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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Old Fashioned Oatmeal

As I've mentioned before, my usual breakfast consists of two muffins. Occasionally, especially on the weekends, I like to mix it up and have something different. If my husband has anything to do with it, those weekend breakfasts are very traditional and involve eggs, sausage and toast. Unfortunately, he's not a big fan of baked goods. I have a slew of carbohydrate-rich breakfasts that would make my day, but I try not to overwhelm him with pancakes, waffles, scones, and cinnamon rolls too often.

Interestingly enough, serving oatmeal had never crossed my mind... until the other day when he was nice enough to indulge my soft-serve craving at McDonald's. He noticed that they are now serving oatmeal. The end result of that conversation was that I maybe had another option for our weekend breakfasts. Today was the day to give it a try!

I made an old fashioned oatmeal, meaning I used old fashioned oats. I like my oatmeal to have a little substance to it and not be like glue. Making oatmeal yourself at home is so easy, I'm not really sure why you would ever need those little packets of "instant" oatmeal. Plus, your options for toppings are so much more varied and naturally delicious if you make it yourself.

I topped ours with my maple blueberry topping and some toasted almonds. The combination of flavors and textures was phenomenal!

Old Fashioned Oatmeal
Yield: 2 servings

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup old fashioned oats

Mix the water and milk in a sauce pan over medium to medium high heat. When the mixture starts to steam, add the oats and salt. Stir periodically until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the oats are softened but not mushy, about 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately (lest it become pasty) and top with your favorite accompaniments.