Welcome to post # 1! Without making any more of a bru-ha about it, I invite you to the blog that’s been far too long in the making (those who know, know), with a seasonally themed kick-off using blood oranges. And while oatmeal may come off as a bland beginning, the beauty of this grain is that it inherently has none, making it the perfect canvas to make art for your taste buds.

An easy weekend breakfast/brunch/snack, whathaveyou, for sure.

Ingredients

GROUP A: OATMEAL

• 1/2 cup plain oats (bump up by 1 - 2 tbsp if needed)

• 1 cup milk

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• Salt, to taste

GROUP C: GARNISHING

• 1 blood orange, halved (substitute: any variety of sweet orange)

• Blood orange juice

• 1 tbsp de-shelled pistachios

• 2 - 3 pitted dates

• 1/2 tsp chia seeds

Method

• Prep the garnishing: Squeeze out the juice from one half of the blood orange and set it aside. Slice the other half into thick sections and chop off the rinds from each slice. Roughly chop the dates and the pistachios.

• Cook the oatmeal.

  Option 1: Add all Group A ingredients to a microwave-safe bowl, mix well, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes in increments of 30 seconds, stirring well after every increment.

  Option 2: Boil the milk along with all the spices, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the oats and cook for 4 - 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

• Mix in half the blood orange juice with the cooked oatmeal. Transfer to a bowl and add the sliced blood orange, dates, and pistachios over it. Pour over the remaining juice and sprinkle the chia seeds on top.