Frozen, baked, and rendered delicious.

Posted on February 16, 2013

I actually began writing this post a week ago as I sat at a small table in the back of my favorite café in northern California. I snuck into town last weekend for a quick 48 hours, thanks to a dear friend’s wedding. As I wrote, I continued to get reports from my snow-drowned home 3,000 miles away in Boston, rendering me utterly grateful for the quintessentially beautiful California Saturday I’d been given. The sun shining brightly in the pastel blue sky. A clear, crisp, perfect 50-degree winter day.

Of course, I now know that “winter” is relative. We Californians have no real idea what it’s like to face an impending blizzard, or real storm of any kind, stocking up on nonperishable foods, praying you don’t lose power, hoping hoping hoping your flight doesn’t get cancelled the morning you’re supposed to fly out for a wedding. On the other hand, as a west coast transplant, my notion of winter being a transition from flip-flops to closed toed shoes still affords me the overly romanticized images of what it’s like to be housebound, curled up on the couch watching the snow fall, the city shutting down around you. A mother nature-imposed peace and quiet.

I think this weekend I might get lucky enough to enjoy one of these quiet days that have become some of my favorites. It’s snowing again as I type. And believe it or not, I think we could use it. Nemo’s three feet of snow have already become grey and dirty and half melted. As it turns out, snow in a city is only romantic and beautiful for a short while! A couple of inches of sparkling white snowflakes would certainly pretty things up again.

This weekend promises to be wonderful for yet another glorious reason, though. Monday’s a holiday! One extra delicious day to lay low and play. Sleep, cook, run, bake, catch up on errands, chores, or whatever I’ve been putting off. Maybe it’s the red-eye flight that kicked off this week that’s made me so excited for an extra day this weekend, or maybe it’s the promise of snow. Either way, you can bet I’ll enjoy every minute of my at-home downtime with some fun in the kitchen. I haven’t yet decided just what that will entail, but one of my very favorite breakfasts may be in the works.

This baked oatmeal comes from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook Super Natural Every Day, and it hits the spot every single time. It’s easy to throw together in about 30 minutes, and after another 30 minutes in the oven your house will be filled with the subtly sweet fragrance of nuts and maple syrup and berries. Berries? But they’re not in season! You say. Yes! I know! It is, in fact, not berry season, but of the many things this winter has made me grateful for, frozen berries is certainly one of them. Frozen fruit and veggies get a bad rap, unnecessarily so in my opinion. While the food movement’s emphasis on “processed food is bad” is definitely a good move, and one that is making the public more aware of the food they’re choosing to consume, this word “processed” is often defined too broadly. It’s true, frozen produce is processed, and even comes in a bag. But in general, when produce is harvested fresh, blanched, and then immediately flash frozen, most nutrients are retained. So in the dead of winter—where “real” winter happens—when the only local produce you can find is some version of a root vegetable and you just want to make some warm, soul-satisfying baked oatmeal for a quiet snowy morning, frozen berries are a delicious, nutritious, Godsend of an option.

Baked Oatmeal

Very slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

2 cups 1% milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups blueberries or mixed berries, fresh or frozen

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter the inside of a square baking dish. Any size under 9 inches should work.

2. While the oven is heating, place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 5 minutes. Watch them carefully as nuts go from toasted to burnt very quickly. They’re perfectly toasted as soon as you start to smell them. You know, that delicious toasted nuts smell!

3. Mix together the oats, half the walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, milk, egg, half of the butter, and the vanilla.

5. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Drizzle the milk mixture over the entire surface of the oats, making sure the milk mixture gets distributed throughout the dish. Scatter the rest of the berries and walnuts across the top.

6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling along the sides. The oat mixture should feel set in the middle and not move much when you rock the dish side to side. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

7. While the oatmeal is cooling, reheat the remaining melted butter so that it’s pourable. Drizzle the butter on top of the oatmeal and sprinkle the top generously with turbinado sugar, giving it a nice added crunch.

Enjoy!

Quiet mornings. With a muffin.

Posted on February 4, 2013

One of my most favorite times of day is the early morning, right as the sun is rising. I love sitting in the peaceful stillness before those around me begin to stir. It seems to be the only time of day when my mind can really quiet. Thoughts slow. Anxieties subside. The day feels approachable, manageable. And beautiful, when I’m lucky enough to wake up to a still, white scene like this one.

For several days last week I intentionally woke up early to take advantage of this time. I’m heading into a season of juggling craziness, of managing chaos and the anxiety that always comes with that for me. And I have a sneaking suspicion that these early morning times are going to become precious and necessary.

