Baked/Shirred Egg.

I love this recipe because it's super simple, quick, and can be infinitely increased to feed however many people you need to feed, limited only by the number of ramekins or small baking dishes you have on hand. It also is easily varied, since you can throw in leftover veggies or meat, or fresh or dried herbs with the cream.

These are the basic ingredients. Like I said, add anything extra you want, though it is good simple too.

Butter the ramekin.

Add the cream. (A couple of teaspoons is plenty, though by all means add more if you wish.) Now is the time to add any extras you want.

Crack the egg in. I recommend separating the egg for this, so the yolk and white mix easier with the cream when baking. I didn't do that this time though, and it still turned out great, so again, you decide. (Don't you feel powerful? YOU control the recipe!)

Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 375°F oven for 10-15 minutes. (If your oven is normal, it should take about 12.) Don't overcook! When you pull it out, it will look a little runny, though the white should be cooked and the yolk set. It will continue to cook a bit, as the ramekin retains some heat.

Salt and Pepper to taste, then enjoy!

Thank you to Mark Bittman and his cookbook, How To Cook Everything, for the recipe.

Blueberry Muffins.

I loved this recipe because it was easy to throw together, and I was able to do a workout while it baked, so I felt extra productive! I didn't have skim milk, and so used 1%, but otherwise, the recipe is as is.  These are the first blueberry muffins I've ever made from scratch, and I'll definitely make them again.  They were gone by the next day.

Blueberry Muffins (from BH&G Family Favorites Made Lighter)

Ingredients:

Nonstick spray coating

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/8 t. salt

1 slightly beaten egg white

3/4 c. skim milk

3 T. cooking oil

1 t. finely shredded orange peel

1 T. orange juice

3/4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)

1 to 2 t. sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray twelve 2 1/2 in. muffin cups with nonstick coating, set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.

In another mixing bowl, stir together the egg white, milk, cooking oil, orange peel, and orange juice.  Add all at once to the flour mixture.  Stir just till mixture is moistened but still slightly lumpy.  Gently fold in blueberries.  Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle lightly with the additional sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or till tops are golden.  Remove muffins from pans.  Serve warm.  (Makes 12 servings)

Blueberry Almond Crumble Oatmeal and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Oatmeal.

Because you all have been so wonderfully patient while I took a brief sabbatical over my birthday, you get the final two oatmeal recipes in one post.

First, Blueberry Almond Crumble Oatmeal.  This was delicious, light and fruity.  I didn't have any cherries on hand, so I substituted in some fresh blueberries.  I haven't always been a great fan of blueberries, partly because I can't abide by their syrupy pie form, and partly because they're a bit too tart for me (usually) on their own.  This oatmeal solved both problems, since most of the blueberries broke down a bit in the oatmeal, but there wasn't a horrible 'pie filling' syrup around them to contend with.  Delicious.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Oatmeal.  I used to argue that white chocolate macadamia nut cookies could be so much better if only the white chocolate were to be replaced with milk, or even dark chocolate.  No more.  This was perfect.  I toasted the macadamia nuts for a few minutes in a 350° oven while making the rest of the oatmeal, and pulled them out to garnish towards the end.  I know I've said this before, but this is now one of my favorite ways to have oatmeal.  I was even going to have this as my birthday breakfast on Saturday, but alas! I forgot to pick up the macadamia nuts ahead of time.  Still, this will be a regular breakfast for me as often as I can get away with it.  Yum!  Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Mmm, I love me some carrot cake. I had been looking forward to this recipe in particular, and I've made it many times since. It's just that good. A couple of suggestions, though. First of all, plan on the grating of the carrot. It takes a bit. If you want to purchase pre-grated carrot, you can, but grating isn't difficult. It simply takes a bit of time. In any case, it's not your usual 10-20 minute oatmeal. Count on almost a half hour, if your not used to the grating and do it slow.
Secondly, while I do love mascarpone cheese, I do not recommend using it in the frosting-like topping. I did, the first time I made this, and discovered just why cream cheese pairs so well with carrot cake, and mascarpone does not.  Once I remedied this, this recipe became one of my favorites.  Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal with Cream Cheese Frosting

Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal.

While I do so love my chocolate, I must admit that the oatmeal recipes I find myself liking without fail are those when fruit takes center stage. In this case, I was not at all disappointed. I was planning to make my own shortbread for this, but ended up having some lemon shortbread on hand from a gift basket Hubby and I had. The lemon complemented the strawberry wonderfully, and both paired with the oatmeal to present a light yet satisfying breakfast that seemed just a bit like dessert.

Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal

*Please note that I did not skip the Pomegranate Cranberry Almond Oatmeal due to dislike, but because the original link was broken when I prepared my shopping list, and I never went back.  Perhaps I will in the future, but in the meantime, experiment with it a bit, let me know what you think!