Oatmeal + the perfect mornings

The perfect mornings for me all seem to start out the same. First, there is no alarm, I awake because my body is fully rested. They usually occur on the weekends, where I feel no shame if the clock ticks past 10. I am slow to rise, usually checking my mom’s inspiration posts she has begun posting to Facebook.

I make my way to the kitchen where I pour myself a glass of lemon water and get a small piece of butter melting into my special oatmeal-dedicated stainless-steel pan (thanks to Manga for the birthday Target gift card last year!)

While the butter melts I pour in the oats, and slowly the kitchen is filled with a deep toasted nutty fragrance that I worry might wake Ryan up and ruin my lazy morning alone time.

I pour in the milk+ water, set the timer, and walk away.

Now I have 7 minutes to do whatever, this time usually involves setting up Pandora to Jack Johnson/Bahamas, and pulling the blinds to reveal the sun beams streaming into the kitchen.

Everything looks nice in those hours. I feel my best in the late mornings, there is a special quality to this time of day where I seem to get the most of my creative ideas.

Later, when the sun is overhead, and we are settling into the bulk of the day those ideas usually seem a little less coherent, as I read over the fast notes I took while cutting up the Berries to top the porridge.

Still, there is something perfect about the morning, and the light.

Strawberries and Cream Toasted Oatmeal

What makes this recipe, lightly adapted from Megan Gordon’s book; Whole Grain Mornings, is that the oats are toasted and then steamed which makes for a whole new kind of oatmeal. Quite honestly, the only kind I will ever make. The oats become fragrant and nutty, and they stay in form when steamed instead of turning into a pile of mush. I buy a small carton of strawberries weekly, based entirely on the fact that I know I will have this breakfast several times. You must make this recipe, once and it will become a family classic. Trust me.

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk

Toppings:
1/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Warm the butter in a medium saucepan with a lid, and when the butter begins to melt and turn light brown add the oats. Toast the oats in the butter for 3-4 minutes, while you get your liquid ingredients ready.

add the milk and water, and quickly place the lid on the pot. Turn to low heat, and set a timer for 7 minutes. Walk away. Get the berries and cream ready, or any other topping.

When the timer rings, scoop out your oatmeal and enjoy the best breakfast ever.

Full disclosure: My mom is still not convinced that she likes oatmeal at all, even after this recipe. But she is the only known person afflicted with this seriously crazy condition.