by Chris Horst | Jan 24, 2010 | Blog |
It’s a recipe with basic ingredients, an unoriginal name, and a standard appearance. Yet, this recipe can take away the sting of my alarm clock (a feat) when it’s on the breakfast menu. I married into this recipe. I never thought to ask Chris which recipes he would bring to marriage, so you could say I lucked out… I did well.
* Proof that I’m speaking the truth: In the process of writing this post, I decided to prep a batch for tomorrow morning. As it sat on the counter, I decided I might as well have it for dinner. Currently, I have an empty bowl, scraped clean, sitting beside me.
The recipe: baked oatmeal
3/4 c applesauce (or oil)
1 1/2 c sugar (I often use some combination of honey, brown, and/or white sugar)
4 eggs
6 c oatmeal
4 t baking powder
2 t salt
2 c milk
- Mix first three ingredients.
- Add oatmeal, baking powder, salt and milk.
- Mix well and pour into 9×13 pan.
- Bake 350 for 30 minutes.
It’s a forgiving recipe (my favorite kind). So feel free to improvise. We love ours served hot in a bowl with milk poured on top. Sometimes we add fruit, sometimes I forget ingredients, sometimes I try it with agave nectar. Regardless, it always tastes delicious. Try it today.
(Alli)
by Chris Horst | Dec 19, 2009 | Blog |
Two years ago I tasted my first batch of Whirley-Pop popcorn. Crisp, airy, fresh, natural–delicious. My life changed in profound ways that day. It’s hard to look back on what life was like when my only popcorn option was the buttery, artificially-flavored and salt-saturated “popcorn product” birthed out of a microwavable bag. It should have made sense to me a long time ago. Why should I expect a prepackaged handful of kernels coated in artificial butter and zapped by high frequency radio waves to produce a quality product?
I try not to beat myself up over the countless microwaved bags of popcorn I ate before my introduction (i.e., conversion) to Whirley Pop. Microwavable popcorn is convenient…and it doesn’t taste terrible. I guess, in a sense, my rocky popcorn past is comparable to my friends who are committed Cubs’ fans. They’ve never tasted the joy of being a Phillies fan so why should I expect them to understand how completely inferior their fanhood truly is? Allow yourself to savor this kernel of truth: Once you taste a fresh-made batch of stovetop popcorn, you will never, ever go back.
Reasons we love our Whirley Pop enough to spend the time to blog about it…it is:
- Delicious & healthy. To reiterate, this is the best popcorn you’ll eat. Your mouth and your digestive system will thank you.
- Inexpensive. Trust me, in the long run, it will save you money. The upfront popper costs (~$20-25) are satiated by the money you save by buying kernels in bulk. It essentially pays for itself.
- Customizable. Like kettle corn? No problem. Think popcorn’s better with cheddar? Done. Stressed because you need a show-stopping party mix? Let your Whirley Pop help.
- Fun for kids. We do this with our neighbor kids all the time. They love spinning the popper. Imagine having that “Christmas morning joy” every time you bust out the Whirley Pop.
- Hip. We’ve found people that see our Whirley Pop genuinely like us more. We often hear comments like, “Oh wow — you’re a Whirley Pop couple?” and, “You two really seem to be ‘living the dream.'” It’s true. We are.
(Chris)
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For those that don’t know how it works, it’s a very simple process:
- Turn your stovetop burner on high.
- Add 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (yellow or white) and 1 Tbsp oil to your Whirley Pop.
- Put your Whirley Pop on the hot coils and spin till the popping subsides.
- Pour the hot, delicious morsels into a bowl of your choice and enjoy.
- Wipe out the Whirley Pop with a paper towel.
- Just like that…you’re done. Done making popcorn…and done with that microwavable stuff.
by Chris Horst | Oct 21, 2009 | Blog |
It would be inappropriate to kick off this series (“We love…”) with anything other than Southwest Airlines. Alli and I hold a deep, perhaps excessive, love of Southwest Airlines. But really, what’s not to love?
We both fly often. A few years ago we began recognizing that our flight experiences with Southwest were markedly different, in a good way, than our flights with other airlines. The whole process, from purchase to deplaning, was smoother–and even enjoyable. Our lauding should not come as a surprise. There is a reason SWA has posted a profit for 36 consecutive years (in a deeply struggling industry) and has hosted more customers than any other US airline since 2006. A recent poll (Oct 16, 2009) by Consumer Traveler echoed our feelings:
Here are a few reasons why Southwest has become like family:
- Flight attendants with personality. They are often funny, and they don’t take themselves too seriously. Here’s an example from a recent flight. “And for you, sir, hot pancakes and bacon for your in-flight breakfast meal.” – flight attendant, while handing me a bag of peanuts.
- They perform miracles. About a month ago, while traveling from Denver to the Dominican Republic (with a one-day stopover in Philadelphia), I mistakenly forgot my passport in Denver. To make a very long-story short, the Southwest crew agreed to voluntarily carry and deliver my passport to me. No other airline was willing. There was no reason for them to oblige, but they did. If they hadn’t, I would have been forced to skip the trip I was leading to the DR. Above-and-beyond.
- No seating chart. This speeds up the boarding process significantly. No looking at boarding passes while finding seats. No lag while first class passengers board. No inefficiencies. Love it.
- No bag fees. Thank you, SWA, for not nickle-and-diming me. This has many positive repercussions. For instance, passengers don’t try and carry-on six bags, resulting in the overhead bins filling up to capacity by the time the first wave of passengers has boarded.
- Cheap fares. It’s uncommon to find better fares. When you add in all the fees other airlines charge, it’s extremely rare to find better fares.
- They provide lifetime free flights to customers who write blog posts about why they love Southwest.*
*This has not yet been verified, but we’re hopeful.
