in praise of porridge....

[mike_c]

I'm making oatmeal for the week. I've never tried doing it this way-- I love it for breakfast when it's made from steel cut oats, not rolled oats, but I never have time-- or the inclination-- to cook oats most mornings. The plan is to cook it this afternoon, then refrigerate it and pull out a bowl every morning for a quick pass through the microwave. I don't like to cook it from scratch in the microwave because it's so messy. Here's how I like my oats:

McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oats, cooked according to the directions on the can (1 part oats, 4 parts water, a pinch of salt, simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently).

Fruit topping:

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries
1 Tbsp Splenda (or just use sugar if you prefer)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the fruit, splenda, and vanilla in a dish and microwave until the berries are tender and release their juice, about 2 minutes or so. Stir.

Top a hot bowl of oats with the fruit topping and a few Tbsp of heavy cream.

[murphymom]

1. Sounds delicious

There used to be a breakfast place here in town that had the best oatmeal. I wish I knew exactly how they cooked it - I think it was rolled oats rather than steel-cut, but the grains kept a more distinct shape and it wasn't the usual mushy goo. They served it with chopped nuts, roasted sunflower seeds and raisins on the side.

Funny thing is, ever since I was a kid I've liked oatmeal (and hot cereal generally) with salt, pepper and a pat of butter rather than sweet. On the other hand, my husband likes to take leftover rice from dinner and eat it for dessert with milk, sugar and cinnamon. To each his own...

[Tab]

2. As a rule, I've always hated oatmeal

and any kind of mushy stuff like that, but at some point I tried the Silver Palate Oatmeal with Rolled Oats, and thought it was just great. I usually have it in the winter, and I like to put a little salt and a LOT of pepper in it (and when I could get them, blueberries).

To this day, it's the only kind I actually like.

[mike_c]

3. I utterly despise pasty Quaker style rolled oats...

...but cut oats have some tooth left, which makes all the difference for me. I like the taste better, too-- rolled oats are just stepped on too much for my taste.

[fortyfeetunder]

6. Another steel cut convert

I just bought a container this summer, and the texture and taste rocked. I sprinkle a few slivered almonds with some NF half and half and a tsp of maple syrup. mmmmmmm. No more of the rolled oats for me!!!

[yellowdogintexas]

9. Silver Palate Thick and Rough Oatmeal rocks!

I make it in the microwave while I am showering. By the time I am done, the oatmeal is cool enough to eat without blistering my mouth.


My method:

3/4 cup oats (this is the American Heart Association recommended amount)
1 and 1/2 cups water
some salt
some brown sugar
some extra light olive oil. (really)
cinnamon if I am in the mood for it.


Use a container that is deep enough to prevent boiling over. I use giant latte cups, corning 1 1/2 quart casserole dishes, 4 cup pyrex measuring cups, whatever works. Using a deep container helps prevent the mess.

stir everything together and microwave 5 minutes at 80 % power.

Perfect perfect thick oatmeal.

I usually take it in the car with me and eat it while I am waiting for the traffic light before I get on the freeway (it is a long long light)
or in the parking lot after I get to work.

Oatmeal holds heat a long time, and this stuff is actually good cool.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

12. You eat oatmeal in your car?

Oatmeal with olive oil? I've never heard of that. Is this a "heart-healthy" idea someone came up with?

It might be a lot better for anyone's heart, I think, to eat breakfast in a more relaxed setting. That can't be good for anyone's health, eating in the car or in a parking lot.

But, hey, I'm Italian, and we see every food matter as a celebration, so maybe that's just my perspective. Probably accounts for the really low incidence of heart disease in my countrymen, as well.

I just can't get over that notion of olive oil in oatmeal.

[yellowdogintexas]

14. extra light olive oil. It has a light buttery taste, and just tastes

good.

Yes I eat it in the car, when I hit this really long light. Then there is another one I hit later so if I have any left, I eat some there.

I love a long relaxed breakfast too, but most mornings the oatmeal is too hot to just sit down and eat before I leave home and I don't have time to wait for it to cool. So it it oatmeal to go.

It is very thick, so no dribbles or anything, and it has a very robust flavor.

Yes the olive oil is considered heart healthy.

I have my very large serving of oatmeal calibrated at 6 weightwatchers points.

[Shakespeare]

4. Yum! I use Trader Joe's dried blueberries and walnut pieces....

....with a little honey or brown sugar mixed in (and milk or cream, but of course). GOOD stuff.

[mtnester]

13. That's it! I am going to Trader Joe's

We have a newer store that I have to drive a little to, and have been a little too lazy to get to. It is cold and rainy this weekend, so no massive yard work, so I am takin the day trip.

I always wanted to like oatmeal, but never have. Maybe I will retry steel cuts oats.

I will admit to using the Quaker stuff. With all the other finer ingredients I have in my house, I do not know why I never went another direction on oats.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

5. McCann's made the night before

Microwaved in the a.m. with Irish butter and Vermont maple syrup.

Winter mornings. We ski all day on that breakfast.

[grasswire]

7. one winter....

...I ate a bowl of oatmeal every night before bed, and my cholesterol lowered noticeably! I've forgotten to do it the last couple of years, though.

What I really love is to make Cream of Wheat with milk instead of water and then eat it with half and half and sugar. But that's a rare treat.

[livetohike]

8. Dried cranberries and some toasted slivered almonds

and some Rice Dream :-). Add the cranberries to the water as it boils. Slivered almonds on top.

[Dora]

10. Toasted steel-cut oatmeal with dried fruit

I melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in my heavy two-quart soup pot.

Throw in two fistfuls of steelcut oatmeal, then stir it around until all of it is nicely buttered. Then I leave it on medium heat until I can smell it toasting, then I stir it up until it seems like most of the oatmeal has changed color (ranging from light golden to dark brown).

Add two cups of water and a handful or two of small or chopped dried fruit (raisins, apples, mango, blueberries, mixed). Stir it up, turn the heat down to lowish, and put a lid on it, venting.

Check it every few minutes, adding water if necessary.

I love this warmed with cold vanilla yogurt on top. I keep a container of this in the office fridge for a mid-day snack.

Yums.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. OH!

That sounds so good, I can't wait to try it.

Oh, does that sound good! And we always keep the best dried fruit around - blueberries, cranberries, bananas, papaya, mango, pineapple - so that really, really appeals.

Thank you so much for this.