Early this morning, while listening to Yasmin Kahn describe making oatmeal with cardamom and rosewater, on the Milk Street Radio podcast, episode 513, “Eric Ripert and the Art of Cooking Vegetables,” I decided to try it. Although I’ve been playing around with oatmeal for years, adding in one or more of the following: dried cherries, brown sugar, maple syrup, toasted pecans, and/or almonds, I haven’t ventured much beyond those basics. Luckily, I had cardamom and rosewater in the pantry. I added some chopped dried apricots and pistachios (thinking they’d be happy with with the cardamom and rosewater), then finished it off with a dab of butter and a drizzle of honey. Even though I used a multigrain cereal with quinoa and flaxseed, this was a lovey breakfast. It smelled heavenly and tasted wonderful. I can’t wait to make it for my mom and dad, serious oatmeal eaters!

By the way, if you love cooking gadgets, gear and unique pantry staples, check out the new King Arthur Flour (KAF) catalog! I ordered some things online so I must be on the mailing list now. While it isn’t a big catalog, just 67 pages, it is full of wonderful things, including a few recipes. I’m intrigued by the Vermont Boiled Cider and the Fiori di Sicilia, a flavoring that’s a combination of citrus and vanilla. Some of the cocoa blends sound interesting too. There are also some wonderful pieces of bakeware and a folding bread proofer I’d love to have. I should probably circle my favs and let my hubby know I’d be happy with any of them for Christmas. It isn’t that far away, right? Of course, you can always shop online if you don’t have a catalog, just visit their online shop here.

Now let’s talk about yesterday. I caved into my daughter’s repeated requests to go to Barrios, a new-ish “taco” restaurant downtown. They offer three menus: Specials, Barrio’s standard tacos and a build-your-own taco(s). We ordered a couple cocktails (my house margarita was very good) and chips with salsa and the special “Elote” queso, to start. I have to say, I’ve had so much bad queso dip in my life, that I never expect anything special from restaurant quesos. But my daughter ordered it, I wouldn’t have. So what a nice surprise to have really good queso. We even placed a second order. The salsa was also quite good. We ordered several tacos, one from the Barrio’s menu and three build-your-own, and we were quite happy with our food. It was a nice change from cooking at home, and I enjoyed hanging out with my daughter. However, I won’t be making a habit of going out to eat while we’re home. I’m still committed to cooking at home as much as possible. If we’re out of town, it can’t be helped.

P.S. On my post yesterday, I mentioned my intention to turn the leftover, horribly bland stuffed cabbage rolls, into a delicious soup, and that’s just what I did. I minced some onion, green bell pepper and a couple cloves of garlic, before sauteing in some light olive oil, in a large pot. Then I added the chopped up stuffed cabbages, some kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Heated it all though and what a difference! Excellent stuffed cabbage soup, almost a stew, waaay better than the original rolls. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could save every flop? If only.