For the season

Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal can oftentimes go wrong. It can be gluey and paste like, with little or no texture, taste or deliciousness. This dish is not one of those occasions. Rather than having to spend time coaxing the simple oat into something exquisite, in this instance the oven does all of the work for you, making it a perfect addition to any brunch menu.

I personally adore oatmeal, but only when it's really done right. And babysitting a pot of steel-cut oats -- as is my choice for a porridgey bowl -- is not my idea of a fun early morning activity, especially considering that I'm nowhere near a morning person. Just ask around. This dish gives one all of the best that oatmeal can be, with minimal fuss. While some bits become slightly more crisp, the whole mélange remains wonderfully moist.

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 chopped nuts
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups seasonal fruit

Preheat the oven to 375º and lavishly butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, mix together the oats, half of the nuts, the sugar, the baking powder, the cinnamon and the salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla. Place an even layer of 1 1/2 cups of the fruit in the bottom of the baking dish, then cover with the oat mixture. Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the oats, being sure to saturate all of the grains. Scatter the top with the remaining fruit and nuts. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the top is goldeny brown and the mixture is set. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Note: In this particular instance, I used some blueberries and walnuts that I had stashed in the freezer, but it is so delicious with just about anything. A drizzle of maple syrup helps it all go down a treat. This deceptively small dish is quite filling and serves more than one might think.

Gina's Savoury Spinach Casserole

In November, I had the pleasure of serving as a helper for another Healing Touch workshop. In addition to myself, others from my regular practice group were students and helpers, including my Healing Touch mentor Gina. I also had the pleasure of staying at Gina's lovely home in the Shenandoah Valley for the weekend. Gina's home is situated in a rural setting and is alive with healing energy. Before becoming a nurse and Healing Touch practitioner, Gina and her husband ran a nursery for many years. This is evident as soon as you arrive in the fairyland that is her home.

My accommodations were in what they call the loft room, but what I like to think of as the tree house. The room is a small, vertical room in the top of the house with the bed built into the Arts and Crafts room as a loft. A wee window gives one a glimpse to, in this particular instance, the full moon above. The tree house was most cozy and most magical.

Gina's cooking is equally magical, yet exceedingly simple -- my favourite kind. Fresh ingredients and healing energy abound. This particular dish was one that we enjoyed for dinner following the first full day of the workshop. Gina was kind enough to share the recipe and this weekend I found that I needed a bit of healing time in the kitchen.

Gina's Savoury Spinach Casserole

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 mushrooms, sliced

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a glass 9"x9" baking dish with olive oil or softened butter. Sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms in a little olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Once delicious and savoury, tip into a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients. Place the mixture into the casserole dish loosely, not packed down. Bake for 25 minutes until slightly puffy, firm and lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: Gina has tried many variations on this recipe over the years, including such things in the casserole as artichokes, asparagus, olives and peppers, in addition to the spinach. Cheeses have ranged from feta, parmesan and gruyere. Given her abundance of fresh herbs, these always find their way in as well. Today I doubled the quantities, used parmesan cheese, sauteéd fresh spinach with the onions, sprinkled the sauté with fresh thyme and added a healthy dose of red pepper flakes, putting it all in a larger baking dish. Mushrooms were omitted because I'm not fond of them.