My name is Emily and I have a confession... I love food. Now, this blog series is called Fat Girl Kitchen so you might be saying "well duh!", but you would have the wrong idea. Let me clarify, I love how food brings people together. I have been a card carrying member of the Southern Lady brigade since I was old enough to operate a stove top. I don't know how to cook small, I cook with real butter, and I cook to show love. My spice cabinet is overflowing. I have so many condiments and sauces in my fridge the door squeaks when you open it. Is it your birthday? I'll bake you a cheese cake from scratch! Christmas Morning? Cinnamon Rolls from scratch! I truly believe that most problems can be solved with an open heart and a full belly.
One of the most important things we'll do in this kitchen is try out tasty recipes. So many people I've talked to say "I just use honey for my tea or pancakes." Well I'm here to show you that there are TONS ways you can use honey. From breakfast to dinner, sweet to savory, we'll experiment, taste test, and give commentary on all the recipes we can find. So throw on your stretchy pants and slap on your best Paula Dean smile, because I'm gonna share a recipe today that tastes like happiness!
Baked Oatmeal
I'm a mom, a part time college student (praise Jesus almost done), I work two jobs and have a husband who's a nurse that works weekend nights. To say our life is crazy would be an understatement. My theme song for the past three years has been "Almost There" from the Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog". After years of struggling to figuring out what works best for us, we have found that meal prep + easy makes the best combo. Now I will stand in the kitchen and make bread from scratch if I have the time and energy...but most days I need thirty minutes or less! On the bad days, you better find something to stick in the microwave because you're on your own. So if you're a fan of oatmeal, overnight oats, baked things, or just easy...today is your day!
One of my biggest pet peeves is when there's a novel before the recipe so I'm gonna buck the system and post my recipe first. Here we go...
STEP ONE
Take the dishes out of your oven and preheat that bad boy to 350 degrees. Then gather up your ingredients. For a single batch of baked oats you will will need the following:
3 Cups Rolled Oats (I use Bob's Red Mill, but any kind will do)
1 Cup Milk (I use vanilla almond milk creamer because it's thicker, but you can use any milk product that suits your fancy)
1/2 Cup melted butter (I use salted, but use what works for you)
1/3 Cup honey ( I use Thomas Honey *wink, wink*)
1 tsp. salt (can be omitted if you used salted butter and you think I'm trying to kill you)
2 tsp. Cinnamon Powder
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (I'm not Ina, use what you got girl!)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 eggs
1 Cup Fruit *
( *You can use any kind of fruit you like fresh or frozen. We've used smashed bananas, diced strawberries, and apples ....nothing tastes bad! The base is versatile so if you want to do raspberries and almonds go for it! Peanut butter and chocolate chips? I'm coming over! Use your imagination, the sky is the limit!)
Step Two
Now that you have every thing ready, dump all of it EXCEPT the eggs into a big mixing bowl, mix until everything is combined well and all the oats are coated. Here's why you don't add the eggs yet....taste your oats! Make sure its how you like it. If it needs a little something extra, make it happen.
Step Three
Ok Goldilocks, now that we have your oats tasting just right, crack and add your two eggs to the bowl and mix until they're blended in. Now get out your baking dish and spray or butter it down so the oats won't stick. I've used a 9 x 13 casserole dish here, but you can use a smaller one, or even a 9 inch round cake pan if that's all you've got. Once you have your pan sprayed, dump in your oats and spread them out evenly. Stick them in your preheated oven and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes.
This recipe doesn't rise, but the smaller your pan the thicker your bake will be. You may need to adjust your cooking time depending on how thick your oats were. Your oats should be done when they are golden brown and are slightly crispy around the edges of the pan.
STEP FOUR
Try to let it cool....try not to grab a fork and dig in....its going to be hard, because unless something really really goes wrong, your whole house will smell like baked nirvana! I mean come on.... look at this stuff....
As for the tired mama help...I make a batch of these (sometimes two in different flavors) at night when I'm already in the kitchen doing dinner. Once they're cooled I cut them into squares, pop them in a storage container (I recommend this over a ziplock back as the bars can be kind of crumbly) and store them in the fridge. Then everyone can grab what they want, toss it in the microwave, and chow down. I don't have to cook breakfast for a week sometimes. It. Is. Awesome.
I like to eat them warm with a bit of butter and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, but they're good cold out of the fridge too. And I haven't tried it yet, but I have the sneaking suspicion they would be ahhmazing paired with some ice cream!
Let me know your thoughts. Did you try something new? Was it delicious?
Until next time Y'all...