What's for Breakfast?

 What to eat for breakfast?

Our traditional breakfast is yogurt and homemade, oven-baked granola, but during the time we have been in transition, this was not an option because we had no oven.  Cooked oatmeal was a wholesome, nutritious alternative.  At 17% daily value for protein, the grain is relatively high in protein as well as fiber (16% dv), so it's a good choice for a breakfast food.

Cooked oatmeal is a traditional Scottish food.  Oats have long been grown in northerly regions, such as Scotland, because the oat plants grow well in cold climates with short growing seasons.

The normal preparation process is simple enough: put the oats into boiling water with a little salt.  Boil and stir for about five minutes, then remove from heat.  All very straightforward.  No reason to change it.

Except that for several months Sarah and I were floating among a potpourri of hotel rooms and AirBnBs with varying degrees of cooking apparatus available.  A few had stove-tops; most (but not all) had microwaves.  My first breakfast solution was to use the standard microwave process: combine the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, then cook on high for about 2 1/2 minutes.  This makes a stiffer, drier porridge, but it does work.  As things went on, however, we one morning found ourselves without a suitable bowl and, stranded while our truck was in the shop, no way to get one.

The solution I came up with was a variation of overnight oats, but a good deal faster.  I brought the water (with a pinch of salt) to a boil in individual cups, then stirred the oats in and let them stand for about twenty minutes.  The result was creamier than standard cooked oatmeal, and I found I preferred it.  So much so, that I've continued to use this technique unless there isn't enough time.  Five minutes stirring at the boil is faster.  Otherwise I am likely to stick with the new recipe.

So, how to make it?

I start with the usual proportion 2:1 water to oats, plus a little salt for each serving.  For the two of us, the recipe will look like this:

2 C water
Dash salt
1 C old-fashioned oats, any brand

Bring water and salt to boil.  Remove from heat and stir in oats thoroughly.  Cover and let stand between 17 and 25 minutes.  Stir again and serve in bowls.  Add butter, brown sugar, and milk or cream as desired.

The length of time you let the mixture stand will determine whether it is thicker or thinner.  A longer stand time will allow the oats to more fully absorb the cooking liquid.

If you like to include raisins in your oatmeal, this is an excellent way to prepare it.  The standing time will allow the dried raisins to plump up nicely.  Just be sure to add them at the start or, at latest, when you stir in the oats.

As for the butter, sugar, and milk, due to varying states of our larder en route, we have tried it with and without butter, with brown sugar and white, with and without milk.  Our preference is for butter, brown sugar, and milk; but it can be fairly palatable with just a topping of white sugar if that's what is available!

Have a bowl?

Plain...

...with butter and sugar added...

...and milk poured over (plus an added dollop of butter).

Good morning!

(Props included my vintage oak table, purchased from a resale store, and a bowl I made from unglazed red clay.