I love oatmeal...not the instant kind or even the quick-cooking stuff...but real steel-cut oatmeal that has to cook for 30 minutes on the stove - but seriously, who has time for that?!? Needless to say, I rarely get real oatmeal.
This recipe intrigued me for two reasons - one, it is baked, which would free me up to do other things, like unload the dishwasher or paint my nails - always a tough call....and it said the oatmeal tasted like a "warm-from-the-oven" oatmeal cookie...now, how could I resist that? Besides, oatmeal, as we all know from every other television commercial, is good for us! It lowers our cholesterol (if eaten non-stop for thirty days) and it helps promote "regularity"....I'll let you think on that....
When I poured this into the 9-inch x 13-inch pan the recipe called for I knew it would be thin - there is not much batter, but think cookie and all will be well.
I was in third grade, so probably about 8 years old and one morning before school my mom was standing over me telling me I couldn't leave until my oatmeal was gone....that was when I thought oatmeal was poison...so I put a tiny spoonful into my mouth and tried to choke it down - that's when the dry heaving started...after a few spasms my mom caved, removed the nasty bowl of oatmeal and sent me off to school - where I recounted my horrible experience to anyone who would listen. Okay, my walk down memory lane is over and I'll spare you the details of how I came to love oatmeal as it's as exciting as my third grade experience.....
This oatmeal only rises up to about 3/4's of an inch - so it's pretty thin and it's not gooey, as you might expect, but crumbly and almost dry... it is good - it's sort of chewy - not a lot though, and has a little crunch on the top. You serve it with milk, brown sugar and fruit - just like you would regular oatmeal, but because of the cookie consistency, it's just different enough to make the making of it worth while.
Pop this in the oven, paint your nails, and by the time they're dry your oatmeal will be ready!
Amish Baked Oatmeal - from Taste of Home on-line
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
warm milk
fresh fruit and/or brown sugar to top, optional
Combine the first 8 ingredients; mix well. Spread evenly in a buttered 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately spoon into bowls; add warm milk. Top with fruit and/or brown sugar if desired. Makes 6 servings.
....."To eat is human; to digest, divine." Charles T. Copeland.....
