Baked Oatmeal

This is a post I never thought I'd write.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a fan of oatmeal. I never ate it growing up, maybe when I was a baby (Mom, can you weigh in on that?) but as far back as I can remember it wasn't a breakfast choice for me. SP happens to love it and my friend Melissa has raved and raved about this Baked Oatmeal forever so I finally decided I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The verdict - I'm still not a fan of oatmeal. This makes me really sad, actually. I wanted to like this. I even tried it a few different ways, discussing the options with Melissa before finally deciding that maybe oatmeal isn't my thing. I've run into this a few other times in my life with thing such as hot dogs and pineapple. I desperately wanted to like hot dogs but every time I'd try them my taste buds said no thanks. Same deal with pineapple. Then I got pregnant and couldn't get enough of pineapple - it was, and still is, so darn good - and after having Baby Girl I finally started liking hot dogs. Oatmeal, though, is going to be a work in progress.

SP, on the other hand, declared this the best oatmeal he's ever eaten. His actual words were "out of this [bleeping] world." So I know it's me and not the recipe, which is apparently amazing and should be made and enjoyed by any oatmeal lover out there. I'll be making this once a week for the foreseeable future so he can enjoy it for breakfast during the week. He's already asked me about adding raisins or dried fruit. At least it's an incredibly simple dish to put together and easy for him to heat and eat at work.

Baked Oatmeal
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen, originally from Foodie with Family

2 tablespoons butter
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (do not substitute quick or instant or steel cut oats)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350�F. Place the 2 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch x 8-inch or 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and let the butter melt as the oven heats. (Don�t forget it�s in there. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven or the butter may scorch.)

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, pour over the dry ingredients and mix together with a sturdy spoon or spatula until everything is evenly combined and wet. Scrape into the pan with the melted butter and stir until most of the butter is incorporated.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool and package in air-tight containers stored in the fridge.

To serve - combine oatmeal with 1/3-1/2 cup of water or milk, heat in the microwave for 1 minute. You can drop in some dried blueberries, dried cranberries or sliced banana and put the lid back on for a few minutes to soften the fruit. I've also served it with vanilla yogurt, sliced banana and a few chocolate chips.