Sunday Morning Oatmeal

Growing up, weekend breakfasts always consisted of waffles, pancakes, biscuits, bacon, eggs and the like. My Dad is a big fan of breakfast- in fact, he might be the biggest fan I know. Therefore just about every weekend of my childhood (and adult life for that matter) I wandered bleary eyed- trailing the scent of fresh coffee- into the kitchen in anticipation of a feast. I am proud to say that this sincere appreciation for all things griddled, scrambled and drizzled with maple syrup has since been passed down to me. So many a Saturday or Sunday morning when I ask John what he'd like to have for breakfast- I'm secretly disappointed when he says cereal . Not that I don't love cereal, but in the Cobetto house, cereal is for weekdays and weekdays only.

The perfect compromise of late is real, homemade oatmeal with all the fixins. (Not the instant stuff, that would fall into the weekday category as well.) Though it will never truly satisfy my big breakfast hankering is really hits the spot on a chilly Sunday morning.

I insist on starting with Old-Fashioned style oats (not the quick cooking kind) because it has a nice hearty chewyness to it. Anyone who claims they don't like oatmeal has likely only had the gluey, slimy quick cooking oats. I measure 1 and 3/4 cups of water into a sauce pan over high heat. When it reaches a boil, I add 1 cup of oatmeal and a small handful of dried cranberries, turning the heat down to low in the process. I like to add the cranberries at this point because they plump up a little bit in the cooking process.

While the oatmeal cooks (5-7 minutes or so, stirring every so often) I toast a handful of walnuts, pecans, almonds, whatever I have on hand in the toaster oven. I also like to slice up an apple, banana or in this case a pear as a topping as well. As soon as the oatmeal is tender but still has a bite to it, I finish it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a splash of milk to make it creamy. I know many people use all milk instead of water when cooking oatmeal, but for some reason I just don't like the flavor.

I serve the oatmeal in a bowl topped with the fruit, toasted nuts, a generous teaspoon of brown sugar, and a drizzle of maple syrup. I also splash a little more milk over the top as well.

I picked up some fresh pecan raisin bread from the Harris Teeter Sunday morning too. (I had to run in for milk.) It makes THE BEST toast you've ever had. I made a quick and easy honey butter to go with it. I started with two tablespoons of softened butter. Added one teaspoon of honey and a tiny pinch of cinnamon. I mashed it all together and then we spread it on the warm toast just before serving.