These are the toughest days to get out of bed. Am I right?

It's still dark, it's cold and chances are it's a weekday. My motivation: hunger. Sure, there are other incentives, but I'm no morning person. If I didn't feel famished when my alarm went off, I would probably keep sleeping.

So, for a little something to look forward to at the start of each day (other than burnt toast), the "One Teaspoon from Disaster" cooking blog is honoring the most important meal of the day for the next several weeks with a variety of breakfast recipes.

In an effort to eat a healthy first-meal-of-the-day, try oatmeal. This has it all: grains, protein, fruit and dairy. It tastes great and will stick with you until lunch. It's quick to make, but could even be cooked the night before and re-heated before you head out the door.

Go easy on the fruit topping -- it's rich and pretty sweet. The yogurt is a nice substitute for milk. The recipe serves two to four.

Fruity Winter Oatmeal
1 C. whole-rolled oats (can substitute instant oats, if desired)
4 C. water
1 C. chopped dried fruit (apricots or peaches)
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 C. white grape juice
6 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
Dollop of non-fat plain yogurt
Combine and cook oats and water. In a sauce pan, boil fruit, nutmeg, nuts and juice. Simmer until fruit is tender. Spoon fruit sauce on top of cooked oatmeal. Add yogurt and more nuts, if desired.

Posted by · February 27, 2006 4:27 AM · Comments (0)

You haven't planned a thing for Valentine's Day and your loved one is not-so-secretly expecting something thoughtful, sweet and romantic.

Go buy her a nice fondue pot and after she unwraps it, put it to use for a wonderful Valentine's Day treat. (So you'll need to shop for the ingredients, too.)

The recipe for the best chocolate fondue I've ever tasted is below, along with a cheese fondue recipe that isn't too bad either. This little slice of white-chocolate heaven is simple to make, just be sure to melt the ingredients slowly on the stove top. (The cinnamon turns the fondue a tan color. You haven't done anything wrong!)

Also, after you've transferred the melted chocolate to the fondue pot, be sure to stir it often and adjust the flame below. Otherwise the sugar will scortch the bottom of the pot and be very difficult to scrub clean. Trust me.

Fresh fruit, like strawberries and bananas, are wonderful with this. Even better are cheesecake squares, brownie bites and chunks of glazed cake -- all in the grocery store bakery. For the cheese fondue, I suggest red and green apple slices and crusty bread pieces.

Be sure to pick up a bottle of wine and flowers while you're at the store.
Thoughtful, sweet, romantic: Mission accomplished.

White Chocolate Fondue
2 Tbsp. Triple Sec
½ C. coconut milk
9 ounces white chocolate, cut in pieces
1 Tbsp. coconut, grated
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Simmer Triple Sec and coconut milk in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until melted. Transfer to pre-heated fondue pot and add grated coconut and cinnamon. Stir and keep warm.

Italian Cheese Fondue
½ tsp. cornstarch
1 C. milk
18 ounces Fontina cheese (or 9 ounces Gruyere and 9 ounces Gouda)
Pepper
Salt
3 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
Grate cheese. Stir cornstarch in 1 Tbsp. of milk. Pour the rest of the milk in a saucepan or fondue pot and boil. Lower heat and add cheese. When cheese is melted, add cornstarch mixture and cook for two minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Beat egg yolks and add to mixture. Keep warm over fondue burner.

Posted by · February 11, 2006 2:33 AM · Comments (0)

Children everywhere probably have already chosen the Valentines they will pass out to friends at school this February 14th.

Afterall, those little cards featuring popular cartoon characters and action figures lined store aisles (right next to St. Patrick's Day paraphernalia) just days after Christmas.

However, in the off chance that there are children out there who haven't bought their Valentines yet, why not buck tradition? Now, I'm not suggesting don't give out Valentines (I still do every year). But instead of signing a card and filling the envelope with those antacid-looking/tasting candy hearts, why not bake and decorate heart-shaped cookies to hand out?

Since this seems like such a Martha Stewart thing to do, I've found her Valentine sugar cookie recipe. I slightly modified the process to make it quicker and a little more kid-friendly.

Most grocery and craft stores have decorative little boxes and bags -- wrap up a few cookies and present them to all your loved ones.

Martha’s (Modified) Sugar Cookies
2 C. flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 C. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Sugar sprinkles
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder. Cream butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for one hour. Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Cut shapes, sprinkle with sugars and bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Posted by · February 5, 2006 12:01 AM · Comments (0)