Sometimes, you just have to do what the voices in your head tell you to do……

Everybody has weird dreams, right?  The other night, I dreamed of Scottish Oatmeal – don’t ask me why; I’ve only heard of the stuff (maybe it was hearing my father-in-law talk about eating steel-cut oats for breakfast.  Who knows?).  I couldn’t shake this dream, so when I woke up, I had to go looking for recipes.

Now, mind you, I have never been a huge fan of oatmeal – it looks a little too much like the paste we used to use in Kindergarten, and I’ve always thought that it has about the same consistency as papier mache.

 Is it Oatmeal……..or……..Papier Mache?

And when I was growing up, my mother was perpetually on Weight Watchers, which meant that we always had margarine and skim milk on our oatmeal. I didn’t have a clue what “the good stuff” – butter and cream – tasted like until many, many years later (thank you, Food Channel!).

Thanks to the Internet, all kinds of recipes are available, and I’ve learned over the years to pick and choose the stuff that I like best.  With all of the blogs out there, I am able to get honest opinions from other people who have tried out these recipes, get hints from them as to what worked (and more importantly what didn’t!), and see pictures of the finished product.

Yesterday, I discovered Baked Oatmeal.

Amish Baked Oatmeal – Heaven in a Pan…..

So THIS is what oatmeal is supposed to taste like! It’s like a little bit of culinary Heaven to start off your morning, and trust me – once you’ve had this, you’ll never go back to what you’ve become accustomed to calling “oatmeal” again.

The recipe that I decided to try allows you to mix up all of the ingredients the night before, and let everything sit in the refrigerator overnight (this allows the oatmeal to become nice and soft).  The next morning, you just take it out, stir it up, and bake it.  Let everyone add their favorite toppings, and enjoy!  If you have any leftovers, they can be refrigerated and heated up in the microwave later on in the week.

A couple of dabs of butter, dried cranberries, toasted almonds, a little bit of brown sugar and a drizzle or two of real cream….

We had company this weekend, so they were my guinea pigs (they are family, so I figured it would be OK….).  Our 12-year-old visitor went back for seconds, so I guess it was good -our guests liked it enough to ask for the recipe before they left to go back home!

The recipe says that it will serve 6 people – but if you use cream instead of milk, it is so rich that just a little will fill you up and keep your tummy satisfied until lunchtime.  This recipe made enough for 8 very satisfying servings; we had enough left over for Paul to take to work for 2 more mornings this week – if he manages to get to them before anyone else does….

I’m in UR fridge, calling UR name…..

Amish Baked Oatmeal

“This recipe came from an old Amish cookbook. It tastes like an oatmeal cookie. It stores well in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave and served with milk. This has to sit overnight, so plan accordingly. It is well worth the wait, however!”

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon nutmeg or 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1/2 teaspoon of each – tasted great!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk – (I used heavy cream instead; it came out nice and rich)
3 cups oatmeal (regular or quick)

Directions:
Melt butter.
Grease 1 1/2 quart baking dish and drop in eggs and beat well (I just mixed everything up in a mixing bowl and poured it into the baking dish before refrigerating it).
Add brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, no lumps.
Whisk in butter and milk (or cream), then add oats.
Stir well, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-45 min, or until set in the middle.
Serve hot with warm milk (or cream) poured over; add favorite toppings as desired.

This is how you know that a recipe is a success…..