Oatmeal conversion

I don't like hot cereal. Don't like it, don't like it, don'tlikeitdon'tlikeit. Cereal should be cold, crunchy and covered with milk. Even as a child, I munched toast while my siblings ate oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. Even the chocolate varieties failed to tempt me.

My dear friend Julie and I traveled in Scotland together in college, and she well remembers my attempts to choke down the bowl of porridge our kind bed-and-breakfast host prepared for us.

As an adult, I tried multiple times to reap the health benefits of oatmeal, but no matter which skilled cook dished up the oatmeal, I just didn't care for it.

Enter baked oatmeal. I first read about this dish on the bulletin board for Cooking Light magazine. I decided this weekend to try it, and the oatmeal scales fell from my eyes. I saw the light in the bottom of the Quaker box. You get the picture. Hot baked oatmeal has a richer, less gummy texture than stove-cooked cereal, but the real transformation happens in the refrigerator. Cold baked oatmeal is almost like a moist, rich muffin: dense, chewy and filling. Brent loved it, and even David enjoyed some, although Picky Toddler just, well, picked at it.

I may try other fruit or nut combinations in the future, and I will experiment with less oil and maybe a nut oil. Here is the recipe I used; it is from the Quaker Oats website.

Baked Oatmeal

2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats, uncooked
or 2 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats, uncooked (I used the latter)
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar (will try less next time)
3/4 cup raisins or Craisins (I used Craisins)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt -- optional
3 1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites -- lightly beaten (I used one whole egg and two egg whites)
(or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
fat free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit -- optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Pour into baking dish.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly. (Mine cooked in about 50 minutes)

Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.