Video Attempt: Baked Oatmeal

Obviously and as expected, so much has changed since Teddy's arrival. It's been 23 days since I last moved in my Words with Friends games; I have yet to watch a single episode of the new Downton Abbey; I am not even close to caught up with Top Chef, and poor little Mavis can hardly remember the last time she got to go on a walk that lasted longer than ten minutes. Fortunately, however, we've been able to maintain this here blog(!). 

That being said, the parade of visiting grandparents is sadly coming to an end. (My mom left early last week and Matt's parents leave early this week.) That means that once again Matt and I will be on our own with this little guy, and in the short term, our posts may be a little more sporadic. Who knows though? Being completely grandparent-less, didn't stop us with the dutch baby shoot. And I still have a couple of great recipes from pre-Teddy that I haven't shared yet. Anyway, here's to the blog's evolution and moving forward with Bon Appétempt as a party of three. 

Lastly, hope you enjoy this one! I'd been dying to make that baked oatmeal for years now and am glad I finally did so.

Baked Oatmeal from Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup natural cane sugar or maple syrup, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch / 1cm pieces
1 1/2 cups / 6.5 oz blueberries or mixed berries

Preheat the oven to 375F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the walnuts, the sugar, if using, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, if using, the milk, egg, half of the butter, and the vanilla.

Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Gently give the baking dish a couple thwacks on the countertop to make sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and remaining walnuts across the top.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter on the top and serve. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar or drizzle with maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter.

serves 6 generously, or 12 as part of a larger brunch spread