Sunday, February 07, 2016

Baked Apple, Chocolate & Almond Oatmeal

I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything. I am simply going to get straight to the point and tell ya like it is. You need this oatmeal in your life. Seriously. Like, if I could convince you to make only one recipe from my blog, I think it would be this one. Baked oatmeal - done right - can be life-changing.


It may not be fancy. It may not look like much. Heck, I'm sure you're thinking that I am crazy getting all coo-coo over oatmeal. But, there are just so many reasons why baked oatmeal rules. It's an incredibly, insanely inexpensive recipe to make. It is healthful and filling. It's an awesome dish to feed a crowd if you happen to have guests in town or friends over for brunch. The possibilities to flavor it and change it up to suit your fancy are endless. If you're making it for only one or two people initially, you'll have leftovers (which means you can have breakfast ready to pop in the microwave throughout the week). And, most importantly - it takes almost ZERO time of hands-on work.

Have I convinced you yet?

This particular recipe calls for steel cut oats, so make sure you are not using rolled oats. The recipe requires that you soak the oats overnight in water so that they cook up quicker in the morning. So, don't forget that step. And, I really encourage you to try using a dark chocolate infused with chili (THIS is my favorite) for this recipe. Any type of chocolate should work (probably even chocolate chips), but there's just something magical about the tiny bit of heat that comes from using spicy chocolate in this recipe.

Yields 4 - 6 servings.

Saturday, February 06, 2016

Throwing A Chili Party {Plus A Bonus Sweet Potato Chili Recipe}

Hosting a party can be stressful for so many of us ... especially when deciding what to serve to our guests. Setting up a chili bar when entertaining is so much fun and a total crowd-pleaser. The pressure is off of the host during the party and it allows for a casual environment wherein everyone can serve themselves while building their own ultimate bowl of chili. It's the perfect way to entertain when having friends over for game day or movie night.
 

I've assembled some simple tips/ideas for hosting a Chili Party that'll make the day go smoothly and make YOU a total rock star. Also, you'll find the recipe for my Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili at the end of the post. (It is my ultra-favorite chili recipe.)