooking and baking, not my hatred of mushrooms), every Monday I will post a little something new I have tried to cook, and this week it is maple-cinnamon apple and pear baked oatmeal that I got from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I recently checked it out from the library and found so many that I wanted to try, which for the coming Monday Munchies I will be trying a few recipes out of it. This is my first attempt with this particular recipe and the outcome was less than disastrous, which I am happy about.

I have never had baked oatmeal before but I found I quite liked it. It was a little mushy (but that is probably because of the type of oatmeal I used, which was not the one recommended in the recipe, but I’ll get to that later) and thick. It kind of tasted like cake, and my family loved it. It was gone in nearly an instant and I doubled the recipe.

I must say, though, the weather was less than ideal. It was freezing in a very Southern California way and a lot darker than I like it. Which made for taking pictures of my little experiment less than ideal, so forgive me.

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Today’s Monday Munchies Song:

The Little Daylight remix version of Sweater Weather by the Neighbourhood, spelt ever so British-ly.

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Like I mentioned earlier, I did use different ingredients than what was said in the book, but before you scold me, just let me say it was not my fault. I could not find what I was looking for.
Actually, looking at it now, there actually wasn’t that much of a difference. Instead of gluten-free rolled oats I used gluten-ful old-fashioned Quaker oats and instead of walnuts (sister has a nut allergy), I used almonds.  Also, instead of green Anjou pears (which my Costco did not have at the time) I used Bosc pears  which I thought would make it mushy, but it actually had the opposite affect, they were one of the only firm things after the oatmeal was baked.

Also, I used half coconut sugar half brown sugar because she gave me the option of using either one and I had both and I couldn’t choose. Man, I’m so good at this.

And in my rush to finish before what little light I had disappeared, I had a few fudge-ups in the process. Like, I completely forgot to peel the apples and pears. It wasn’t until I had finished baking did I realize this, so total fail. Also, I think I let the oatmeal and milk mixture sit to long, because the oats actually started soak it up.

One thing that was hilariously annoying, is the fact that my little sister was “helping me” during this entire debacle. She had me mixing things I wasn’t supposed to mix, or mixing things too much. And then I had the worst time trying to open the applesauce from Trader Joes AKA the Applesauce of Death. All of us tried opening the darn thing up, but it never worked. I think It laughed at me while I was trying because it would squeak, but then never really be moving. That had to be one of the most tedious things ever because I had to dial back the urge to slam it on the counter, though it probably wouldn’t have worked anyways because I’m pretty sure the thing was indestructible. I felt like SpongeBob trying to open a bottle of ketchup but not even running it under warm water helped. *sigh* Then, my brilliant younger sister realized that it had a plastic seal on it. OH. MY. GAHD. It had a seal on it. I can’t even. The darn thing didn’t even bend! I had no way of knowing! Gahh! I don’t even… Never mind. Despite that everything ended up turning out pretty well.

Like a thick, not-too-sweet oatmeal cake. I’ll be trying something new for next Monday. If you try this recipe, tell me in the comment section below! 🙂 Until next time. Sage Out.

Watching Them Eat Chocolate Chip Pancakes With Blueberries

I don’t know if you guys know this but, I don’t like blueberries. There is a long story behind the reason why, but all that matters is that at the end of the day I can’t eat fresh blueberries. Yes, fresh blueberries. I know it’s weird, but I find them disgusting. They taste like medicine. I can eat them frozen (like in a smoothie), I can even stomach them baked (sometimes). But I cannot eat a fresh blueberry. They’re gross. The reason I bring this up is because, everybody else in my family loves them. They can eat them on anything sweet, and I just don’t understand this nonsense. Take the other day, for example. They put them on chocolate chip pancakes.

 

Who needs blueberries when there are chocolate chips? I can understand strawberries, bananas, or even raspberries (which I love) but blueberries are just a bit much in my personal opinion. Maybe that’s because I find them disgusting. I had the very same thing for breakfast, by the way, and it was still very good without the blueberries.

I don’t know if down the line I’ll like blueberries. It wouldn’t be completely unheard of for me because there was a time when I didn’t like avocados, cream of wheat, or mushrooms as well. Either for their smell, texture, or both. But now I can stomach avocados, but only sometimes; and I can handle cream of wheat but only a little. And the only time I can stand mushrooms is when they are on a pizza, and even then I have to take off the big pieces. There’s actually a list of foods I don’t like or have to be cooked a certain way or can’t eat too much of with getting nauseous. My sister actually says I don’t like “food” but that’s impossible because I eat all the time and enjoy it. So, there. I would go into that now, but I am going to have to save that one for a rainy day because I know just how badly you guys want to hear about it.

