5.07.2008

Oven update

Update: My mom took my very subtle hint and posted her Meusli recipe. Be sure to check it out, it's delish.

I mentioned earlier that our oven was broken. I came home from work today to see this -
Sorry it is so dark but I have 200 Zion pictures to edit so I didn't want to waste time on a throw away picture of an oven. But yes, that is our oven, outside our apartment complex. So what did I find inside where our oven used to be? A brand new oven!

I've never had an oven so clean before, I made dinner tonight very cautiously, I didn't want to get it dirty. I especially love how the stove tops have more options now. Before I had low, medium, medium high and high but it wasn't efficient so I basically had to use high and medium high. And if I wanted to make pancakes I had to switch between the two half-way through each one to get it to work. Now I tons of options, not unlimited because it is electric, but enough. And now the top doesn't get super hot whenever the oven is on. One time I reached up to get something from the cabinet and had a nice burn mark across my stomach for a week that hit right where my pants would irritate it constantly - that was a long week.

But even without the niceness of this new one, it just nice to have any oven to use again. I can't really say that it made much of a difference in my meal planning for dinners, I use the stove top, my crockpot and my George Foreman much more than the oven but it did put a cramp in my regular "it's late and I need chocolate so let's make brownies" routine. And it did mess up my great plans for breakfast reformation.

You see, I am working on getting us healthier and have decided to start with breakfast. I think I can make the biggest impact there without a ton of effort and let's face it, does it really matter how healthy your dinners are if you start the day with a bowl containing 4 Tablespoons of sugar? Even one of the cereals that I considered "healthier", honey nut cheerios, has 9 grams (over 2 Tablespoons) of sugar in every serving. Yikes!

So I made granola, and that worked really well I ran out and the oven broke. But right now I have two batches in my brand new oven and they are smelling yummy.

I'm working on getting a good method for oatmeal and can't wait to try all those suggestions from yesterday. My mom mentioned Muesli and that is a good option, Craig doesn't like it but he is the only person I know who doesn't. It is so yummy and easy to make a smaller batch and it keeps fine for a couple breakfasts in a row. The only problem is that I always forget the recipe, even though it is super simply, and they I have to call my mom and have her tell me again. If only she would post it somewhere so I could look it up when I need it...hint, hint.

Another option I am excited to try now that I can bake again is refrigerator muffins which I read about here recently in a WFMW. Basically you make the batter and it keeps in the fridge (how long they keep depends on the recipe but seem to be about a week for most) until you want a muffin. Then you just put some in a tin and bake away. I think this could be really good for us since I love muffins but we can't shouldn't eat the whole batch before they get old and dry. But with these I can make a batch on the weekend when I have time then enjoy them all week long. Now that I have options and an oven, I'm so excited to get started. I'll let you know how my experiments turn out.

5 comments :

  1. I am in oven envy.
    AND muffin envy.

    However, I feel that there is more chance of remedying the latter than the former in my case.

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  2. Can I have your recipe for granola? Or is it a Naething (it took me a couple minutes to remember your old last name) family secret. I liked the way you announced what you discovered in the place in which your old oven sat. It made me think of Bob Barker in the price is right. Not drew carey...he scares me.

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  3. Oh jessica, you're just being silly. "Blight" only happens on the street. This area would probably be classified as a yard so it doesn't matter what junk we put there; cars, concrete slabs, ovens...as long as they are off the side of the street, it's cool.

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  4. By the way, I'm sorry I've beeen misspelling your name. I fixed it on my blog :)

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