Butter Pecan Caramel Fancy Oatmeal!

So...I wanted 2011 to be better with the amount of cooking and posts I was doing as opposed to the end of 2010. I started off strong around New Years...and then the plague hit me. I hear its been going around!

So I didn't cook for a while. In fact, I lived on soup and gatorade mostly. And the plague is slowly passing. Thank the Lord!

I did make this recipe before the plague hit full on, but never got around to posting it. The recipe is entirely my own, but it was inspired by an article in the newspaper one weekend. There was an article about these women that call themselves Three Many Cooks. Click here for their website. Included in the article was a brunch recipe for Black Forest Oatmeal with Toasted Almonds. (I'll post the recipe below too, even though I didn't try it or anything...it just inspired me).

I figured, if they can use extracts and other foods to fancy up oatmeal, why can't I? So, I looked through the various extracts we had previously purchased from SpiceBarn.com and settled on butter pecan. We also have a caramel syrup made by Le Caramel that we got in a 3 pack from Woot.com. Done.

Here is how I made my fancy oatmeal...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1 teaspoon butter pecan extract
1 1/2 teaspoons caramel syrup
1/8 cup chopped candied pecans for topping

Bring milk, oatmeal, extract and syrup to simmer in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low once it begins to boil and cook, stirring occasionally to desired thickness, about 5 minutes.

Add more extract to taste if you want a stronger taste.

Top with chopped candied pecans and serve immediately.

This recipe is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner!!



Here is the recipe that inspired me to make my own fancy oatmeal:

Black Forest Oatmeal with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups chocolate soymilk
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 TB unsweetened cocoa
Pinch salt
2/3 cup dried cherries (or cherry flavored cranberries), coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds


Bring milk, oatmeal, cocoa, salt and cherries to simmer in a large saucepan or 5 to 6 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, to desired thickness, about 5 minutes.

Stir in almond extract and serve immediately, sprinkling each portion with nuts.