Oatmeal Raisin Muffins - 6 points

Do you love oatmeal raisin cookies? Either you are now dreaming of them or you are making an "ick" face - it seems like they are a love them or hate them type of treat. I love them. I would, many times, rather have oatmeal raisin than chocolate chip - it is true. I love the texture of the oatmeal, the caramelization on the raisins, the spice of the cinnamon. I would eat them all day long.  Which is why I was so happy to find that this recipe yields a muffin that tastes just like an oatmeal raisin cookie. So indulgent, so perfect, so not even a crumb of one left in my house this evening.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins - From In the Kitchen with the AWA
1 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup raisins

1. Place the oats and buttermilk in a bowl and seal. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and raisins in a medium bowl.
3. Add egg and butter to the oat mixture. Add oat mixture to flour and mix well. Spoon into greased muffin tins.
4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
5. Yields 12, 6 point muffins

Did any of you see the lovely story about this man on the news?

At the end of the U2 concert on Saturday, Bono leaned over to talk to someone in the crowd. He then motioned to some of the security people to pull the man up on stage. We (the crowd) went wild, of course, to see this guy make it to the stage. Bono was heard asking the man what he wanted to play and then asking the stage crew to hand him Bono's guitar. The man requested "All I Want is You" and told the crowd that his wife's name is Andrea - omg he was going to play for his wife with U2! He also said he was nervous - which got a big laugh. He did an excellent job - earned years of points with his wife - and then, when he started to give the guitar back to Bono - Bono told him to keep it! Wicked cool.

The story made it into the news today because the man -who is named Adam - is blind. He was holding a sign that said something equivalent to "Blind Guitar Player: Bring me up" If you want to see the actual performance, click here.  Be forewarned that, if you are a big sap like me, you will probably cry.

My husband has never sung to me on stage in front of 50,000 people, but he has done it in front of a few hundred people a couple of times. I am lucky to have a man who sings to me. This is one of my most frequent serenades...

Vegetarian Oat Burgers with Rosemary Yogurt Sauce - 3 points, 1 point

This is a recipe that I got from a friend years ago. I am pretty sure she got it from Simply Heavely: The Monestary Vegetarian Cookbook by Abbot George Burke. Two notes on this recipe. First, if you are a vegetarian, please check your Worcestershire sauce before using. One of the main ingredients is anchovies. You can get it without, but you will need to read the label. Second, I recommend that you never think of vegetarian food as a substitute for meat. This burger doesn't taste like a hamburger. If you expect it to, you will be disappointed. Look at it as something completely different, as a whole new culinary adventure, and you will enjoy it much more.


Vegetarian Oat Burgers

4 1/3 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
1 ½ cups soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 ½ cups rolled oats


1. Combine everything except the oats and bring to a boil in the saucepan.

2. Reduce the heat and add oats. Stir well. Cook about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Form or cut into patties and brown in oil or put them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. (I used a baking stone, so I cooked mine for 20 minutes, then turned for the last 10.)

4. Yields 15, 3 point servings

I served mine topped with fresh tomato slices and a rosemary yogurt sauce.

Rosemary Yogurt Sauce

1 cup fat free, plain yogurt

1 tbsp chopped, fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt to taste.

1. Mix all ingredients. Place sauce in refrigerator for at least 20 minute to allow flavors to blend.

2. Yields 7, 1 point servings

Oatmeal Pancakes - 2 points

Last night I got a wonderful message on my phone, which I can boil down to two words: snow day! If you are not a teacher and do not know the joy of snow days, let me explain. Every day I work fifteen minutes of unpaid overtime. That overtime accumulates to ten snow days (actually 13, but three of them were stolen by The Man use for other purposes). So, all year I hope that it will actually snow enough for me to get my ten days. Otherwise, I am just being bilked by the system.

I started the day by finishing  Faking It by Jennifer Crusie. It was cute and funny and had a good little twist at the end. Then, I called my nephew to ask how he liked the snow. He liked it, and he suggested I eat pancakes for breakfast. (He's two, they don't stay on topic).

This is my mom's recipe, which I messed with slightly for Weight Watchers.

Oatmeal Pancakes
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup fat free soy milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp Spleda or other non calorie sweetener
2 egg whites
1 tbsp vegetable oil
 
1. Place the oats in a small bowl; add milk. Leave in the fridge overnight to soak (I left them for 30 minutes this morning because I didn't plan ahead).
2. Add remaining ingredients, mix until just blended.
3. Use a ladle or measuring cup to pour out pancake batter onto non-stick skillet over medium heat. (There is a video below to help you with cooking pancakes if you are not an aficionado of flapjacks).
4. Yields 8, 2 point servings. I chose to eat mine with all fruit spread and a dusting of powdered sugar. Please remember to adjust points for your toppings.

My pancakes:

How to cook pancakes: