Baked Oatmeal or Porridge Pudding

I'm a porridge lover, and most mornings (even in the summer) I have a hearty bowl of porridge, usually topped with fruit or yoghurt. Before making the porridge, I usually sprinkle into the oats a mix of spices (ginger, cinnamon) nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, ground linseed/flaxseed) and some dried fruit (sultanas or dates). The only thing about porridge is that it isn't instant, but I've saved off a few seconds by creating a 'magic mix' of the above spices, nuts and seeds, and by sometimes soaking the oats over night.

Hitting the (Apple) Sauce

As we’re going into Autumn here in New Zealand, apples have been cheaply priced and in cheerful abundance. I’ve been making stewed apple/apple sauce and freezing most of it to have on hand for later months.  Applesauce is fantastic on its own, with breakfast (oats, yoghurt=yum) in baking (pies, apple crumple, or as a replacement for butter in some muffin and cake recipes). It’s great hot or cold, and is super easy to make.