My New Favorite Breakfast!

Or, another oatmeal idea.

Banana Pecan Brown Sugar Oatmeal

Banana Pecan Brown Sugar Oatmeal 

This only makes a single serving, but you can easily double it, triple it, quadruple it...

• 1 1/4 C. Water (that's the amount of water I need at my high altitude, in my dry climate, you  may only need 1 C. Water). 
•  Salt, Just a Pinch 
•  1/2 C. Rolled Oats 
•  3 TBSPS Brown Sugar 
•  1 TBSP Butter 
•  1 Banana 
•  3 TBSPS Pecans, broken into pieces and toasted, (already toasted, or toast them (in a dry skillet) as you put the water on to boil). 

In a pan appropriate for making oatmeal, bring the water and the salt to a boil. But, don't watch it, you know what they say about a watched pot! Instead, with a fork, stir together the oatmeal and the brown sugar.

Once the water is boiling, and it's not going to take long, stir in the oatmeal mixture.

While the oatmeal is boiling, slice the Banana. Have the butter and the pecans ready and waiting. Also, don't forget to stir it occasionally.

Once the oatmeal is cooked, spoonula it into a bowl. Quickly top it with the butter, the bananas, and the pecans (yes, in exactly that order).

When you're ready to eat (and don't wait long, oatmeal is better eaten warm, and sooner rather than later) stir it, and enjoy! I know I do enjoy it.

 
It could be added to a brunch menu. It could also be eaten as a dessert, but a bowl of oatmeal for dessert? Really? 

Life is short, eat it on an otherwise busy weekday for breakfast and enjoy it. 


Originally eaten on Sunday, October 16, 2011 (and on Monday, and on Tuesday, and don't bet against me eating it on Wednesday, too).

Chocolate Oatmeal

• 1 TBSP Cocoa Powder (Baking Cocoa)
• 20g, or 1 heaping TBSP, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 1 pinch, or shake, Cinnamon
• 1/2 C Oatmeal (Rolled Oats)

• 1 1/4 C Water (You may need less, only 1 C, if you don't live high & dry)
• Pinch of Salt

Mix the cocoa powder, chips, sugar, cinnamon, and oats, together in a bowl. 

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add the mixture to the water. What I do, when I make oatmeal, any flavor of oatmeal, is, I wait for it to try and boil over and at that point I reduce the heat to low, and wait for it to reach my preferred texture, stirring occasionally. 

Stirring occasionally, for the uninitiated, means, when I remember, or when someone says, "Mom, I think you better check the oatmeal."

Smells fabulous while it's cooking, and, to me, it tastes like homemade chocolate pudding. I like homemade chocolate pudding, so this is a good thing. 

You could top it off with milk, if you like to add milk to your oatmeal, or whipped cream. Me? I garnished mine with cinnamon sugar, because that's what makes oatmeal, of any flavor, taste so good.

Scrambled Eggs In Brown Butter With Cream Cheese And Chives

I first had scrambled eggs with cream cheese and herbs on vacation in Montana. I’ve been making this for myself since that trip.

• Butter.
• 2 Eggs, scrambled with a splash of water.
• Cream Cheese, about .75 of an ounce, diced (you know, those odds and ends of cream cheese you find in the refrigerator after the bagels are all gone, but before the cheese itself starts to change color).
• ½ tsp Chives (I only had dried, but I’m certain fresh would be lovely).
• Sea Salt, to taste. 

Melt butter in your egg pan, just enough so that the eggs don’t stick, on low heat. If you don’t slip the eggs into the pan too soon, you, too, will have brown butter. Just as I did. Note that brown butter isn’t burnt butter. Brown butter is trendy (and although food trends can be annoying, they’re not all bad, especially if I can make a mistake and disguise it as my attempt to follow a trend). Burnt butter just has to be thrown away after it has cooled to the point where it won’t melt the trash can liner.

Stir your eggs in the pan, not continuously, just enough so they cook somewhat evenly, but don’t stick. When they begin to set, add the cream cheese, stir it in, and as it begins to melt, add the chives.

Plate it, salt it if you so desire (I do), and eat it. Oh, right, this makes one serving. Of course you can double it, or...

Ate on 1/19/2011