Baked Oatmeal

I can remember as a little girl my mother making warm oatmeal on a cold winters morning. I would put butter and brown sugar and just enough milk on it to cool it down so I could eat it right away. We had it most mornings before heading off to school. 

You see I literally had to walk a mile to school every morning. I went to a Catholic school in Buffalo Grove, a northern suburb of Chicago and we didn't have bus service. That is unless you paid for it or lived in the next town. Okay maybe it wasn't a mile, but it was pretty close. And when you're in grade school and it's 20 degrees outside and you feel like you're walking at least a mile to school, that oatmeal gave me the energy and warmth to make it all the way there!! 

In case you didn't know, I love oatmeal!!

We never had enough breakfast business at the cafe to make fresh oatmeal every morning. One of my occasional customers used to tell me "if I only sold Oatmeal she would come in every day". So I was on a mission!! 

I didn't want to make instant oatmeal, that wouldn't meet our standards. One day I got a spice magazine in the mail from Penzeys Spices and guess what recipe they had in the magazine? Yep, baked oatmeal!!! I showed it to Tracie and said "let's make it!!!"

So baked oatmeal went on our menu and we never looked back. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Oh, and that customer that said she would come every day if we made oatmeal, well lets just say we kept our promise but she didn't keep hers. But it's okay, our baked oatmeal still had a following.

Teri

Mom, I miss your warm oatmeal, but I miss you most.

Notes,

You can make this with any fruit, cut up apples, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, etc. You could also add nuts. I've made it with walnuts along with the craisins and it's pretty good!! You could also add almonds or pecans.

Baked Oatmeal

2 ¼  cups of quick oats or 2 ¾  cups old fashioned oats, uncooked (I used quick oats, it's what I had)

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/3 cups skim milk

4 egg whites

1 tsp oil

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.

Combine all wet ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and pour into an 8 x 8 pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake in 350° oven for 55 minutes. 

Cut into 4ths and serve warm.

We served it at the café with warm milk and extra brown sugar. But you really don't need it. It's good to go just the way it is!!

This will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Just nuke it in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes or until desired temp.

1 serving = 293 calories, 5 g of fat, and 54 carbs

Enjoy!