Back In the Oven Again

Happy Guy Fawkes Day! Remember that your government should stand in fear of its people, not the people in fear of their government.

I have to admit: October was tough blogging for me. Even though I loved posting about happiness all the time (even though I fell off the face of the Earth there at the end), I hated that I didn't have the freedom to share the random things I want to blog about!

For example, I haven't posted a Favorite Author or Favorite Artist blog in almost 2 months, I haven't posted any of the awesome recipes I have used, or anything about how my rugby team was State Runner-Up in our first year of being a team. I also have 2 large artworks under way, have scheduled an amazing course load for next semester, and have painted a new coffee table as well as updated my bar stools.

We have some catching up to do.

My “raw images” folder in my Why Is Why section of my computer is metaphorically spilling over the edges with new things I have made and slash or have done. Maybe it's best if I just go in order.

First thing up: Baked Oatmeal Casserole (as seen on Urban Nester) 

Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup strawberries {any berries work}

1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).

3. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.

4. Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar.

I found that if I offered to cook for a girl, my odds improved radically over simply asking a girl out. Through my efforts to attract the opposite sex, I found that not only did cooking work, but that it was actually fun. - Alton Brown

Strawberry Crostata

Yesterday evening I pulled on my Martha Stewart pants and got to baking. I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a blueberry crostata and pretty much used it as a jumping off point, mostly because I have zero patience for reading instructions and just looked through the how-to pictures. Some of the steps I skipped may be somehow beneficial to the crostata, but it turned out delicious without them, so oh well! Oh, and I don't really measure when I cook.

You will need:

Pie Crusts

Berries (preferably fresh)

Sugar

Pure Vanilla Extract

Butter

Preheat your over to 400F.

Overturn one crust onto a parchment papered pan, flattening it out and then adding dough from the other crust to the edges (if desired).

Place another sheet of parchment paper over the crusts and roll them out.

In a bowl, mix your berries with some sugar and a dash of vanilla.

Spread out your berries. It's ok if you don't use them all... it's better to have a controlled even layer than to end up with a heap of inedible mess in the middle.

Plop two slices of butter on top of the berries.

At this point I cut up what was left of the other crust and did a little pathetic decoration.

Bake at 400F for 30ish minutes.

 Voila!

Thoughts on baking: Sure, you can mix the flour, baking soda, salt, shortening, and the whole nine yards, but why wouldn't you just pull out a box of Bisquick? - Sandra Lee