How to Make Steel Cut Oatmeal

It's hard to get out of my warm snuggly bed this time of year. My husband, who is so wonderful in SO many ways is extremely persnickety about the cost of heating, (sigh). He likes to turn the heat wayyyyyy down at night. So, basically we sleep in a deep freeze:) This is fine when I am sleeping - covered up with a big warm human and lots of covers.

Then, the alarm goes off. Mike is always up before me, so I have to brave the cold alone. I have my slippers and robe strategically placed by the bed, so there is as little skin contact with air as possible before I am sheltered inside my fuzzy wrapper.

First stop is to the thermostat. I get satisfaction from hearing the clicking sound as I click, click, click, click my way up to daytime temps. As I listen to the heat kick in, I head to the kitchen.

All year round, steel cut oatmeal is my favorite breakfast. I love the mornings when I have little more time to make it, but most days its opening the fridge to remove my pre-cooked oats, adding a little water, a quick stir and then into the microwave for a minute. A quick sprinkle of cinnamon is all I need to make it a hearty, nutty, chewy breakfast. A cooked cup will last me until lunch time, or until a crunchy apple tempts me during the morning.

Steel Cut Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats ROCK! I am not a fan of any other oats, other than 

their appearance in the occasional oatmeal cookie.

I ALWAYS make a double batch. It keeps really well in the fridge all week, giving me a warm welcome to the morning.

Start with 6 cups of water, and bring it to a boil.

Add in 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt and 2 Cups of Steel Cut Oats.

Stir.

Turn the heat down to medium, until a gentle simmer is all that is happening. No popping or spitting! You may have to go even lower before the oatmeal is done cooking.

 Stir about every 4 or 5 minutes for 20 - 25 minutes. You'll know its done when most of the liquid has been absorbed by the oatmeal. I like to keep mine chewy - so I leave the pot with a 

little liquid in it - this especially helps when 

reheating the oatmeal to keep it 

chewy but still moist.

DONE!

(Yum!)

Just a little sprinkle of cinnamon and its ready to eat. 

Scoop the rest of the 

oatmeal into a container and pop it in the fridge. 

You'll have yummy warm goodness to enjoy every 

cold morning for the week!

Steel Cut Oats

6 Cups Boiling Water

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

2 Cups Steel Cut Oats

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon for each Serving

Stir the salt and oats into the boiling water. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer gently for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Remove from the stove and sprinkle each serving with cinnamon. Place the remaining oats into a container and pop it into the fridge. To eat later, scoop a portion into a bowl, add a Tsp of water and stir. Microwave for about 1 minute, top with cinnamon and enjoy.

How to Make Vegetable Stock - Ten Tips

Veg Stock ready for the freezer!

Yup, its January. Here in Atlanta we are doing two things almost every day. Complaining about the cold weather, and craving soup. I love to follow the seasons in my kitchen, and as a teaching chef - January is all about soups, stews and stock. All kinds of soups and stews, from veggie to seafood, chili to chickpea. Hearty, lean, light and indulgent I make them all. Stock? That's a different story.

Sweet Potato Chili Made with the Fab Veg Stock

For years I worked on perfecting my chicken stock for the perfect "Chicken Noodle Soup Penicillin". Got it down. My beef stock was the crucial component in my luscious, cheesy French Onion Soup. Now? I only make one kind of stock. Gorgeous, rich, full-flavored veggie stock. I use it for everything. Never had one like this? You haven't made it your own, packed with the bounty of your personel kitchen style and ingredients.

I call it EEE Veggie Stock. That's Effortless, Easy and Economical - an almost effortless, super easy and definitely economical way to make the best stock you've ever tasted.

Number One
Use a gallon zippy bag that you have labeled with a "Veg Stock" and the date.

Number Two
When you go into the kitchen tonight, wash or rinse everything you are going to chop. Yes, I mean everything - even the outside of the onions and garlic. (You should be doing this anyway before you put it on your cutting board.) It doesn't have to be an ordeal, most of the time a quick warm rinse will knock off most of the dirt.