What foods don’t you guys like as much as I don’t like blueberries (among other things)? Tell me in the comment section below! Until later. Sage Out.

French Toast and Goddess Oolong Tea Breakfast

I had breakfast again today. And it was very delicious. It consisted of gluten-free bread, with your regular egg, milk, and cinnamon covering, fresh strawberries, plums, and blueberries with crushed almonds.

Top it off with some maple syrup, and it was a breakfast for the ages.

To drink, I had Goddess Oolong tea from Adagio’s.

I got it online for my mom online for her birthday and it tastes so fresh and clean and smooth. It gives energy and helps for losing weight though that wasn’t really a concern of ours. What was a concern was the fact that it also depletes your calcium which we learned only after my mom started losing her nails. It’s a gift to remember.

Just remembering breakfast gives me happy feelings. What did you have for breakfast this morning?

How To Make A Gluten-Free Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich (The Perfect Go-To Breakfast!)

I had breakfast again today, guys (shocker, I know). And it was so fantabulous, I decided to share it with you all. It started out as a late breakfast, and the only reason I was eating was because my mom insists that I eat for some strange reason. She says, “It’s necessary to live.”  I think she’s lying.  But, despite my skepticism, I went into the kitchen looking for something to eat. At first my attempts were fruitless, as I picked up multiple types of snacks (chips, nuts, popcorns, and the likes) and decided I wanted none of them. My stomach growled as I realized I was indeed hungry and I was not finding food fast enough to feed the stomach that was currently chewing on my arm (guess the reference and tell me in the comments below!). And as it turns out, you do need food to live. So, with my head held low in shame for having been wrong about human mortality, I grabbed the gluten-free bread to begin making my perfect go-to breakfast.

My family and I don’t use toasters, so, I start with a heated pan (fairly high depending on your stove top and pan type), with no oil in it, to “toast” the bread.  After that I added mayonnaise. I prefer Hollywood’s safflower oil mayonnaise because it is much lighter and less salty (also high in antioxidants and vitamin E which is a plus), but if you don’t have that olive oil mayonnaise also works, which is actually what I used in these pictures because we are out of the other kind.

With mayonnaise comes great responsibility, so I also added a little bit (okay, a lot) of Dijon mustard (my favorite, doesn’t really matter what brand you get as long as it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup or sodium nitrites (and all that good bad stuff in it– keep note, that is just a joke it really is bad for you) in it.) While you are doing this I would add your smoked salmon to the stove, unless, of course, you prefer raw smoked salmon which works just as well if that’s your style.

Then, with however much smoked salmon you like, add it to your bread, olive oil or safflower oil mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard.

Then, slice up some tomatoes, and put them on top. And, though I forgot it in these pictures, I would also add chia seeds for digestion.

And because peaches are delicious, I sliced those up and had them as a side but you can choose any fruit. These were fresh and sweet, which cut the salt from the smoked salmon.

With a cold glass of water or hot tea, this is the perfect go-to breakfast. It literally takes seconds to make and it’s delicious whenever and wherever. You could also add avocado, if that’s your thing. But I was lazy, so today it was not my thing. Whatever. Don’t judge.

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Okay, so that’s all. Tell me what you think in the comment section and whether you are a cooked smoked salmon kind of person or an as-is type of person!

Here, I usually have this ending where I tell you to check out the “idea” page and whatnot, but I am going to stop doing that from now on. I’ve noticed that trying to figure out something new to try to do is actually very pressing and stressful. But, because I still like the idea I still encourage you to drop me an email or comment telling me new things to try out so I don’t have to think about it myself. 🙂

I am still in the works of writing a post about yaoi for my little experiment, and I watched a lot of ’em with suggestions from a reader after my very traumatizing experience with a certain yaoi I won’t mention the name of, whom I will mention when I get the post done. It is just taking longer than I thought it would, so be patient with me. That is all for today. Until next time. Bye. Ciao. 바이 바이. Aloha. Peace.

💋

Have Breakfast with Me, Yeah?: How to Make Almond Butter Toast on Gluten-Free Bread

So, I had breakfast this morning and… I decided to take pictures of it.  It was vegan and vegetarian, but as somebody who’s used to healthy eating, it didn’t taste like it. It was delish and very filling despite the fact that it was only two pieces of gluten-free bread. This is not much of a how-to, because in my personal opinion, it’s pretty self-explanatory. But, I’ll explain what I did, anyway.

