I know it’s not “artisanally correct” of me, but I love instant oatmeal. I prefer the texture to quick oats, and while I love Irish steel-cut oatmeal, I don’t have time to wait 45 minutes for a hot breakfast. With instant, you just dump in your boiling water, add some trail mix or granola for texture, and there you go. However, it pains me to buy it — all that wasteful packaging (you can only buy it in those stupid single-serve packets for some reason) and the price is fully three times or more the price of bulk oats. Unless you make your own, of course. Read on… »

Q: I had some leftover apples, so I decided to make applesauce. It turned out OK, but I wonder if you have a recipe for it? And any recommendations on the best apples to use? Also, I wanted to avoid added sugar so I used ginger and nutmeg (because I didn’t have cinnamon). Any other ideas on seasoning?

This is the perfect time of year to make applesauce (or pie, or butter, or cider), as the markets are loaded with apples that aren’t perfect, autumnal, just-picked beauties, but we aren’t yet sick of them as we may be come spring. (For me, when the first berries appear, apples become but a distant memory until September). Also, the wintry months are ideal for all those dishes that naturally go with applesauce: potato pancakes, stuffed pork loin, noodle kugel, goose. Read on… »