Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

In Dayton, Ohio, where I grew up, there’s a well-known steakhouse.  I’ve never actually had a steak from there, but every once in awhile, when we got really lucky, my dad would pick up their burgers on the way home from work.  As I’m sure you can imagine, burgers from a steakhouse are pretty darn good.  However, the burgers weren’t my favorite part of the takeout order. 

What I looked forward to (and often ordered double servings of) were the stewed tomatoes.  They were warm, a little sweet, and a little tangy.  They were also topped with cubes of toasted bread that were crunchy on top and a little soggy where they touched the tomatoes.  Those stewed tomatoes rocked my world.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found anything similar since I moved away.  Surprisingly, it never occurred to me to try to make stewed tomatoes myself.  It wasn’t until I came across today’s recipe for Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons that my cooking wheels started turning.  And then my friend and I made the recipe for lunch one day.  And I nearly fainted – in a good way.

These Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons are warm and bubbly.  The tomatoes are sweet and savory and a little tangy.  The homemade croutons add fantastic texture and crunch.  The Parmesan cheese, while not a part of the tomatoes of my youth, adds a lovely (and I think, optional) richness.  All in all, I’m in love with this recipe.  It reminds me of childhood and takeout burger nights with my family.  It’s a good thing.

Blueberry Bread

If you follow The Well-Fed Newlyweds on Facebook (and if you don’t, you should!), you will likely recall the blueberry-buying extravaganza I went on a couple of weeks ago.  For those of you who didn’t see my thrilled/horrified posts, let me fill you in…

Whole Foods had a 1-day sale on organic blueberries – they were selling pints for less than the non-organic berries at my local supermarket.  Clearly an excellent deal, right?  So I went and I bought… a case. A case contains twelve pints.  In my defense, two pints were purchased for a friend, but the other ten, those were all mine.

Since I didn’t know what to do with them, I turned to you, my helpful, recipe-suggesting readers.  And like always, you came through.  I came up with a plan for how to use those blueberries – and then I completely abandoned my plan and made different recipes instead.  (Not to mention the massive amount of berries consumed by the handful.)

Today’s recipe for blueberry bread is one of the healthier ways I used my blueberries.  The loaf is made with white whole wheat flour and oatmeal so it is hearty and a little dense.  It’s a quick bread, so it’s easy to make.  And the entire loaf is filled and topped with fresh blueberries bursting with sweet juice.  It’s the perfect breakfast bread, snack bread, dessert bread… It’s also the perfect way to use up some blueberries.  You know, in case you’re like me, and sales make you go a little shopping-crazy.

Baked Banana Oatmeal

Last week my mom and I flew to Florida to visit my Grandma for a few days. (That’d be why I wasn’t around here much in the past week.) Our girls-only trip is becoming an annual ritual that brings together three generations of women in our family. I feel lucky we’re able to do this, and we always have a good time. We also always end up eating out a lot and having lots of “we’re on vacation so it’s allowed” treats, such as containers of cookies found deep in the recesses of Grammy’s freezer. I was good about the cookies this year – only two the whole trip – but there was ice cream, and apple dumplings, and peanut butter-filled pretzels, and more ice cream.

Needless to say, when I woke up this morning, back in my own bed in Nashville, I was in the mood for something healthy – and it doesn’t get much healthier than oatmeal. Oatmeal, you may have noticed, is one of my favorite breakfasts/breakfast food ingredients. I love it baked, cooked up with apples and pecans, stirred into my favorite muffins, and made into granola. Oatmeal is the good stuff; it’s healthy and it fills you up. It’s a good post-family visit/junk food detox kind of thing.

Today’s recipe for Banana Baked Oatmeal is the latest oatmeal recipe to be making frequent appearances in our kitchen. It’s considerably healthier than a lot of the baked oatmeal recipes out there (containing no added fat and relatively little sugar) and it’s chock full of bananas, one of my top-five favorite foods. It’s incredibly filling and is simple to make. It’s also pretty darn tasty with the flavor of bananas and a crunchy, caramelized brown sugar topping. All in all, it’s a pretty delicious way to get back on the healthy-eating wagon.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Apples and Pecans

For the past year (or longer), I’ve eaten variations of the same thing for breakfast every weekday morning. Greek yogurt, sweetened with honey, and topped with some combination of fruit, nuts, and/or cereal.  Sure, I mix it up on the weekends, but Monday through Friday, it’s all about the yogurt.  

But times, they are a-changing.  There’s been a new breakfast item gracing my bowl every morning for the past week, and there’s not a drop of yogurt in sight.  I’ve turned from cold and creamy to warm and dreamy with Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Apples and Pecans.  And I don’t plan on going back… at least not anytime soon.

This isn’t your average bowl of oatmeal.  Nutty, wholesome, steel-cut oats are cooked in a mixture of almond milk and water until thick and creamy.  Cubes of tender-crisp, cinnamon-spiced apples and crunchy, toasted pecans add sweetness and textural contrast to the creamy oatmeal.  A drizzle of maple syrup finishes everything off.  What more could you ask for on chilly winter/spring mornings?

Spiked Blueberry Crumb Bars

Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried more and more to cook seasonally. By that I mean that I try to use in-season produce as much as possible – if it’s local too, so much the better. Nashville is a fantastic city for seasonal cooking as we have an array of farmers markets, organic markets, specialty stores, and supermarkets. I realize that not everyone has the time or interest to visit multiple food stores per week, but for a foodie like me, it’s pretty great.

That being said, I’m sure you’re asking yourself why I’m featuring a blueberry recipe today when blueberries are most certainly not in season – at least not in the U.S. Here’s why – my loving husband and sweet father-in-law went grocery shopping for us last weekend and picked up a huge container of blueberries since they know I love them. You can’t fault them for that! The blueberries had good flavor, but their texture was a little mealy. We didn’t want to eat them straight out of the container, but I knew they would be perfect for baking.

A quick scan through my ever-growing list of waiting-to-be-tried dessert recipes led me to these Spiked Blueberry Crumb Bars. The recipe called for the exact amount of blueberries I had on hand and could be made relatively easily with only one hand – and the help of my trusty stand mixer. (I made these a few days post-burn.)

I must say, in season or not, I’m so glad we had these blueberries hanging out in our fridge because these crumb bars rock. A sweet (but not too sweet) blueberry filling is spiked with a little rum (or lemon juice if you’re not feeling the rum) and sandwiched between two layers of crumbly crust. The bars are delicious warm, cold, or room temperature. After some scientific taste testing, I’d have to say we like them best very cold, right out of the fridge. The recipe makes a lot so these crumb bars would be perfect for entertaining, made for a fancy brunch dessert or served with tea after dinner. I finally had to pop the last few into the freezer to save us from ourselves.

Cocoa Banana Bread

I keep telling myself I’m not going to post anymore banana bread recipes. At least not for awhile. At least not until you’ve forgotten how many I’ve already posted in the past year. And I’ve kept good on my promise for a little while. It’s been three months since I’ve posted a banana bread/muffin recipe. I even tried a new recipe during that time, decided that it wasn’t good enough to merit breaking my vow of silence, and didn’t tell you about it. I’ve been so good. Will you forgive me now for not being able to resist any longer? It’s for a good reason, I promise.

I knew this banana bread would be a winner from the get-go. The ingredients are fabulous – and simple. Butter and buttermilk to guarantee moist, rich bread. Lots of cocoa powder for gorgeous, dark color and deep, chocolaty flavor. Bananas, of course, and chocolate chips too – you know, just in case this bread wasn’t rich enough already. From tasting the batter alone, I knew it would be divine.

The baking time for recipe is a little longer than most banana breads I’ve made, which makes sense given the heft and density of the loaf. To keep the top of the loaf from getting too dark before the middle cooks through, you just have to place a little foil tent over the bread about halfway through baking. I was skeptical if this would work, since my oven runs hot, but it worked perfectly. My loaf came out beautifully, just begging to be sliced into – but I resisted and let it cool completely so it would be easier to slice. And when I did… chocolate banana bread bliss, totally worthy of breaking my vow of silence.

Baked Oatmeal

I’m sure by now you’ve figured out that we like oatmeal a lot at our house. We’ve put it in muffins (here and here), banana breads (here and here), and desserts. We’ve served it up breakfast-style and made it taste like cookies. One thing we’ve never done before now though, is bake it. And what a mistake that was.