 First things First (I’m the realest):

So, you start with bread. I know, I know, shocking– but it’s necessary in this recipe. I chose the multi-grain, gluten-free bread from Costco. You would think that it would be either hard or dry, but surprisingly it was neither. When I first tasted this, as a part of a diet we were trying out, to me, it tasted like sweet sponge, and it was the consistency of a sponge as well. But after you toast it (which I did in a pan, with no oil on high heat), it is actually quite delectable.

I took this particular picture outside and it was so hot I am pretty sure the bag melted, like literally melted — either that or I nearly ripped it…. It’s hot guys! OKAY?! (No judging.) But it doesn’t matter, it’s bread and it’s gluten-free and it isn’t disgusting. I think that’s all that truly matters. Also, doesn’t that font just put you in such a Halloween mood? Try and say “Ah! I’m melting!” in your best wicked witch voice. Go ‘head try it. You know you want to. Nobody’s watching you but me. *sigh* I love Halloween……

Next, spread on your almond butter (creamy not chunky), also from Costco. The other brand (I won’t drop names, it’s rude… MaraNatha. Who said that?) had salmonella or something, and I’m pretty sure I had bacteria stuck in my intestine that made me look like I was having an alien child because only one portion of my stomach was bloated. It literally looked like a portion of my intestine had swollen up, like half of my entire torso had expanded outward. I sort of expected to give birth to E.T. the next time I sat down to use the bathroom.

 But that’s neither here nor there, and It’s kind of weird to talk about amidst talking about food so I am just going to drop it… Just remember, stick with Costco brand almond butter.

Next, sprinkle on about a teaspoon or two of chia seed. It’ll be crunchy, but because it helps with digestion (which you’ll need help with if you’ve been eating a certain almond butter from a certain brand.. MaraNatha), it’s worth it and if you sprinkle a little honey and cinnamon of your choice you can hardly taste it.

Have with a glass of cold water, and maybe a banana and that is what we call the breakfast of champions. That is all for now. If (when) you try it, come back here and tell me what you think. If you love it, great; if you hate it, I hate you. I’m just kidding. Maybe. No, I’m really kidding.

P.S. How many of you did your wicked with voice out loud? Tell me in the comment section below. Everybody who does it gets kudos in my next post for being awesome.

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For more on what’s going on here visit “The Idea” and if you have suggestions as to things I can try visit “The Suggestion Box” or comment below I would love to hear what you have to say!

Have Breakfast With Me, Yeah?: Chia Pudding

Chia pudding is absolutely delicious, and it is my understanding that this is fairly easy to make, though I’ve never made it personally…. Out of 5 stars I give it 4.5 for taste (takes some getting used to) and 3 for texture (like I said, It takes some getting used to). I believe it is made with raw chia seeds, almond milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon.  Here it was topped with raspberries, almonds (raw), walnuts (raw), bananas, sunflower seeds (salted), dried cranberries (I think it was some kind of mix from Trader Joes), cinnamon, and gluten-free walnut brownies that we got from Trader Joes.

It’s light and airy feeling, and gives you plenty of energy. Like, by the end of it you feel as though you didn’t eat anything, like your stomach is full of air, though you’re full (am I selling this?). It’s vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free, and would’ve been raw if it hadn’t been for the brownies. But brownies are necessary (they are not necessary). Brownies are life.

I suggest you try it. It’s delish. Another post tomorrow 😉 — Sage

Korean Wheat Hoddeoks Recipe –Original Recipe by Maangchi (It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. Does that count as the weekend? Probably not.)

Korean Wheat Hoddeok (Original Recipe by Maangchi)

Maangchi’s Hoddeoks

This is the first Korean food recipe I ever tried. And also the best idea I’ve ever had. Now, I am not going to take all of the credit, my sister was the first to introduce me to Maangchi’s recipes. She did so because I was obsessed K-dramas and K-pop. It was around the time I started my first drama, Boys Over (before) Flowers. What she showed me was different than what I ended up trying (these Hoddeoks) but I was so happy that she suggested it. When I first watched the video (here) I was so excited to make them but my mom was not. I was running around saying, “Can we go to the store so that I can make sweet pancakes for you guys?! I really want to make them!” And my mom was saying “Sure, baby.” But then we never did it. I guess I shouldn’t have called them “sweet pancakes” (I wasn’t the best at pronouncing the literal name for them at the time), because we have “sweet pancakes” all of the time, and my mom wasn’t really interested in trying something new that she’d already eaten before. But when I finally got the ingredients necessary, I woke up extra early (noon :)) so that I could make them for my mom for breakfast. I was so excited when my first time making them wasn’t a disaster that as soon as they woke I was stuffing their faces with them. Little did I know that I was never going to get to stop. These things are so good that I have had to double, triple, and even quadruple the recipe all in one night. They joke that it is like a sweat shop in the kitchen, but I actually believe it.  So I warn you, when you first make these you will never again get to just make eight. We now eat these in replace of actual donuts, and we can have them any time we want which is great for them but unfortunate for me. Now, the ingredients to these wonderful gifts from the kitchen:

