Daddy's Special Oatmeal

It wouldn't be fair of me to give up my special recipe if I didn't give up Marc's too.  Even though technically *I* make this 90% of the time the kids request it, it is still, always and forever, "Daddy's Special Oatmeal"  And it's so easy, it really shouldn't be called a "recipe", but it's something the kids eat at least four times a week - sometimes for breakfast, and sometimes for lunch or dinner, and sometimes for  all three!  Here's how we do it...

DADDY'S SPECIAL OATMEAL

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 Cup Milk

1tsp-1tbsp ground flaxseed*

1tsp-1tbsp wheat germ*

*these are the healthy ingredients that Mommy includes.  Daddy might not even know where they are in the kitchen, and he certainly wouldn't be caught putting any of that stuff in HIS special oatmeal.  But as far as I'm concerned, what they don't know won't hurt them! (and neither does a tablespoon or two of pumpkin puree if you can sneak it in, hint hint)

To taste:

Smart Balance/Butter

(we use about a tablespoon)

Pure Maple Syrup

(a tablespoon or two...or four)

Cinnamon

(a dash or two)

Brown Sugar

(a sprinkle)

Half and Half

(a splash)

To prepare, mix the oats and milk in a large microwave bowl.  It's going to bubble up to 5 times it's starting size, so be generous with your bowl size if you don't want to clean it up off your microwave turntable!    Microwave it at full power for 3-5 minutes, until it sort of "gels". 


 If it's still soupy at ALL, keep cooking.  See the soupiness below?  This is bad.  This is not what you want.  You can jiggle the bowl and it sloshes around.  Keep it cooking!

See this below?  This is PERFECT!!  Kind of like how you don't flip a pancake until the bubbles form on top?  Like that. Jiggle the bowl and NOTHING MOVES.  

Now add in everything but the half and half and stir it all up.  Splash the half and half on top, and you're done!  




Of course, any of the mix ins are optional and adjustable, depending on how you like it.  You could add raisins, craisins, chia seeds, nuts...but this is the way that works for us.  The key to the entire recipe is the "gel factor" - if you don't achieve proper gellation, the rest is moot.  It'd be like eating pasta that wasn't al dente.


Al Dente Oatmeal.  It's Daddy's Special! :)