Baked oatmeal is a perfect breakfast food. It’s warm, hearty, nutritious, and incredibly filling. You can jazz it up with whatever fruits and nuts you like. Same goes with the spices. No matter what you add to it, you’ll end up with a breakfast treat that tastes and looks like cross between a traditional bowl of oatmeal and an oatmeal cake. Even better is the fact that you can make a big pan and enjoy a warm bowl of baked oatmeal all week long.

Basically, if you’ve never baked your oatmeal before, now is the time to try!

Cranberry Applesauce

I know I’ve been inundating you with fall flavors lately. I hope you don’t mind. I just can’t seem to resist the allure of crisp apples, bright pumpkin, and cozy spices. They call to me. They beg me to take them and make them into something delicious. And really, who am I to resist the siren song of my favorite season?

So bear with me, if you will, and indulge my fall flavor fanaticism just a wee bit longer. I promise you won’t be disappointed with what I have on deck. We’re talking all manner of warm (and cold) and cozy here. Cranberries are in season now, so they’ll be making some appearances. I still have more to tell you about all the wonderful things you can do with apples and pumpkin. Plus, to balance things out, I’ll make sure to throw in a few dinners and some sinful desserts. Do we have a deal?

Now about those cranberries I just mentioned. Last fall was the first time I’d ever cooked with fresh cranberries. I put them in bread, baked them with apples and pears under a buttery crisp topping, and got them drunk on brandy. Last fall was also the first (and last) time I tried a raw cranberry. Please learn from my mistake and never try them raw. If you don’t believe me, give one a try. I dare you. But I digress. Cranberry season is fleeting, so now is the perfect time to try out some new recipes.

Today’s recipe for cranberry applesauce is simple to make and is simply fantastic in taste – that alone makes it a winner in my book. All you do is take chunks of peeled apples (any kind you like), and throw them in a pot with fresh cranberries, some white and brown sugar, and a little cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice. Cook it all down until it is nice and mash-able, and then go to town with your potato masher. Easy enough, right? As for the taste, it’s a little sweet and a little tart. It can be as chunky or smooth as you like, and the pink color will do wonders to brighten up the dreariest fall day. This applesauce would also be lovely on any Thanksgiving table. Cook some up sometime soon, and I promise you’ll fall in love with fresh cranberries… just as long as you don’t try them raw.

Nutty Pumpkin Granola

Granola is one of those things we pretty much always have in our kitchen. We love it over our morning yogurt. Stan stirs it into cottage cheese. More than once we’ve been known to eat it by the handful. I’m kind of embarassed to say that until now, pretty much all of our granola has been store-bought. I’ve made other granola-related snacks, but for just plain old granola, I’ve always defaulted to the kind that comes in a box. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but now that I know how easy it is to make homemade granola, I don’t see myself going back to store-bought anytime soon.

Today’s recipe helped me see the error of my ways. It combines oats with two kinds of nuts, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), dried cranberries, and every spice that makes you think of fall. Pumpkin purée and maple syrup coat the granola and make everything stick together in delectable clumps. The end result is crunchy, a little (but not too) sweet, and a whole lot delicious. It’s also much healthier than pretty much any granola you can buy at the store because there are no added fats (besides those naturally occurring in the nuts), no artificial sweeteners, and no preservatives. With a few changes for seasonal variety, I think this just might be our new go-to granola.

** Also, on an administrative note, I wanted to let you know that I will be adding a new feature to my posts. At the end of each “story”, right above the new recipe, I will list the recipe(s) (and their corresponding links) that I posted approximately one year earlier. I think it’ll be a great way to remember some old favorites and introduce you to some recipes you might have missed. Just please do me a favor and try not to judge me on the less than lovely photographs from the early days! (I have gone back and added these links to my last three posts as well. Check them out to see what was cooking this time last year!)

Pumpkin Ginger Nut Muffins

If you follow (“Like”) The Well-Fed Newlyweds on Facebook, then you know we’ve ushered in pumpkin season in a major way. I’ve already made a few things, and I’ve got a long list of pumpkin recipes waiting to be tried, running the gamut from sweet to savory, soups to snacks. When it comes to pumpkins, I just can’t resist. The little ones are cute. The big ones are just begging to be carved into jack-o-lanterns (like my accidentally one-fanged bat). And the stuff in the can? It’s too convenient, and too seasonal, to resist.

