Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal is filled with soft apple slices, a sprinkling of brown sugar and spices, and oats cooked until tender.

As you know, we love Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and it has been one of my personal favorites for years. But when my boys requested oatmeal for the third time in a week, I decided to make something new.

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This oatmeal is a warm, comforting way to start the day, especially when you pair it with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or Cafe Con Leche. The aroma that the oatmeal creates in the house as it bakes is absolutely heavenly.

It’s so satisfying to eat a slice of this baked apple oatmeal in the morning and it makes a nice change from a regular bowl of oatmeal. It’s hearty enough to be breakfast all on its own but is also a welcome addition to any big weekend brunch spread.

For the record, I’ve yet to meet a version of baked oatmeal that I didn’t like and this Apple Pie Oatmeal is no different.

Baked Oatmeal with Apples

Baked Oatmeal is one of our all-time favorite breakfasts in this household. Baked oatmeal with apples? That’s a home run.

Apple slices are folded into the oats to bake along with all the other ingredients. I love the way the apples release their juices into the oatmeal as they bake, adding delicious flavor to every bite.

For this recipe, I upped the apple flavors by adding applesauce to the oat mixture instead of the usual oil. The applesauce provides that same level of moisture while taking the “apple-y” taste to the next level.

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Fresh cranberries and a hint of lemon are combined in this incredibly moist brown sugar streusel Cranberry Coffee Cake.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

There is just something about sitting down mid-morning with a fresh cup of coffee and a piece of coffee cake. It gives me a nostalgic feeling of when times were a bit slower and a neighbor might have stopped by to gossip after the kids left for school.

I know it is a bit of a small-town romantic notion, and perhaps I should turn off the holiday Hallmark movies. Regardless, I will just enjoy my cup of coffee with a piece of cranberry cake and a good book or phone call to catch up with a friend.

Cranberry Coffee Cake is not an overly sweet or fluffy cake. It’s a richly dense coffee cake with a lovely tartness from the cranberries.

When I say rich though, it is not sweet rich. The richness comes from the butter, eggs, and sour cream. Topped with buttery sugar topping it is perfect for a holiday brunch gathering.

If cranberries are not in season, (or if you do not currently have them stashed in your freezer) this cake will work nicely with blueberries as well. Frozen cranberries may be stirred into the batter straight from the freezer.

This coffee cake is really one of the easiest things you can make. Creaming the butter and sugar together smoothly is the first step. Add your remaining liquids and eggs.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients stirring just until combined each time. Take care to not overmix. One or two quick passes with your sp

Mouth Watering Sauteed Mushrooms

Mushrooms…you either love them or you absolutely do not, but these easy mouth watering sauteed mushrooms will make lovers out of everyone! They are earthy and meaty with the most sublime rich flavor.

My whole life I’ve heard my mom salivating over mushrooms. Now if you’re a picky eater can you guess what’s one of the easiest things to hate? You got it, mushrooms. But she’s been in love, stuffed mushrooms, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized mushrooms… the list probably goes on but as a mother of a teenager I’m too exhausted to think. 

I am older now, maybe wiser, and mushrooms are entering my life. These juicy sauteed mushrooms are a fantastic side dish, served over steak, or even better, slap them on a burger with caramelized onions and melty cheese!!

Keys to the Best Sauteed Mushrooms

The best sauteed mushrooms have a few special ingredients that bring out the savory umami flavor:

• white wine – I know it’s a sin to many, but we use cooking wine. See our tip below…
• worcestershire – this big time enhances that earthy, rich flavor
• butter – the ultimate caramelization maker, the fat hitting the heat will make for mouthwatering mushrooms

What Ingredients are Needed for Sauteed Mushrooms?

The ingredients list isn’t long, and having fresh ingredients will give you the best flavor. Here is your grocery shopping list:

• Baby Bella Mushrooms – these are our favorite mushrooms for sauteing but you could use whichever ones you like best
• Olive Oil and Butter –  combination of both fats gives the best flavor and is the sauteing dream team
• Thyme – aromatics
• Oregano – fresh is best
• White Wine – depth of flavor
• Soy Sauce – flavor, helps caramelize
• Worcestershire Sauce – enhances umami flavor
• Lemon Juice – bright fresh pop of flavor
• Kosher Salt – because you always need salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper –

Fluffy, buttery, nutty, pecan pancakes topped with maple syrup make for a tasty and easy breakfast we all enjoy.

Pecan Pancakes

Pancakes are truly one of the best breakfasts. You can make them in mere minutes and my family just can’t resist them. The smell of pancakes will pull them out of bed every time.

My favorite setting on my oven is the “warm setting”. It is perfect for pancake mornings. I can get a jump start before everyone wakes up and have them made and kept hot. Simply place the pancakes on a baking sheet when they’re done on the griddle and then pop them in the oven to hold.

If your oven doesn’t have this setting. Just turn it on at 150-200 degrees. This is just enough to keep your pancakes warm but not bake or cook them.

The Secret to Fluffy Pancakes

The secrets of pancake making are ones anyone can master and I share my secrets freely! So here goes what I get asked the most:

How do you get your pancakes so fluffy? Three things, baking soda, baking powder, and patience. Yes, patience is a key ingredient. Many recipes only use soda or only use baking powder.

A combination of both helps your pancakes be super fluffy. And patience, after mixing your batter, wait until you see bubbles. Rest your batter until it is covered in bubbles. Trust me.

Why do you use real buttermilk? I know there are lots of hacks for making buttermilk. But trust me when I say nothing beats the rich, flavor of real buttermilk when making pancakes. Please, whatever you do; don’t skip on the buttermilk for the tastiest pancakes.

If you make pancakes often, nothing beats a great electric griddle for streamlining the cooking process. A few years ago, when my 15-year-old griddle finally died, I tested every single griddle I could get my hands on.

When I finally tried

20 Minute Sausage and Peppers Gnocchi

Sausage and peppers in the same dish is such a stellar combo! Toss in some crispy gnocchi and a luscious sauce, and you’ll be adding this quick and easy dinner to your menu this week!

Our 20 minute sausage and peppers gnocchi is actually a meal of forgotten things. I found myself standing at the fridge years and years ago staring into a bunch of random ingredients and nothing to pull it all together; a little chicken broth, a chunk of onion and peppers from a taco night, and these random sausages a friend had given us. Not really enough of anything to make a full meal, or so I thought. 

I’ve seen sausage and peppers stuffed into hoagie rolls enough to know that I could probably do something similar but without bread or rolls in the house at the time I needed to get creative and as a newlywed that also required cheap. I did not have enough money to go buy a bunch of stuff but I did have a lone package of pasta. 

Over the years we’ve changed up this recipe a gazillion times until a little white cooking wine and the switch from pasta to gnocchi brought it all home. This crispy gnocchi with peppers and onions recipe only takes 20 minutes though the first time may be a little longer as you get the hang of it. Once you’ve done it once it’s a breeze. 

Cook this, plate it. 

Cook that, plate it. 

Crisp the gnocchi, plate it. 

Add the first two plates and sauce ingredients back in, simmer the sauce and then throw in the gnocchi, seasoning to taste. That’s it!

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