I Don't Like Porridge!

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I won't touch porridge with a ten foot pole.... Yes, I call it porridge and not oatmeal or hot cereal.  Porridge is all of the hot cereals... oatmeal, cream of wheat or sunny boy. YUCK! I cringe even writing them down who could eat those lumps smothered in milk.  Not me that is for sure but maybe the reason that I don't like oatmeal is because it was made for dad when he went to work and I think he left even before the cows needed milking... and the pot usually stayed on the stove until the rest of us got up and it was LUMPY! Cream of wheat was the same story and Sunny Boy... who could eat something that was brown and had mouse droppings in it... Well that is what it looked like to me (and sorry if I offended anyone).   So, I learnt to sleep in and jump out of bed just in time to get ready and head of to school with my mom saying... You should eat your porridge it will stick to your bones.  Anyone looking at me knows that porridge wasn't the only thing that stuck to my bones.

I do eat breakfast now as I know that it is important for a person but I still won't eat porridge.  I do make it once in awhile for my husband but I can't eat it.  I have seen many recipes for baked oatmeal and this past week I decided to try and to my surprise I liked it.... Funny thing, though my husband wasn't to keen on it, he thought that it should be crunch... HIM, who loves his porridge smothered in evaporated milk and condensed milk, thought it wasn't crunchy enough.  I found this recipe from At Home In The Kitchen and decided to try it... YUM! So good and tasty and good for you too.

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberry Sauce and Peaches

adapted from At Home In The Kitchen

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (melted) or margarine

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, add brown sugar, butter and eggs, mix thoroughly.  Add milk, baking powered, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, mix well.  Add oatmeal and dried cranberries.  Pour in parchment-lined or greased 9 x 9 pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven until golden brown and firm to the touch.  Serve with fruit.

For the blueberry sauce, I placed blueberries (didn't measure ~ approx 1/2 cup) in sauce pan with small amount of water (again didn't measure ~ approximately 1 tsp).  Bring to a boil until thickening.  Thicken with 1 tsp corn starch if needed.  You could also add sugar to taste ~ I didn't add any as they were sweet enough.

I served mine with slices of peaches and the blueberry sauce. 

 The leftover I cut up in bars for a later date or even for a quick breakfast on the run.

Enjoy!

til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys