Yes, it can be done!  You can have fresh, healthy and hearty steel cut oatmeal without standing over the stove for thirty minutes!

Using your slow cooker (crockpot) to make steel cut oats could not be easier.  Prepare the ingredients and place in the slow cooker before going to bed, et voilá, in the morning you’ll have fresh, creamy steel cut oatmeal.  I encourage you to try!

Printable Recipe

Although my oatmeal did not stick to the slow cooker insert, you may want to take a look at this tutorial by Anne Kroeker who uses a bain-marie method to avoid the oats sticking.   

October is my favorite month – and it’s almost over.  It’s been a really busy couple of weeks, but I managed to find time to cook something using one of my favorite ingredients – pumpkin. 

For this recipe, I used an heirloom variety of pumpkin known as Carnival. The colors of this pumpkin remind me of the changing leaves on the trees as they go from green to yellow.  This pumpkin has deep ridges all the way around, so be prepared for some extra cutting time!

Two notes about this recipe:

first, I think the pastry recipe is one of the best I have come across.  It’s easy to work with and really tasty.  Second, you’ll notice in the recipe that quantities are given by weight (with the exception of liquid ingredients). 

second, I would highly recommend weighing the ingredients rather than converting the quantities to cup measures – you will get a better result, particularly from the pastry crust. 

View printable recipe

pot pies fresh out of the oven…

garnished with a bit of sage and ready to devour…

come back and let me know how yours turned out!

Recently I’ve been scouting around local Goodwill stores for unique pieces of serve ware to collect and to use when photographing food.  I really got some good deals today! 

Denby pottery, Castile pattern; great condition – 2 cups, 2 saucers.  Although each piece was marked 99 cents, I bought four pieces and was charged $2.00.  These are going for anywhere between $12.00-$18.00 per set on eBay.

another piece of Denby Castile – cereal bowl, 99 cents!

 Haviland Limoges ca. 1942-1961; good condition….

59 cents! Not sure of it’s value, but a pretty piece.

and my favorite piece…an oblong serving bowl…

again, Haviland Limoges – this one is ca. 1888-1896…I think it originally had a lid, but that is long gone! Really, a steal at $2.99. 

I am told this one could fetch upwards of $100.00. 

I am definitely motivated to continue treasure hunting!

It’s been a long while since I’ve baked with parsnips – and October seems like the perfect time to get back to them.  Parsnips are an easy substitution for carrots – I’ve always found their slight spiciness reminiscent of ginger. 

Sadly, Gourmet magazine just closed up shop - while treasure hunting at the Georgetown Flea Market today, I picked up The Best of Gourmet 1996 which featured the flavors of England, Ireland and Scotland and is the source for the recipe that I slightly adapted. 

View printable recipe

grated parsnips….

There’s really no reason not to grate your own fresh nutmeg…it makes all the difference.

ready for the oven…

I hope you’ll give parsnips a try – and if so, come back and tell me about it!

Join Julie over at A Mingling of Tastes for a blog event celebrating Gourmet Magazine!