I have a problem and its name is Pinterest. I find the more I Pin, the more I want to Pin which leaves me little time to actually make the stuff I've been Pinning. But I digress.
Last week an old friend pinned this great blog posting about make-and-freeze breakfast sandwiches and it reminded me that:
- I skipped breakfast and was hungry
- Breakfast is important
- I continue to be very interested in make-and-freeze meals
I resolved to start with some breakfast recipes and am happy to report success.
My first attempt was to mimic Trader Joe's frozen steel cut oatmeal. My good friend, Steph, has an amazing recipe for steel cut oats (aka Irish Oatmeal) where the oats come out the perfect texture . . . creamy with a little whole grain bite. Here's my take on her recipe which makes a generous serving:
1/4 C Steel Cut Oats
2 C Water (you can sub in milk or buttermilk for some of the liquid for a different taste/texture)
Dash Salt
Heat saucepan over medium high heat. Throw in oats. Toast them, stirring constantly/frequently, until they become fragrant. Meanwhile bring your water to a boil (don't get me started on how much I love my electric kettle for this task). Once your oats smell like little toasty bits of heaven and before they turn into brown bits of petrified grain smelling more like burned popcorn than one would like, pour in your boiling water. Word to the wise, pour in a slow, steady stream while stirring because your oats are desperate to turn your stove top literally into a hot mess. Stir. Stir. Stir. Bring everything to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the grains popping up in the simmer start looking like those drunk bees, slow and sloppy. Serve and enjoy. OR FREEZE.
Yes, I said freeze. I found another great fix-and-freeze blog posting. Simply Alicia also admired the expensive Trader Joe's Oatmeal and came up with a way to save. I used my recipe and her freezing tips. Despite the fact that getting the plastic wrap to work (and not get stuck in my oatmeal) was, let us say, a challenge, I'm going to try this again. Next time I will likely try waxed paper. Each muffin tin held about 1/4C prepared oatmeal so this morning I put a couple disks in my tupperware along with a handful of dried fruit and microwaved it. I started with one minute, stirred and added some water, then nuked it in one minute increments until perfect. And it WAS perfect. All in all, a good experiment.