Number Three
There is a method to my madness! As you cut or chop every veggie, take the bits and ends and pieces you would normally toss in the disposer or pitch in the compost pile, and throw them in your labeled zippy bag. Everything. The ends of the potatoes, the peeling from the carrots, the tough stems of the kale. The lettuce that has gone sadly limp. Herbs that have Etc. etc. Make sure you put in some onion skin, whether its gold or yellow, purple or red. Onion skin is the secret to a beautifully colored stock. No onion skin equals grey stock. There should be no grey food - ecck. DON'T put anything gnarly in the bag - no moldy mushrooms or unrecognizable produce. Remember, you are going to eat the stock eventually.

Number Four
Toss the bag into the freezer, and serve up dinner.

Number Five
The next time you are cooking, (I'm not judging - it could be the following week:), pull the bag out of the freezer and add your veggies into the bag, (Review Tip Number Three.) Finished cooking? Toss it back in the freezer, and pour yourself a glass of wine. Heck, pat yourself on the back! You cooked, and you have saved your veggie scraps.

Number Six
Repeat as many times as it takes to fill up your zippy bag.

Number Seven
Yippee! Your bag is full. Tip the frozen veg into a stockpot and add five cups of water. Cover. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Number Eight
Let it cool long enough to handle, and strain the veggies out - those same veggies that have given their ALL to make your glorious, splendid, brilliant stock. Do you compost? If so, guess what? Those same deflated veggies who are now sad and tired can go right into your compost pile.

Number Nine
Hold hands with everyone in your house and sing Kum-ba-yah. The farmer grew the veggies. You bought them and used them to make dinner. You saved the ends and parts and made them into stock.
You've saved yourself three dollars, made the most amazing stock, and NOW you are giving the veggies back to the earth. (This probably deserves another glass of wine.)

Number Ten
Making sure that the stock does not sit out for more than two hours on the counter, (Food sanitation counts!), pour it into individual containers and put it in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to six months. Package it anyway you want - In zippy bags, in one-cup measures, two-cup,  in an ice cube tray - whatever makes the most sense to your cooking style. Feel good. You've cooked up an amazing start to whatever soup, stew or casserole you want to make.

The Fab Veg Stock used in a butternut squash soup!

That's it. So easy, a ten year old could do it. Hey, great idea for cooking with the kids. They can choose what they want to add it to - how about your famous chicken noodle soup? They'll love it and you will too. EEE Veggie Stock. That's what I call Effortless, Easy and Economical!

The Favorite Recipe of 2014!

I received an email from a favorite chef today - it recapped her favorite 10 recipes of the year. I liked that idea and thought, "Wonder what my 2014 Friday Four readers liked most?" After a long time of extracting data, (more like 15 minutes but still - ugh), I discovered that Chocolate Quinoa Cake was the most read recipe of the year!

What's not to like? Chocolate? Cake? Nope. Even for your most die hard finicky eaters, its impossible to identify the better-for-you quinoa in the healthy indulgence. So this result didn't surprise me at all... But as I looked down the list of the next nine, I was astonished. Where was the fabulous chicken mole? the yummy sesame lime salad and the crazy good cauliflower pizza? That same pizza that slides onto our table at home at least once every couple of weeks? I went back to the data and found that the difference between the most popular, and least popular 2014 Friday Four recipe was less than a hundred views. In a newsletter with a circulation of 5,000 - not a lot of difference! So if your all time fav, standby, my-family-loves-this-recipe isn't in the list, know that it didn't make it by just a few clicks!

Here in no particular order are the REST of the top ten Friday Fours of 2014. Did your favorite make the 2014 Friday Four top ten?

