Back to Basics: Oatmeal

I know it might seem pedestrian for my very first post to be about oatmeal. Oh, stop it with the gagging and barfing sound effects. Oatmeal is very misunderstood, mostly because it's been bastardized for convenience into small packets of dust that quickly turn to little mounds of gooey paste when you add liquid. Most people who "hate" oatmeal, my husband included, have only known the instant goop version of this fabulous breakfast food. I encourage you to give it another day in court. Only this time, buy REAL oats and make it from scratch. (Steel cut oats - or Irish Oats - are the best, however, they do take a little longer to cook. But if you have the time, do it!)

I made the following batch one morning while staying at my parent's house in Washington. My mom didn't have the steel cut oats, but luckily she did have just regular oats. My recipe - and I use that word loosely because there's really only one way to make oatmeal i.e. boil water and/or milk and add oats - is a take on Ina Garten's Sunday Morning Oatmeal.


1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oats
brown sugar, maple syrup, sliced bananas, dried cherries or cranberries, chopped walnuts - basically anything your little heart desires.
ground flax seed or tbsp flax seed oil - *optional

I didn't have the flax seed on hand, but it does add a delish nutty hint, and it's way super good for your heart, so I highly recommend getting some. Now, this isn't rocket science. You bring the milk and water to simmer, add the oats, let it all cook for about five minutes (longer for smoother oatmeal).

Then you add all the yummies - my favs being brown sugar and bananas.

I know what you're going to say next. You don't have time in the morning to make it from scratch. My response would be to re-read the above paragraph. Five minutes, folks. Okay, add on another two to get the water/milk simmering. But still. You're already boiling water for the instant goo, right? Oh, you have to eat a particular kind of instant oatmeal because it's recognized by Weight Watchers, or because the little blurb on the box promises it has less sugar or will lower your cholesterol better than any other? Come on, think about it. ANYTHING you make from scratch is going be to a bazillion times better than what comes in a box because YOU are controlling the ingredients. You want low sugar, then use just a little bit of sweetener, or use agave nectar or honey or something that is naturally sweet. And unless you're using whole milk, it's naturally low-fat. And ALL oatmeal has cholesterol lowering abilities. They don't grow a special, magical oatmeal that is more potent. I'm no food scientist, but I'd be inclined to say that making it from scratch would retain more of the nutrients that using instant anyway. But above all...homemade oatmeal is YUMMY. I promise.

Well...unless you're like my husband, who still, after tasting my fabulous oatmeal creations, still shakes his head and goes, "meh...still tastes like mush". If you still feel that way after making it from scratch, then you have my permission to make all the gagging barfing sounds you want!