Ellie P. Campbell Photography

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My oatmeal recipe this weekend was a hit, and by “a hit,” I mean a few people told me they wanted to make it, and my sister has made it every morning since (yes, since Saturday). Okay, I’m not sure that constitutes as a big deal, but regardless, I’m inspired to post more recipes.

I’ve been a food writer for a few years, with my monthly column, In Good Taste, being printed in a healthy living magazine here in Sarasota for nearly 5 years (random example here). During the many years I served as the managing editor for that magazine, I became aware of – and applied to my life – a more healthy way of eating and cooking. Since writing that column, I’ve missed the culinary aspect of my work – but I’m excited to use my photography blog as an outlet for both my recipes (either mine or have been tweaked from others’) and my food photos.

I also became involved with the just-launched Edible Sarasota, a magazine which has allowed me not only to learn more about the edible world but also to write about and photograph something I love.

All of that is simply some background as to why I’ll be delving into food photography and posts in addition to my other work… This particular entry will just highlight our “Jellie Mix,” a snack mix that J and I created for our wedding guests and put in their welcome bags. I wouldn’t so much call it a recipe, hence the quotes in the header, but an assembly of ingredients. We made it for our wedding guests because we felt it represented us as snackers (we as a couple are always in possession of some sort of snack, and it usually involves nuts or chocolate) and because it’s quite filling and easy to tote around. Well, here it is. Hope you like a little taste of Jellie!

Equal parts (or any ratio you prefer, really):

• Unsalted almonds
• Salted peanuts
• Whole Foods’ 365 brand dark and white chocolate chunks
• Whole Foods’ bulk aisle’s grain-sweetened milk-chocolate-covered raisins

There you have it. Simple, easy to assemble, and so yummy when you’re in need of a filling snack – great to bring to the movies, work, or to keep in your car (obviously not during the warmer months).

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Weather.com says that our temperature here in Sarasota is 38 degrees – “feels like 30” (!!). On top of that, it’s raining – ice cold, bone-chilling rain. I am freezing. For some reason, 38 degrees here feels colder to me than 38 degrees up north – maybe because our brains are telling us that this is not right or because the buildings aren’t prepared for this… I don’t know, but I do know that all I want is warmth – a warm shower, a warm blanket, a warm (or boiling hot) drink, and very warm food. So this morning (afternoon, I guess), when we finally emerged from the layers of down and fuzzy coziness that is our bed, I made some oatmeal.

Ingredients:

• Rolled oats (we used about 1 cup)

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 egg
• 365 brand grade B pure maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill wheat germ
• 1-2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill flaxseed meal
• about 1/2 tsp cinnamon (This is our favorite.)
• salt
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts

After years of wanting to have pomegranate seeds as a staple at home but feeling afraid to break through that complicated-looking fruit, I finally made my brother-in-law teach me how to extract the seeds cleanly and efficiently. A very similar tutorial can be found here (although I find they can be kept for up to a week in the fridge, not two days like the link recommends). And here are the beautiful results:

I start by heating the water and almond milk on the stove until the liquid starts to boil. I add the oats, lower the heat to medium-high, and stir occasionally. This takes 5-10 minutes, so you have time to prep the other ingredients. When the oats have absorbed about half the liquid, I add about 1 tbsp of syrup, the wheat germ, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of salt. When the liquid is almost entirely absorbed, I reduce the heat to low and stir in the egg. You don’t want it to scramble, but you of course want it to cook through, so stir thoroughly for one to two minutes.

I scoop the portions onto the serving plates and then top with cinnamon, syrup, flax, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts. Here it is!

Hope everyone else is finding ways to stay comfy and warm today, whether you’re here in Florida or up in the real frigid temps of the north. I hear a tea kettle and a hot tub calling…

(‘Shoe, now you can make it – or I will make it for you in 27 days, not that I’m counting.)

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