Oatmeal Cup-cookies, Muffin-cakes, Or something.

This is a good "naked pantry" recipe. It is easy to vary and doesn't include anything too out-of-the-ordinary. These were my ingredients:

The black jar has sugar in it, but I bet Splenda or whatever would work. Also, I used real butter because I had some, but I'd use margarine any day. The honey is my personal substitution for brown sugar, and that is Almond extract which is extremely delicious but vanilla works, too. I jazz things up with white chocolate chips (because that is what I had at the moment) but the possibilities are endless. 

Okay, basic ingredients: 

1 1/2 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. honey/brown sugar

1 t. almond or vanilla extract

1 egg

1/3 c. butter, melted. 

"some" of whatever you want to add (nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, whatever)

Toss it all in a bowl and stir it up. Bake it in a 375º oven for 12-15 minutes. I bake them in a greased muffin pan, but admittedly, they don't stay together very well. Perhaps if you baked them a bit longer, but I'd rather have crumbly soft tastiness than perfectly shaped but overly hard cookies. You can put them in cupcake cups, but sometimes they stick to the paper. So, honestly, this is not a great recipe for company that you'd like to impress with presentation. I took it to girls night and we just ate them out of the muffin pan with forks. I'm sure if you have a silicone muffin pan, that would be better, but there still isn't a guarantee these will have the perfect shape. They make delicious, tasty morsels, though. Something else you could do is spread it out in a cookie sheet and turn it into granola. So, if you're home alone on a Friday night and craving something sweet but just have this assortment of randomness in your pantry, then have at it. Shove the crumbly mess in a plastic bag and I'm sure your kids or husband will not argue. 

Finished product:

Quiche

Finished Product:

The variations on this recipe are endless. The one above is spinach, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. 

INGREDIENTS:

Pie crust OR crescent roll dough

3-4 large eggs

[about 1 c.] Milk (any)

Meat of choice

Veggies of choice

Cheese of choice

Oven: 375º and then 350º

Greased quiche dish, pie pan, or pre-packaged pie crust in aluminum pan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay pie crust or crescent dough (spread out) in dish. Poke a few holes with a fork.

2. Cook at 375º for 7 minutes

-meanwhile-

3. Beat 3-4 eggs (depending on how many other things you are adding) with the milk. Set aside.

4. Prepare meat, veggies, and cheese (cook, chop, etc). 

5. Remove crust, let cool for 10 minutes.

6. Place your ingredients in this order: meat, veggies, cheese, egg mixture.

7. Sprinkle top with spices of choice.

8. Bake right away at 350º for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean OR refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, then bake. 

Here are a few prep photos: 

This one has salsa, bacon, and cheddar made with crescent roll dough spread out in the bottom.

I used fresh spinach and canned tomatoes. I think frozen spinach might be better, and fresh tomatoes. Obviously this is actual pie crust. 

and cheese. 

This is both quiches filled with the egg mixture It's okay for the eggs NOT to totally cover the ingredients. It really does work out just fine. 

Cooked bacon/salsa quiche.

Cooked spinach/tomato quiche. 

So this is actually my mom's base recipe. Here are some of our favorite variations:

Green chile, ham, cheddar cheese

Breakfast sausage, cheese

Turkey, broccoli, cheese

Tomatoes, turkey, cheese

Squash and zucchini 

Caramelized onions, gouda

Basil, tomato, mozzarella (Caprese)

I made these two tonight for our girls night. They were both big hits. I think the salsa would work really well in an actual pie crust. Oh! Also, when I use crescent dough, I sometimes fill in the edges and sometimes just make a base, kinda like a pizza. Depends on how much patience you have. 

This is great to make the night before, cook in the morning, and eat off of all week. Also, it's generally 4 Weight Watchers points per 1/8 of the quiche. Just in case you were wondering.