{Tasty Tuesday: Strawberry Oatmeal}

For some unknown reason, I've had an abundance of oats in my pantry.  Like, a LOT of oats.  Quick oats, Old Fashioned oats, Quaker oats, instant oats, unlabeled oats, you name it!  I made oatmeal cookies with some of them a few weeks ago, but I still had a ton left.  I don't know if it was because I used to eat oatmeal all the time, but I just can't get myself to make regular oatmeal anymore.  I think I may have just overdone it in my lifetime.  But I found this recipe from Martha Stewart and figured I would give it a shot.   After all, it looked a little more interesting than plain oatmeal and I did have an abundance of strawberries in my fridge.

This recipe may have gotten me excited about oatmeal again.  It wasn't even anything too crazy or different about it, but it showed me how you can spruce up something so plain.  There are so many options; now I look in my pantry and think I don't have enough oats!  Time to get back on that oatmeal train I used to be on.

Here is Martha's version of the recipe.  I think I wouldn't add the sour cream next time.  It was good, but it may have been too rich for me.  It was sweet enough with the strawberries and the brown sugar.  You should try it both ways and see what you think.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 pint of strawberries, washed and thinly sliced

2 T dark-brown sugar, firmly packed

1 3/4 cups water (a little less if you like your oatmeal thicker)

1 3/4 cups milk

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups quick oats

1 T sour cream

1.  In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with the brown sugar and let it sit at least 5 minutes to bring out the juices.

2.   Over medium heat, warm the water, milk and salt in a medium saucepan.  Stir in the quick oats; cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy (about 5 to 6 minutes).

3.  Serve!  Ladle the oatmeal into bowls and top each serving with the sour cream and some of the strawberries.  Sprinkle the top with extra brown sugar.