Keep in mind that all of the ingredients are healthy, and/ or 100% natural. The flour is wheat, the sugar is raw, and the salt is from the sea. :p

Okay, I want to make one thing clear before we move on, I didn’t change the recipe (much). I switched out a few of the ingredients to make me feel less guilty when eating them and that’s all, the process is still the same unlike the goguma bap that I made earlier. So still follow the steps on Maangchi’s blog just switch out the white flour for whole wheat, the white sugar for raw sugar, and the iodized salt for sea salt. It’s called eating clean, and it is much better for you in the long run. Literally, you should eat this way if you plan to run for a long period of time. Wait, no, you should eat this way all of the time not just when you plan to run but you should still eat this way when you are running… never mind. Moving on, this is what the dough looked like after I mixed together all of the ingredients:

When mixing them, because I didn’t have a rice spoon like Maangchi did in the video, I used a broken mixing spoon that we had in our utensil drawer.

I had photos of the rising process, but they turned out blurry and the lighting wasn’t the best so I tossed them. But, one thing I suggest when waiting for your wheat hoddeoks to rise for both the hour and the 10-15 minutes is to store the container or bowl they are in, in a cool dark place. It will double the rising size, and they will be a lot more fluffy and light when it finally comes time to cook and eat them. When the hoddeoks are rising for that ten minutes after you’ve mixed them to release air pockets from when they raised for an hour, you want to make the fillings and prep your station for preparing the little sweet cakes. One last thing I want to mention, I didn’t have walnuts when preparing these (one: because my little sister is allergic, and two: I don’t really like them all that much). Usually I use almonds, but we didn’t have those either. So, because I didn’t have any nut-type substance in my house I used another sugar along with cinnamon and brown sugar. I used maple sugar, which is absolutely delicious—but also a little strong in taste, so if you decide to use it, you only need about a half of teaspoon to a teaspoon for a little over 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

Writing this post, I realize that I was very much so unprepared when I made these. Along with everything else I forgot or didn’t have, there was no shredded mozzarella cheese in the fridge. But that just proves to you that if there’s a will there’s a way. I cubed a huge block of mozzarella that we had in the fridge and it worked just as well if I would’ve had a shredded cheese. So if you are like me and still want to make these pockets of sunshine, even though you are not all the way prepared try this:

The numbers are backwards, but you get the gest. And any left overs can be used for snacks. Now because I like a lot of room when making these, I sprinkled flour on the table before putting the Hoddeok dough down.

It’s a mess but it’s also fun. Making the sweet pockets is quite easy and the way I make them, they have a little star shape on the bottom half. I’ll explain to you how, it’s very simple:

Take the hoddeok in your hand and after you’ve put your filling inside fold in each corner, one by one into the center and then press down so that they look similar to this:

And when you fry them they will have a little star or flower shape on the bottom. It’s not only delicious but pleasant to look at.  For the cheese, if you had to cube them stack a few of them in the middle and when they are cooked there will be pockets of cheese all throughout the hoddeok:

Wow, I can’t believe we’re nearly done. After you’ve fried them you can finally delve your face into healthy deliciousness! These are the finish products:

I swear looking at these pictures just makes me want to go stuff my face with some more. Like Johnny Bravo would say, “Man , they’re pretty! Huh!” You can basically stuff these pretty young things with anything… wow that sounded wrong. Clear your mind of all filthy thoughts! Haha. But, anyways, I’ve also had them with chocolate, cream cheese (not the healthiest, but still delicious), and jelly. Flipping delicious.

I made this recipe to show that eating healthy is just as easy as not eating healthy and you can still eat what you want… healthily. So if you have a recipe that you would like me to try and make healthy email me or leave a comment below. My email: sagedandconfused@gmail.com

This way you can enjoy your nonhealthy snacks healthily and they will still taste delicious. Tell me what you think, I really want to know!