Best Ever Fall Veggie Chili
Roasted Sweet Potatoes topped with Tangy Chicken Salad
Lemonade Almond Cake
Blueberry Basil Quick Jam and Cornbread Muffins
Amazing No Cream Creamed Corn
Georgia Peach Chicken Salad
Make Ahead Cinnamon French Toast
Mac and Cheese Wearing the Green
Double Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Just for YOU - 2015 Sneak Peak Classes

Wow! I can tell its time for gifts! I am getting lots of requests for information about 2015 classes. Just for you all, here's a sneak peek at my classes at Cooks Warehouse. The 2015 catalog will be out soon, but for you special folks...for planning purposes...here's the list:

Almost Spring Mediterranean Veggie Fare 

March 11, Decatur

TASTE CLUB: Soups and Stews

January 17, Brookhaven

TASTE CLUB: Deep Dark Chocolate with Perfect Valentine Reds 

February 7, Brookhaven

TASTE CLUB: Enjoying the Flavors of Spain’s Food and Wine

March 14, Brookhaven

Date Night East Cobb Fireplace Food and Wine

January 23, East Cobb

Date Night East Cobb Red for Valentines

Feb 6, East Cobb

Date Night East Cobb: The Pinots: NOIR AND GRIS

March 20, East Cobb

More info about the wonderful classes offered at Cooks Warehouse here:

Cooks Warehouse Classes

Pepper Popped and Roasted Nuts

Its not often that I am prompted write a blog entry and can grab a glamorous picture from Facebook, attach the recipe to it and post it in about 5 minutes...

But HALLELUJAH, this is the day. Brenda took the photo and here I am sharing the recipe. Easy peasy, you can double or triple these nuts to keep for the week, or freeze for a couple of months. (They don't last that long in my house:)

No butter, no sugar, but tons of taste from all the warm wintry spices. Pair them with a glass of sparkly wine and you have a perfect holiday appetizer. And make sure to invite me over!

Pepper Popped and Roasted Nuts

4 Cups of Your Choice Nuts

Olive Oil Spray

½  Tsp Cinnamon

¼ Tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

¼ Tsp Ground Coriander

¼ Tsp Allspice

¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper

¼ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tsp Sea Salt

Roast the nuts on a sheet pan at 400F, checking on doneness starting at 7 minutes. When lightly browned and fragrant, remove from the oven and spray with olive oil and toss with the spices. Allow to cool before serving.

Asian Stuffed Baby Bellas Paired with Pinot Noir

Don't these babies look scrumptious? Oh yeah, they are! Super easy to make, too. These Asian inspired stuffed mushrooms are a super app for a holiday party...but you can eat them for dinner, too. Just use full sized portabellas and whip up a green salad on the side. Dinner - done!

Not only will these 'shrooms be hovered up by your guests this holiday season - they are a great pair for everyone's favorite red wine, Pinot Noir. Grab a couple of styles of Pinot and have an impromptu  taste test, and get guest feedback on the best pairing.

Two to try:  a Fruit-Forward-Jammy California style charmer, Votre Sante Pinot Noir by Francis Ford Coppola

or an "Old World" style Kris Pinot Noir from Italy - a drier and lighter style of Pinot

You can find both bottles at Total Wine for under $20 each. 

Asian Stuffed Baby Bellas

8 oz Pkg of Baby Bellas

1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

3 TB Minced Cilantro

3 TB Minced Green Onions

½ Cup Minced Water Chestnuts

¼ Cup Panko

4 Oz Light Whipped Cream Cheese, soft

1/8 Tsp Cayenne

¼ Tsp Five Spice Powder

¼  Tsp EACH Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 Garlic Cloves, grated

2 Tsp Lemon Juice

Step One Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and set the mushroom caps aside. Mince and sauté the stems in 1 Tsp Olive Oil until they release their juices, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Step Two Combine the cilantro through the lemon juice together in a bowl, along with the sautéed chopped mushroom stems and mix well. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture brush (or spray) the tops with the remaining olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the filling has browned.

NINE Fantastic Uses for Leftover Herbs

Its that time of the year, the time of the year when I start getting lots and lots and LOTS of emails about what to do with leftover herbs. Maybe it's the all the herbs that people buy when they are getting ready for the holidays? Maybe the cold weather inspires everyone to stay in and cook more at home? No matter the reason – here’s a list that I send to any one who asks…

By now, almost everyone has heard that herbs are good for us. But what to do with those leftover leaves, sprigs and bunches? Try some of these ideas – or create your own!

ONE Make your own herb salad mix: Instead of putting herbs in your salad dressing, toss the leaves of basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley or marjoram into your salad. Interesting and lively greens!

TWO Brew up your Own Veggie Stock:

Save Money, Save the Planet! Keep a large Ziploc bag in your freezer - labeled Veg Stock, with the date. During the week, toss in ends and pieces of your veggies, and any herb stems and pieces. When the bag is full, take it out and drop the contents in a large stockpot. (For beautiful color in your stock, make sure to add in some papery skin from the outside of an onion.) Barely cover with water (about 5 cups) and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the veggies from the stock and use in any soup recipe! (Plus you can compost the veggies and herbs!)

THREE Give them more than what’s IN the box: Tie woody or hardy herbs like rosemary or thyme to the ribbon of your present. (If you are lucky enough to grow your own herbs, during the holiday season, you can make your tree smell delicious, too. Tuck spears of rosemary into the branches.)

FOUR Double the batch of this easy tomato sauce and freeze half of it for later!

Fast and Flavorful Tomato Sauce

2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Cup Finely Chopped Yellow Onion

3 Large Garlic Cloves, Grated or Minced

 1 TB Sea Salt

1 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes (or 3 Cups Chopped Fresh Tomatoes)

1 Bouquet Garni (made with any fresh herbs you have on hand, tied with kitchen twine)

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, over medium heat sauté the onion in the oil until it softens – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and salt and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Add the entire can of tomatoes and the bouquet garni. Simmer over medium heat for about 20 - 30 minutes longer. Give it a big grind of black pepper.

FIVE Put Herbs in a Cocktail for a change:

BASIL + BOURBON

Go beyond the mint julep! Try Basil with Bourbon and a splash of lemon juice.

CHERVIL + WHISKEY or VODKA

Chervil works well with whiskey, orange and sour mix or vodka with a spattering of thyme and a spear of cucumber.

SIX Pesto: Much More Than Basil! Shake up your pesto by combining herbs like Basil and Mint or Coriander and Parsley.

Perfectly Easy Pesto

4 Garlic Cloves,

1/3 Cup Toasted Walnuts, Almonds or Pinenuts


1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive oil


4 Cups Fresh Herbs

½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)


1 Tsp Lemon Juice


Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste

Place the garlic cloves, nuts and oil in the bowl of a food processor and chop finely. Add the remaining ingredients, pulsing until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SEVEN Serve these nuts with a rich chardonnay for a delicious aperitif!

Rosemary Spiced Nuts

4 TB Sugar, Divided

1 TB Finely Chopped Rosemary

1 Tsp Cinnamon

½ Tsp Salt

1 Large Egg White

4 Cups Raw Nuts: Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds, Brazil Nuts

Step One Preheat your oven to 350F. Cover a sheet tray with aluminum foil or parchment. Lightly spray with non-stick spray.

Step Two Combine 3 TB of  sugar, spices and salt together in a bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy. Add in the nuts and stir. Add the spice mixture and toss to coat.

Step Three Spread the nut mixture out in one layer on the sheet pan. Bake, stirring once, for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Step Four Remove the pan from the oven, stir the nuts to loosen them and sprinkle the remaining TB of sugar over the top.

EIGHT Herbed Honey

Warm a cup of honey in a sauté pan, add a handful of fresh herbs, tied together. Simmer gently for 10 minutes and set aside to cool. Use a tablespoon in vinaigrette for a smooth herbal flavor, or add to a cup of green tea.

NINE Try drizzling this bright, intensely herbal sauce over a piece of fish from the grill!

Chimichurri Sauce

1 Cup Parsley, (Packed)

½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil


½  Cup Cilantro, (Packed)

1/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled

¾ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

½ Tsp Cumin

½ Tsp Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend well.  Set aside for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Leftovers keep great in the fridge for a couple of days