Oatmeal...oh how I love thee

With my attempt to cook more meals from our home came the decision to also make breakfast. Typically hubby and daughter do cold cereal. I'm more of a toast person (many gluten free cold cereals are the equivalent of chopped up cardboard, I prefer toast which is closer to a sheet of cardboard, cough.) There had to be something better that still didn't take a lot of time.

I started my new little obsession with a little package of Uncle Bob's rolled oats. My first attempt was a bowl of oats made in the microwave. They were ok, but nothing special. I put on my big girl pants and allowed for a bit more time in the morning and made the stovetop version. Now we were getting somewhere. The difference between oatmeal microwaved and oatmeal cooked on the stovetop is like the difference in a baked potato microwaved and one cooked in the oven. No comparison. This was definitely worth the extra time. We loved it so much I was buying lots of those little bags of oatmeal and realized it was time to look for a bulk order. I searched around and purchased 50 pounds of organic oats from More Than Alive (um, no affiliate links, no idea how to even do that). I had to get my husband to help me, but we divided them into 3 5 gallon buckets and installed gamma lids. I did make sure to date them, but I think at the rate we are going through the bucket, it probably won't matter.

It is hard to explain, but after opening this bag of oats we will never go back to Quaker or any other brand at Kroger. They smell completely different, it was a wonderful, I am ready to cook you smell. After quite a bit of practice, and we won't even discuss how many boil overs and burnt oats later, this is my routine. Nothing earth shattering, did I not mention that I am a home cook with training wheels?

Do not use a pot that is too small, you will end up cleaning lots of boiled over messes. My favorite pot to use is my dutch oven. It weighs a ton, but I love this thing and I have yet to have a boil over. It does nothing however to stop the oats from burning, ahem.

I start by adding the water in a 2:1 ratio. Typically I make 3 cups of oats, so I will add 6 cups of water to the pot. You were dazzled by my mad math skills weren't you?

When this comes to a boil, add in your oats. In my case, this was 3 cups. (I do not add salt, but I think some do)

Once I add them to the pot, I give them a stir and then glance at the clock. I cook mine for about 10 minutes. If I remember, I will give them a stir while they are cooking. Once that time is up I add lots of cinnamon, some sucanat and vanilla extract. It smells like an oatmeal cookie, yum!

Give your add-ins a good stir and then put the lid on your pot and leave it for a few minutes. If I were a better blogger I would have a pretty picture of the finished oatmeal in the bowl. But I ate it. Sorry!

Anyone else out there getting their daily oats?