Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

I like to wake up and eat hot, nutritious breakfasts. I don't care if its a cold winter day, where the cereal will warm my insides and keep them warm on the walk to school, or if its a hot summer day and my insides will slowly roast for the next couple hours. It just isn't a good start to the day if there isn't a steaming bowl of cereal in front of me.
Almost every single morning for the past 18 years, I have eaten a large bowl of Coco Wheats for breakfast. By now, I don't even really taste the coco wheats--they have just become a part of my morning routine. I bet I could make them blindfolded. I cook them methodically. Put in exactly the same amount of sugar. The same amount of milk. Make sure I get exactly the right amount of lumps. It's has become an art form.
So last night, when my dinner choices consisted of Coco Wheats, Cream of Wheat, and oatmeal, I was okay with this. My cupboards may resemble those of an old woman, but I can't help but love the subtly sweet, easily digestible, creamy wheat and oat cereals. And so I made this pumpkin spice oatmeal again for dinner. And it was wonderful.
This pumpkin spice oatmeal tastes like pumpkin pie. And you get to eat it for breakfast! And its healthy! I love letting the brown sugar melt on top. It makes brown, sugary rivers through the oats and it reminds me a crème brûlée. This oatmeal tricks your mind into thinking you are eating a decadent dessert for breakfast (but your body is happy from all the nutrition). The perfect breakfast for a brisk autumn morning.

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Dark Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins

Moving to a new city where you know not a soul is interesting for a few reasons. It forces you to be tremendously independent and self-reliant (like it or not). It allows you to find your own way. I don't mean this in a clichéd sense either; I mean it quite literally. Once you've walked down a sketchy street in a not-too-pleasant part of town, at dusk, completely lost, blindly searching for the metro, you can understand what I mean. Lastly, and perhaps most curious of all, you have the chance to reinvent yourself. There is no one to judge if you decide to be a little different or even very different. And so, I sit and ask myself, do I want to be someone new?
As I know very few people in this city of over three million (I can count them on two fingers, to be exact), I am in the market to meet new friends. Acquaintances. Anything that breathes. I am not picky. I held a fascinating conversation with a squirrel just yesterday. And so when grad school finally started this week I got excited. I get to be around people! Real people! I just hope I don't seem too desperate for friendship. We all know what that looks like. God forbid I catch a case of those crazy eyes.
My new research group has Wednesday morning meetings and I wanted to make a good impression. So did I read all of the 400 page thesis that was handed to me? Not quite. But I did bake muffins. Either they will love me (and temporarily forget about my lack of contributions) or wonder how I found the time to bake when I could have been researching instead. It could go either way. Wish me luck.
These muffins are so moist they practically fall apart in your hands (not to mention your mouth). The flavors of the chocolate and raspberries stand out, but are not overpowering. You can still taste a little of the oatmeal too, making these a perfect breakfast muffin. These muffins are healthy and quite filling (but you'd never guess it because they taste like a special treat).

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Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

It was four years ago. It was a potluck picnic in a park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I spotted these cookies, these beautiful cookies, in a small, decorative tin on a table covered in layers upon layers of food. However, as far as I was concerned, the table might as well have been completely empty because I simply could not take my eyes off of these divine specimens. It was love at first sight. And then, shortly thereafter, love at first bite.
For four years, these cookies and I had an infrequent affair. On rare occasions, we would meet and I would devour this dear cookie whole, savoring each and every bite. Twice. Thrice. Once is never enough. Finally, after much exaltation, begging, and pleading (only once on hand and knee), this recipe was released unto me. And so, dear readers, I shall release it unto you, so you, too, can embark on the love affair of a lifetime.
This cookie has heft. It has volume. It demands your full, unwavering attention. This cookie is also sugar-free. There is not even a sugar substitute present. The sugar comes solely from the chocolate chips and raisins. 'What?' You may ask. 'A sugar-free cookie? You fell in love with a sugar-free cookie?' Yes, I did. And you will too. The sugar is not missed. You will not realize it is gone. In that fact is where the true beauty of this cookie lies. Your relationship with Mr. Sugar-free will always be much healthier (and tastier) than with any other second-rate cookie that catches your eye.

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