oatmeal

After cursing that the OC had been replaced by a baseball game, I went on my computer to drown my sorrows in ones and zeros. I discovered a new food blog and decided that I was going to make this recipe for breakfast the next day. The idea of baked oatmeal sounded amazing and I like that it was referred to as "breakfast cake". Sorry for the blurred photos. Sometimes, I just don't want to re-take a photo.

Here is the recipe as it appeared: (my notes are below)

Baked Oatmeal
Serves 2-3

2 cups lowfat milk
1 cup water
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup dried fruit of your choice [I used raisins and cherries]
½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped [or walnuts, or almonds]
1 t. cinnamon
1-2 pieces fresh fruit, peeled, pitted, and sliced [I used a nectarine, but this would work equally well with plums, apples, pears, apricots…]

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a small rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

Combine milk, water, extracts, and sugar in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine oats, dried fruit, nuts, and cinnamon. Pour in the liquid and stir, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the sliced fruit and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired [I didn’t, but I think it might look pretty]. Bake for ½ hour, or until all liquid is absorbed. Serve with additional milk.

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* Both Cornelius and I loved this recipe and no doubt we'll make it again. I don't use a nonstick spray and just lightly greased the pan with butter, which didn't alter the flavour at all. Dang! I used a granny smith apple (mmmm, tart!) which was delicious and next time I'd love to try this with raspberries. We both found this a bit too sweet. It could be that I packed down the brown sugar, but next time I make this I will just use less. I also added a bit of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves cuz I love a bit of spiciness and it worked out well. Who knows, if the spirit moves you, mix in some canned pumpkin!