It’s the canned stuff (or homemade purée) that you’re going to need to make these pumpkin ginger nut muffins. If you don’t already have some hanging out in your pantry, head to the store asap, because these muffins are the perfect fall treat. Pumpkin flavored with just the right amount of spice, these muffins are great for breakfast, make excellent, portable snacks, and are perfect for dessert with a cup of tea. We found these little babies to be pretty irresistible, and I had to keep reminding Stan not to eat them all before I had a chance to take some pictures. I’m pretty certain we’ll be eating these muffins until the end of pumpkin season... and if we freeze them, maybe longer.

Chunky Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce

The other day Stan asked me how many recipes on this site are original, i.e. not adapted from other sources. It got me to thinking… and checking the “original recipe” category on the right sidebar. I realized that less than 25 percent of the recipes I’ve told you about are completely my own creation. And while there is nothing wrong with that – adapting recipes from others has certainly helped me become a better cook – it is not at all reflective of how I really cook. I would estimate that at least 75 percent of the food coming out of our kitchen comes straight from my food-obsessed brain.

Why then, have I posted so few completely original recipes? After thinking about it, I’d have to say that it’s because I tend to cook on the fly. When I’m making it up as I go, I don’t often bother to write down what I’m doing or what and how much I’m using. Also, I certainly don’t always take pictures. On the other hand, consulting a cookbook or online recipe forces me to slow down a bit and use specific measurements. When I’m going more slowly, it’s easier to snap a few pictures too.

From here on out, I’m going to try to post a little more like I cook. My goal is to post at least one completely original recipe per week. I may not succeed with this every week, but I think it’ll be a good challenge, forcing me to keep track of some of the random recipes I come up with. And that’s a good thing, because some of the recipes I never wrote down were delicious!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread

As I mentioned in my last post, fall has finally arrived in Nashville. (Ok, let’s just pretend I didn’t see the weather forecast predicting 80-degree temperatures this coming weekend). Fall’s cooler temperatures mean that, in addition to pulling out my favorite turtlenecks, I get the green light to fire up the oven and heat up the house again. Which is great because I love baking. Yeast breads, quick breads – I’m looking forward to cranking out big batches all fall and winter long.

I’m starting out the season with another banana bread. I know I’ve already given you two banana bread recipes in the past year, but this one is different, I swear. Like the low-fat oatmeal banana bread I made a while back, this version includes old-fashion oats in the batter. The oats give the bread great texture and chewiness. This bread is also a little healthier than your typical banana breads thanks to those oats and the use of some whole-wheat flour. There are, however, chocolate chips sweetening up this bread, so you probably don’t want to eat half the loaf in one sitting. But don’t worry, I won’t judge you if you do.

Zucchini-Feta Pie

Over the years, eggs and I have had an on-again, off-again relationship. On the one hand, we go way back. Scrambled eggs were one of the very first meals I learned to cook by myself. (And the first meal Stan cooked for me.) On the other hand, not too long ago I didn’t eat eggs very often because I didn’t like the egg-y taste. In the past year though, I have embraced eggs with a vengeance – and with good reason. Eggs are one of the cheapest sources of protein around, and they are fast and simple to prepare. Eggs are also incredibly versatile, lending themselves to traditional breakfast dishes as well as heartier lunch and dinner fare.

Today’s recipe for zucchini-feta pie is sort of a cross between a quiche and a frittata. The eggs serve as the glue that holds together a savory mix of shredded zucchini, onions, and garlic. Feta cheese and cottage cheese add richness, salt, and a little tang. We ate the pie for dinner along with roasted sweet potatoes and a tomato onion salad. The leftovers reheated beautifully and made a delicious lunch the next day. The pie would also, of course, be a fantastic addition to any brunch menu. I plan on making this again in the near future, perhaps experimenting with adding spinach, broccoli, or other veggies in place of the zucchini. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

I had another recipe I planned to tell you about today. Actually I have quite a few recipes lined up to tell you about over the next few days. But these biscuits just couldn’t wait. They are total line jumpers, and I am okay with that. Because these biscuits are so fluffy, so rich, so tender, so simple, so… well, amazing, that I needed to tell you about them today.

