PB&J Oatmeal

This morning I woke up hungry for PB&J, probably because the last thing I ate last night was half of a PB&J cupcake from Hill Country (yum!!). I refrained from eating the rest of the cupcake as my breakfast (although I have to admit that I do eat cupcakes for breakfast on occasion...) and tried to figure out how to satisfy this craving in a more breakfast-y way.

Grilled PB&J? A PB&J smoothie...? Toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam?

Then I thought about oatmeal. Since coming to NYC I've found oatmeal to be a tasty, versatile  quick, and healthy breakfast. Having tried out many recipes from the internet, I was finally feeling comfortable with it enough to try making up my own recipe and I think it turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself :)

But try it yourself and you be the judge!

PB&J Oatmeal

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup milk

dash salt

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Tablespoon grape or strawberry jam/jelly

peanuts for garnish (optional)

Cook the oats with the milk and salt according to package instructions (either stovetop or microwave). I put them in a microwave-safe bowl and nuked it for about 3 1/2 minutes. Add brown sugar and peanut butter to cooked oats and stir to mix. Top with a dollop of jam (I used strawberry) and sprinkle with peanuts, if desired.

Enjoy this grown-up spin on a childhood favorite with a big glass of milk!

The peanut butter oatmeal would also be good with chocolate chips stirred in, instead of jelly :)

Baked Oatmeal In A Mug

It's back! Another installment of Mug Monday! After a very long sabbatical...

Ever since my days at summer camp, I've loved baked oatmeal. In fact, baked oatmeal is actually one of the best-loved and well-known breakfast meals at Camp Luz.

When my parents opened the Cream & Sugar Cafe while I was in high school, we found a recipe that my sister and I decided was close enough to camp's and the love of baked oatmeal spread throughout West Liberty.

Now, in New York, I still love to make baked oatmeal. However, like everything that requires an oven, it was a little inconvenient to have to carry all my supplies to the kitchen one floor up.

Then I got to thinking, I can make regular oatmeal in a mug. And I can bake muffins in a mug; I wonder if I can make my baked oatmeal in the microwave?

I did a little experimenting, cutting down the recipe, adjusting ingredients, and I found that yes, yes you can make baked oatmeal in the microwave! The best part is it's super quick! Just 2 minutes at most to mix up the ingredients and 1-2 minutes to cook it! Plus it's filling, healthy, delicious, oh, and gluten free!

Baked Oatmeal

(Gluten Free)

1 Tablespoon butter

1 1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon milk

dash salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

2 teaspoons cranberries, raisins, dried cherries, chocolate chips, etc. (optional)

Melt the butter in your mug. Add the brown sugar, egg white, milk, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Mix together then add oats and any extras. Stir until oats are coated and liquids aren't settled at the bottom.

Microwave 1-2 minutes (my microwave takes exactly 2 minutes but it's not a very powerful microwave, I would guess that 1 minute 30 seconds would do in most microwaves). When it's done, the oatmeal will pull away from the sides.

Give it a couple minutes to cool, as this is very hot when first out of the microwave, then enjoy warm with some tea, milk, or coffee.