A Few days ago I made a posterous post about some of the things I like to eat in winter. Porridge and Apple. I love it!.
Well I was thinking about what to have this week for a treat as there was no plans to head out and to be honest, I really felt like cooking. Well, why not combine the two things. So I decided to make a nice little blog cooking post about what I’ve done this week. I was having a massive craving for something baked, warm and yummy.

So with that I show you a couple of recipes that I have made up, that I am sure everyone will love to consume and I am happy to share. The main recipe is for some Apple Compote which you can then use 2 ways to make things happier (although the 2nd part won’t be shown since I used up all the apples in the first part).

Apple Compote:

First off we start with some apples. This is a kilo of cooking apples that was picked up from the local green grocer for like $2 that was sitting around, so it was a good thing to use them up.

First step. Peel the apples (takes a bit of time)

Then we Cut, Slice & Core the apples, no need to be pretty, just get it done

With all the apples cut, we put it in the pot, add about ¼ cup of water to this

Pan to the stove, and collect some things to go in it. Agave Nectar, Ground Ginger & Cinnamon are what I love to put in there.

I then also like to throw in a handful of Sultanas as well

With everything now in the Pot

We give it a good stir

Put the lid on, and let it cook on medium high heat

Cook for about 10 mins or so, or until the apples are nice and soft & tender, don’t over cook though (like I did) as they will lose all their shape

With the apples now done. We can use these for a variety of dishes. My parents love to pair it with a bit of cake and some custard. Me, well one of my favourites is Apple Crumble. O yeah! A nice warm crunchy oaty apple crumble, with some plain vanilla ice cream. Now that’s something I can enjoy!

Not having made any crumble in a while, I googled around for a few ideas, but in the end just made it up. So in a bowl you place, 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup rolled oats, ¾ cup brown sugar, Some more cinnamon and a tablespoon or two of dessicated coconut. Throw in half a cup of melted butter and you have this:

Now I did something a little different before adding the butter. I mixed some Vanilla Bean Paste into the butter to help make the taste just stand out. Why Paste and not just Vanilla Extract. Well, I felt like being fancy, and the jar was getting low so might as well try and use it up!

So with Our Crumble Topping and our apples ready to go

Butter your dishes of choice. I picked these up at Myer for $6 each. Love em

And fill them about ¾ full with apple. For these dishes this was about 3 good spoons of apple

Pack on the Crumble Topping. Don’t be stingy. Just pack it on, be generous.

And here they are, ready for the Oven:

Last night though, as I made these individually it meant my parents could have theirs when they wanted theirs, and I could have mine when I wanted them. You need to really only heat these up and brown the crumble topping. You can leave them in the fridge overnight if you wish as they can be made ahead of time. When your ready, throw them in a Moderate oven (180c) for about 30 minutes until the apple is hot and the top looks nice and Golden Brown & Delicious.

Now for part 2. Normally I would take some of the apples every morning and have them with some yummy porridge for my breakfast. But I used them up making the apple crumble. But what I will show you is the same process. You can mix in any kind of fruit though you wish. I used a banana this morning but I have also used about ½ cup of the apples or even a cup of frozen berries.

First up, pretty simple requirements. Quick Oats & Water

Take ½ cup Oats, ¾ Cup Water & a tiny pinch of salt (used a little to much here, use less than that)

Stir to combine

Throw in the microwave for 90 seconds on the highest setting. Should come out something like this:

After 90 seconds, pull out, stir and back in she goes for another 90 seconds:

After this last 90 seconds it should look something like this:

With the cooked oats, they should be pretty thick.

Give them a good stir to mix it all in again. Throw in a splash of Milk (low fat of course) and stir to combine till its smooth.

It may take a little bit to start it off, as I do like my porridge thick, but of course you can add as much milk as you like to thin it out. This is where you add your fruit. Today, it’s a banana.

Stir again and there you have it. My favourite winter breakfast.

Now that I have shared this with you, why don’t you tell me what you like to eat during winter.