Since moving to the South, I have had the pleasure of trying many biscuits. Usually they are the kind that have been rolled out and cut into perfect rounds. While they are delicious, I don’t often have the patience to make that kind of biscuit at home. When it’s breakfast time, I’m hungry, and I want to get to the eating – not to the rolling and the cutting. Enter the drop biscuit, the lazy biscuit-maker’s best friend. These little beauties require no dough rolling and no cutting; you just drop spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheet and pop them in the oven. Easy as could be and quick enough to get on the table before rumbling tummies start to roar.

This particular recipe uses melted butter and buttermilk to give the biscuits rich flavor, a tender crumb, and a crisp exterior. Brushing them with a little melted butter right after they come out of the oven makes them even more decadent. They are delicious on their own, but you could certainly sweeten them up with a drizzle of honey or a smear of jam. I also think they’d make incredible breakfast sandwiches with some eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, or whatever else you like tucked into the middle. However you serve them up, I dare you to eat just one.

Oatmeal Cookie Oatmeal

Clearly, no one likes being sick. For me, it’s especially hard to be sick because I often lose my desire to eat, and sometimes even my sense of taste. For someone who loves to cook and eat as much as I do, those are hard days. And let me tell you, it’s been a hard week. Yup, I’ve been sick for over a week now – with mono. That’d be why you haven’t heard a peep out of me for several days. I was not in a good way. How someone my age gets mono is beyond me, but ooh boy, I’ve got it, and I’ve been sick as a dog.

Today I woke up without a fever (hooray for small victories!) and felt up to making breakfast. This oatmeal recipe is one I’ve wanted to try for a while now, and its simplicity made it a good choice. Quick-cooking steel cut oats are cooked with applesauce, golden raisins, toasted almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon for a delicious, healthy breakfast treat. I was skeptical, at first, whether the ingredients would really come together to taste like an oatmeal cookie. However, after tweaking the original recipe a bit, I can honestly say this oatmeal taste like a warm cookie… just mushed up a bit.

If you haven’t tried quick-cooking steel cut oats before, you’re in for a treat. Unlike regular steel cut oats, which take upwards of 40 minutes to cook, quick-cooking steel cut oats are ready in under 10 minutes. Despite their reduced cooking time, the oats still have all of the chewy, nutty flavors and textures you associate with regular steel cut oats. Since discovering this type of oatmeal, it is the only kind we make for breakfast. (I still keep regular old fashioned and quick oats on hand for baking.) We buy our quick-cooking steel cut oats at Trader Joe’s, where they come in a large, inexpensive container. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, check your local grocery store for the oats. They’ll be a nice change from your regular oatmeal.

Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins

Summertime, to me, is fresh fruit heaven. Are you with me on this one? Peaches, cherries, and oh, the berries. (Please note: I am purposely not mentioning the crown jewel of summer produce – tomatoes – until they come into season here. Once that happens, look out. I’ve been stockpiling tomato recipes all year long, just waiting for farm-fresh tomatoes that taste like the sun rather than those mealy wintertime imposters.) But I digress. Back to the berries. So juicy and sweet it’s merely an added bonus that they are incredibly good for you.

Now you already know I’ve been indulging in blueberries for awhile, but really, I am an equal-opportunity berry eater. You’ll understand, then, why I got so excited when I went grocery shopping this week and raspberries were on sale. Large containers of plump, ripe, jumbo-sized raspberries. I might have swooned. Hopefully not. These raspberries were just begging to be eaten straight from the container.

And while I did eat many just like that (after washing, of course), I could not resist sacrificing some of the berries for a baking project. After tasting the muffins, I can hardly call it a sacrifice anymore. Imagine, if you will, tender, just-sweet-enough, cake-like lemon muffins. Take those muffins and add fresh raspberries baked right into the muffin tops. If your imagination is working well you should end up with muffins that are juicy, sweet, and just a little tangy. They are summertime condensed in muffin form.

They are also utterly delicious – and forgiving. I accidentally forgot to set my timer while baking these muffins. While they were in the oven, I went to take a shower, figuring I’d hear the timer when the muffins were ready. Oops. Fortunately I only over-baked them by a minute or two, and they were still quite moist. The tops were just a tad darker than I would have liked (as you can see in the pictures). The fact that the muffins survived my mental slip made me like them even more. Try them out, and I promise you’ll like them too.