Tag: gay chef

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal

Campfire or no, you too can make this scrumptious oatmeal that I took on last weekend’s camping trip right in your own kitchen. This recipe takes only a few more minutes than making one of those over-priced, over-processed instant package thingies and (shocker) this oatmeal will actually be hearty enough to keep you full all morning long.

I mean seriously, who are they trying to fool with those dehydrated apple slices? GIMME A BREAK WITH THAT NOISE. The first ingredient in the name of this recipe is APPLE and I promise you, the apples are the real star of the show here. We’re going to start off the process by doing something to the apples that we don’t usually do when making oatmeal… we’re gonna caramelize those sweet little autumnal joy bombs.

Caramelizing apples over campfire
Boiling water while we caramelize our apples is the secret to cooking the oatmeal quickly, without over cooking.

Once your pot is heated to medium on the stove (or the fire!), in goes the butter (Don’t worry, coconut oil will work great too, if you’re the non-dairy type), followed by the apples and the cinnamon. Allow those to brown slightly before finally adding sugar.

After adding the sugar, stir to incorporate until it is evenly distributed and begins to dissolve. When the sugar starts to bubble ever so slightly, it’s time to add half of our raisins, along with the boiling water. Why half? I like to let some of the raisins break apart to add extra sweetness and flavor to the liquid. Then, later on, we’ll add the other half, for a change in texture!

Apples cooking in liquid over fire.
That thar is some steamy, tasty oatmeal stock!

Now we’re just going to let the apple and half of the raisins stew in this sexy liquid for a sec, until the apples are semi-soft and the raisins begin to disintegrate, about 3-5 minutes.

Finally we’ll add the oatmeal in little by little, along with the other half of the raisins. Don’t be afraid to adjust the amount of liquid as you go. Honestly, the hardest part about this recipe is adapting it to your personal taste, which isn’t really that hard at all! Just add a little more water if it looks too thick, or allow to cook down slightly if it’s too thin for you. Same goes for sweetness. Add sugar or subtract, based on your preference.

Which ever way you like it, you’re about to be a happy, full morning person.*

*Absolutely unauthorized to make such a claim. Have not now, nor will I ever be a morning person, but the oatmeal helps.

apple, cinnamon, raisin, oatmeal, breakfast, camping, dutch oven, camping gear, campfire cooking
Sure, you could eat this in a bowl, but then where would your sense of adventure be?

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 medium apple, skin on, cored and diced

1/3 cup raisins

1.5 cups quick cooking oats

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (or coconut oil, for my vegan friends!)

1/4 cup brown sugar (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

pinch of salt

3.5 cups boiling water

  1. Bring 3.5 cups water to boil in a kettle or covered pot.
  2. Heat dutch oven over medium high heat and add butter.
  3. Toss apples, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt into the melted butter and allow to brown slightly, 3-5 minutes.
  4. When apples have browned, add sugar to pot. Stir frequently to prevent scorching, until mixture is dissolved and just begins to bubble.
  5. Add boiling water to the pot, along with remainder of raisins. Allow to simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
  6. Add oats a little at a time and cook until oats just absorb the liquid, or until desired consistency is achieved.
  7. Adjust sweetness to your taste and enjoy!
carabiner, camping utensils, gay, cookout, tools
Bonus gay points for enjoying your oatmeal with camping utensils that attach via carabiner!

meganelk1 Comment

Kohlrabi greens and eggs

In amongst a patch of peppers in our friend Julie’s garden, we found the strangest, most magical, most out of place little beast. Rachel called it a mandrake (ala Harry Potter, for the kids who aren’t hip). I marvelled at the thing because I had never actually seen one outside of a supermarket where, of course, I would never actually buy one. 

Let’s be honest, even if they’re cheap (and they usually aren’t), we don’t often buy the super weird vegetables in the grocery store. They’re just daunting. We don’t know what to do with them and it’s easy to recall our more adventurous moments when we have brought home such oddities, only to let them rot in the fridge, unexplored. 

So my delight at seeing this monster, this creation was because I have learned from many garden visits this summer to many pandemic gardening friends (who sometimes have NO IDEA what to do with everything they’ve grown) that I could probably get Julie to give me this beautiful kohlrabi.

The beast in all of its glory. Mandrake, right?

“You want this thing??”, she joked, “I just don’t have a taste for it.”

And with that, she yanked the mandrake, er, I mean, kohlrabi out of the earth. Yes, it shrieked (we’re pretty sure). Oh, and Ravenclaw, thanks for asking. 

None of us were sure if the leaves could be eaten, but here is the very important takeaway from this entire little experiment- THE LEAVES ARE THE BEST PART. It’s like a more substantial collard green with an essence of, I don’t know, broccoli? 

Sure, you can peel that big bulb, cut it up into one inch chunks, douse it with olive oil and S+P and roast the crap out of it like I did (no photos please, she was NOT pretty) and it will be fine, but the real revelation here are the leaves. Cook them down with some sauteed onions and peppers and crack some eggs right into the pan. 

Look at those COLORS!!

There are two great things about this recipe. First, you can make it with just about ANY hearty green- collard, chard, kale, beet greens, whatever you’ve got! Second, this is a beautiful, healthy plate of food in every color of the rainbow, just like I like it! Now that’s plating with pride. 

Brb, just have to smash this real quick.

Alright, alright. I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Here it is: 

Ingredients (serves 2):

–Leaves from one large kohlrabi, trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced

–1 medium onion, thinly sliced

–1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

–2 cloves of garlic, minced

–1 Tablespoon reserved bacon fat (or olive oil)

–2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

–4 large eggs

–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like heat)

–Salt and pepper, to taste

–Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional, to finish)

  1. Bring a large skillet to medium high heat, cook onions in bacon fat (or oil) until just translucent. Add peppers. Saute until just soft,  3-4 minutes
  2. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes to onion and pepper mixture. Saute for one minute, turning frequently, being careful not to allow garlic to burn.
  3. Deglaze pan with apple cider vinegar, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. 
  4. Add greens and cook down for 5-10 minutes- until greens soften and turn a bright, bright green.
  5. Once greens are soft, make four little wells in the pan and carefully crack eggs into it. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Allow to cook, uncovered, until white is almost set (about 3-5 minutes). 
  7. Add lid to the pan until the white sets and the yoke just barely steams over with white (about 1-2 minutes). The yolk should still jiggle a bit when you shake the pan.
  8. Top with your favorite grate cheese, nutritional yeast, furikake- whatever you like- and enjoy!!

meganelk1 Comment