Today marks the first post in a series of challenges sponsored by Canadian Tire. For the next two months I will be challenged to use my kitchen in more creative ways and create six original recipes using various tools available at your local Canadian Tire. The Kitchen Crew, a fabulous group of fellow food bloggers, are tasked with “missions” to complete and provided with various kitchen tools or appliances to do so. For my first mission, the task was as follows:
“It’s back to school time again! And you know what that means – packing your little one a lunch and preparing snacks for an army of friends after school. Besides wanting to be nutritious and delicious, you also don’t want to slave away for hours in the kitchen. Your mission this week is to develop easy eats for back to school! That means a total prop time of 20 minutes or less – no cheating!”
For my first challenge I was given a KitchenAid 3.5 Quart Dutch oven with lid. I actually already own a 7 quart cast iron KitchenAid Dutch oven, but it is not enamel coated, so I was excited to try this easier to clean version. The beauty of Dutch ovens are that you can cook just about anything in them. Soups, sauces, curries, grains, meat, casseroles, desserts, the possibilities are endless. I love my Dutch oven and use it at least two or three times a week. The only problem I ever had with it was seasoning it and making sure to not soak it for too long, because this can damage the seasoning on the bare cast iron. With this enamel coated Dutch oven though, clean up was a cinch and I soaked it for 15 minutes before scrubbing. There is no need to season and you just dry it and put it away. Perfect!
Although my kids aren’t school aged yet, I still like to have as little to do in the mornings as possible. Things are rushed, coffee and lunches needs to be made, tiny feet scramble between toes and there just isn’t time to be creating masterpieces of culinary artistry if it takes more than 20 minutes. That’s where this baked oatmeal comes in. A scant 15 minutes of prep was all it took to make this recipe come together, then it just sits in the fridge overnight, you pop it in the oven before you jump in the shower and one quick hour later, breakfast is served!
If your kids (or loved ones) love it as much as I do, they can always have it for a snack after school as well, as it keeps and warms up nicely. We served ours with a sprinkler of brown sugar and a splash of milk, but it’s wonderful with yogurt or served plain for those hardcore purists.
One year ago: Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup
Two years ago: Sautéed Squid Concassé
Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
1/3 cup buckwheat groats (kasha)
2 tbsp ground flax
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp butter, melted
juice and zest of half a lemon
2 tsp vanilla
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced1. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
2. In a separate large bowl, mix the wet ingredients (not the butter).
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and place in a plastic, ceramic or glass bowl. Stir in the butter.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Grease the Dutch oven, pour in the mixture and bake, covered, in a preheated 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes.
Similarly delicious recipes from other fabulous food blogs:
Oatmeal Brownie Milky Way Bars from Life’s Too Short to Skip Dessert
Overnight Spiced Vanilla-Pear Oatmeal from Sweet Treats and More
Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread from How Sweet It Is
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal from The Hungry Housewife
Raw Buckwheat Breakfast Porridge from Oh She Glows
Disclaimer: “I was provided with compensation, including a free KitchenAid Dutch oven, in exchange for creating this post for the Canadian Tire Kitchen Crew series. All opinions are 100% my own. This Kitchen Crew series highlights my stories, recipes & tips with promotional consideration made possible by Canadian Tire. If you want to uncover your kitchen’s true potential, stay tuned to the Kitchen Crew for my weekly missions.”
I’ve never cooked with Kasha before, but I’ve been thinking about more ways to use the steel cut oats that I bought, and the flax seed. This looks like a great way to do it.
Mmmmmmm, that sounds like all of the lovely smells & tastes of Autumn in a bowl. What a grand way to start the day!
Looks and sounds delish!! I am bookmarking this for cooler falls days! (if they ever arrive). Yum!!
Neat! You’re part of the Kitchen Crew too. So exciting to see some of my favourite bloggers are on board for this project. 🙂
Great recipe, too. Love that blend kasha and steel-cut oats.
It sounds like it would be a wonderful make-ahead breakfast for a busy weekend. Heck, this kind of breakfast might even convince me to get out of bed early on a weekday to shove it in the oven, even though I normally hit the snooze button so much I have to scramble to get ready in 15 mins! 🙂
Pretty sure I bookmark every one of your recipes. SERIOUSLY, I’m obsessed. Keep up the fabulous work!
Um can you come to our house and make this for Neil and I – I think we qualify as “little ones” too, right? I like the sound of the easy to clean Dutch oven – heck – I like the sound of the Dutch oven full stop – I don’t own one 🙁
What a wonderful way to greet the morning. I bet the aroma is amazing. Now for those apples to come in season and go on sale…
Cheers,
*Heather*
That is some AMAZING sounding oatmeal!!!! Anything apple pie is right up my alley! Thanks for the shout out on my Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal!
This looks like it would be so good on some Greek yogurt! Yum!
This was one tasty breakfast. Elizabeth makes oatmeal every morning for me and our youngest and this was a great change from the norm. Waking up to the smell was AWESOME.
And I have to say the photography is amazing Elizabeth! Just beautiful!
You are so lucky to be a part of this. Will look forward to the rest of this challenge.
Oats AND groats?? Oooh… now you are speaking my language!! This is definitely worth waiting for – I love oatmeal… add apples and spices and I am truly in heaven!
Love Dutch ovens too – the enamel ones are the best!!
What a fun challenge! And this baked apple pie oatmeal sounds absolutely amazing!
Sounds like this will make a great dessert and it’s health giving too.
This sounds wondeful. Congrats on the kitchen crew gig. Well deserved. And for coming up with a recipe like this.It’s perfect for mornings with limited time and it sounds just like autumn. Love it.
I could eat this for breakfast every day!
Hello, Elizabeth!
Very good pie! This is awesome! I live in Russia and I want to ask you:
1. Why Buckwheat you in parentheses is called Kasha? It’s funny sounds! The word is clearly Russian, and so we have not called dry cereals, and already cooked dish of grits. And I want to say that in terms of my family you do not give a recipe of cake, but other than oatmeal with buckwheat and vegetables! We prepared three times already – great!
2. Do you mind if I publish a bit of adapting to local conditions, your recipe? I keep a blog with step by step recipes.
Sincerely, Sergey.
Hello Sergey! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe so much and yes of course you can post it, so long as there is attribution. As for why it is called Kasha, I’m not sure…if often wondered myself!
Thank you so much! Good luck!
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