I don’t know how you manage life’s craziness. Are you one of those blessed people, like my mom, who somehow seems to have a consistently lower level of anxiety than the rest of us? Or are you like my dad, whose level of anxiety tends to rest just above almost everyone else’s? Genetics “gifted” me with the latter disposition. Thankfully, my mother gifted me with the occasional ability to respond with adages about tomorrow bringing enough worry of its own, or life’s too short to worry about this or ponder that, or how wonderful it is to wake up simply grateful for yet another day.

Adages aside, hot homemade coffee and a delicious morning muffin can help, too. Don’t you think? These applesauce spice muffins do the trick nicely. I originally made these with my dad in mind (he’s the ultimate sucker for anything baked with nuts), and I loved getting to enjoy my first batch with him over Thanksgiving. The holidays are long gone now, but here in Boston the cold, quiet, snowy mornings are still going strong, creating the perfect setting for these. The applesauce makes their crumb so soft and moist it gives new meaning to “melt in your mouth,” especially when they’re hot out of the oven, which is exactly when you’ll want to eat them as their warm, spicy nuttiness wafts from the kitchen.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

Ever so slightly adapted from epicurious.com

Yield: 12 muffins

Stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag these last well for 2-3 days. These muffins freeze and reheat nicely, if you somehow manage not to eat them all the first day! Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag.

Ingredients

For muffins:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, and toasted

For topping:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400° F. Grease muffin pan.

2. Make the muffins first. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl.

3. Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then add butter, a little at a time, whisking until mixture is creamy.

4. Stir in applesauce, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

5. Stir in nuts.

6. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

7. Next make the topping. Stir together all topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly on top of muffins.

8. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

9. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool slightly.

Giving thanks, with dessert.

Posted on November 19, 2012

One of my dearest friends emailed me the other day with some news of a difficult family situation. She wanted to let me know what was going on, as we so often do with friends we’ve had for decades. And she wanted to share with me that in rereading some of ginger&jam that day she was grateful for the renewed perspective it gave her—a reminder of the importance of valuing the little things and being in awe of how they fit into a greater picture of this thing we call life. This is such an incredible compliment, knowing that this little space of mine here is touching at least one person out there.

Little did my friend know (until I told her) how perfect her timing was for me, too. I’ve been challenged by a few things of my own in these last few weeks, and I was instantly grateful for her validation of what I’m doing in this season of my life—validation that only someone who knows you oh so well can give. It’s altogether too easy for us to lose site of the value of how we choose to spend our lives each day. What we do is important, and I know all too well how easy it is to forget that. To belittle ourselves. To deem ourselves somehow less important than others, and in doing so forgetting that we each have a unique role to play. My friend’s email was an important reminder of how blessed I am by so many things, including my dear family and friends.

In just a few days my parents and one of my sisters is coming to Boston to share Thanksgiving with some friends and me. I’ve always been that person in my family, in my generation, who’s waited for years to host a big family holiday feast. There’s something magical for me about holidays and traditions and celebrations—parties full of loved ones surrounded by laughter and, of course, delicious food. So now’s my chance to host, and I swear to you I will not let my fear of cooking a turkey bring me down. I’ve never cooked a turkey before. Why does this one culinary feat seem so hard?! Any tips or tricks you can share? I’m taking all the help I can get! I even bought my turkey from Kate Stillman, owner of Stillman’s Turkey Farm, who I work for at my weekly farmers’ market. Today I asked her how she cooks her own Thanksgiving turkey, figuring she’s a pretty darn good source of information. Don’t you worry, I’ll let you know how it goes. And in the meantime, if you’re still looking for a delicious, festive, relatively easy dessert to contribute to your Thanksgiving table, these pumpkin chocolate chip bars will be loved by children and grandparents alike. They may not be as traditional as a pumpkin pie, but they’re cakey and moist, very chocolaty, and even more full of the fall holiday spices everyone loves. Assuming, that is, that you don’t eat every last one before it’s time to share! So, Happy Thanksgiving to you. I hope this holiday is a joyous reminder of whatever blessings fill your life.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Adapted from two peas & their pod

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, enough to cover all sides of the pan. Fold the corners over themselves neatly so that the bars will have clean corners. (Note: the parchment paper eliminates the need to grease the pan, and makes it easy to lift the bars out for cutting.)

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and lighter in color. Beat in the egg and vanilla on medium-low until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well. The mixture will look somewhat curdled. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Then add the chocolate chips.

5. Spread the batter (it will be very thick!) evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. It’s better to under bake than over bake these!

6. Cool the bars completely in the pan. Once cool, remove them by carefully pulling the parchment paper out of the pan. Cut into squares and serve. These will freeze well if individually wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.