New Oven

My new-old oven was installed last weekend! What a difference, right? Since my house was built in the mid-70’s and they don’t make ovens exactly the size of my old one anymore, getting the new oven in was more difficult than anticipated. I expected problems, but not problems requiring major cabinet surgery. So I hired a handyman, and thanks to him and my wonderful dad, the oven is in AND my cabinets and drawers are still intact. I’m relieved that it’s all over!

Since I was out of town last weekend visiting friends, I didn’t have a chance to use the new oven until last night. It is SUCH a pleasure to work with. The digital readouts are so handy, the light comes on automatically when you open the door, and if you set the timer, the oven turns itself off when the time is up. I’m pretty sure it has more features that I haven’t discovered yet. I’m looking forward to lots of baking in the months and years to come.

The whole unit was really filthy when I bought it, but Easy-Off cooktop cleaner and oven cleaner took care of most of the yuckiness. One of the burners is a little scarred, but I’m told there’s a really heavy-duty product or procedure that can fix that too. I’ll share if it works!

Here’s what I made to inaugurate the oven!

(Yes, my muffin tin is icky. It gets so much use that I have a hard time getting all the gunk off.
I welcome cleaning tips.)

Blueberry Flax Muffins
Slightly adapted from Chef Meg of Sparkrecipes. Makes 12 muffins, about 140 calories each.

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup brown sugar (can substitute Splenda if desired)
1 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F and prepare your muffin tin(s).

2. In a small bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Let stand at room temperature for five minutes. If you prefer a lighter, crunchier muffin, you can skip this step.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt (and oats if skipping step 2). Mix with a fork or whisk and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine egg, applesauce, and brown sugar (and buttermilk if skipping step 2). Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for three minutes. Blend in oat-buttermilk mixture, if applicable.

5. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, and sprinkle flaxseed on top of each muffin.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

About Brenda

Mom to a preschooler with T1D. Paralegal. Swiftie. Xennial. Grizzlies and Tigers. Pilates and Peloton. Books and fanfic. 901 / 305 View all posts by Brenda →