I remember spending the night with a friend, as a teenager, and coming to the breakfast table to find a bowl of wall paper paste…okay it looked, felt and smelled like the paste my mom used to hang wallpaper. Come to find out, that mush was Cream of Wheat. I choked down a little of it and stirred it around for the rest of the time.
Fast-forward about 5 years to college. My roommates were buying boxes of Quaker Oats in the variety pack- you know: Cinnamon Apple, Maple Syrup, and Brown Sugar. And I tried it. And I liked it okay. Not enough to make that the mainstay of my daily breakfast- my favorite meal of the day! But I didn’t gag and the flavor helped to redeem my Cream of Wheat incident.
Then fast-forward about 10 more years and I’m standing in line at Fido Coffee Shop and I see a big bowl filled with creamy oats and fruit pass by in a server’s hand and I say “Ooh! That looks delicious”. And I had to taste for myself. So I ordered myself a bowl and it was indeed delicious! Creamy oats, topped with a generous sprinkling of dark brown sugar, and a mound of sliced strawberries, bananas and raisins. Now that’s what I call Oatmeal! I fell in love. And ever since, I have been making bowls of creamy oats with loads of toppings!
The possibilities are limitless. You can top oatmeal with all kinds of fresh and dried fruits and nuts. Go crazy, get creative!
When I need a hearty beginning to the day, this is my go-to meal. I have my daughters hooked too. Currently brown sugar is their only essential topping. I even ate oatmeal for dinner when my dear friend Catherine (Catherine of Salsa fame) came to town recently. We were having a late night meal and decided oatmeal would be nice, and you know, it made for a lovely winter snack-supper. Or perhaps it was the company that made the meal seem so enjoyable.
After all, as my refrigerator magnet says,
I have tried many different varieties of oats and cooking methods in order to find my favorite. I encourage you to do so too. It seems there is much debate on what makes the best oatmeal. I have tried Quaker Oats and generic/store-brand, Old Fashioned and Instant; as well as Steel Cut Oats. I have cooked them on the stove top and in the microwave; with water and with a portion of milk. There are pros and cons to each.I think my favorite is Old Fashioned Oats with a couple of tablespoons of wheat germ added, made on the stove-top with part low-fat milk and part water (which makes them just the right amount of creamy), topped with brown sugar, dried cranberries, walnuts and diced bananas. I mean, with those toppings, even wallpaper paste might actually taste pretty great!
What's your favorite way to do Oatmeal?