Fried oatmeal

I've been enjoying my blog surfing recently...expanding my world by looking at things through other's eyes. Found some very talented writers...gifted in painting their world with words that nourish the soul.

Then, I come here to my blog and the first thing I notice is my 'blah' banner. I shall be adding something that reflects me - when I seize upon the right thing. I tried to add something earlier and puttered about with a few photographs of my paper filigree work, but abandoned the attempt. My photo editing skills are so limited and the recent emotional/ mental morass made it seem like too much bother. My awakening aesthetic sense is a hopeful sign...maybe my creative muse is about to stir also! And we have sunshine today...God is soo good! (He's good when it rains too, but my soul isn't nearly as grateful when the yard is a soggy mess, I'm afraid.)

Right now my Annie (age 14) is working on her newest culinary experiment....pan-fried oatmeal.
Hmmmm...you say. Yes, well, I agree.
My initial reaction was, 'Uh...that's interesting, Annie." But I tasted it one morning and it isn't bad at all!

I quit buying processed breakfast cereal over 10 years ago. The thought of all that sugar and chemically-enhanced 'food' (using the term loosely) at 4x the price of wholesome cooked cereals suddenly became ludicrous, especially on the limited budget of a one-income family. Besides that, it didn't satisfy and the kids were asking for snacks usually before 10 am. It's very hard to learn on empty, growling tummies, which their teacher--me, since we home educate-- soon recognized. So we switched to muesli, oatmeal and 10-grain cereal, known as "Green Cereal' in our home. It was dubbed by tot #4 at age 3, who couldn't remember it's proper name. When she asked for 'Green Cereal' one morning, her older siblings and I found it so adorable that the name stuck. Now guests in our home wonder what the heck we are talking about when we serve 'green cereal' for breakfast! LOL

Anyway, my 6th grade teacher once shared about eating fried cornmeal as a boy in the tail-end of the Depression. I told my children about it once, probably as part of the 'be-grateful-for-your-food-because-I-knew-a-man-who-ate-fried- cornmeal-and-lard-sandwiches-when-he-was-growing-up' speech. Surely other mothers have their own version of that speech?! Well, that lil' story recently inspired Annie to form the leftover oatmeal--usually tossed now that we don't have chickens-- into a patty and panfry it. It gets a nice toasty flavor outside but is moist in the middle. She eats it with syrup like a pancake and has also tried it with honey, peanut butter, mustard & ranch dressing. Those last two are a bit too odd for me, but she likes it even while recognizing it's a tad weird. ["You're going to put THAT on your blog too, aren't you?!" she just said over her shoulder as she walked past my desk.] LOL

So, using a Tupperware hamburger press and about 1/4 cup of cooked oatmeal, she presses it flat and lays it on a hot, greased griddle. I will say this, it is a high fiber alternative to traditional pancakes and a nice way to use up leftover oatmeal, at least until my new laying flock is established...doggone raccoons! Can't wait to have farm-fresh eggs to serve with fried oatmeal cakes. Hmmmm...maybe the hens won't get the leftover oatmeal after all!

so...have you ever heard of fried oatmeal? Annie wants to know if it is widely known out there.

[edit:
Hats off to those, like Abbie , Suzanne, Ruthann, & Rhondi who include such fab photos on their blogs. I discovered our usual easy-over eggs don't look very appealing in the camera, but Sunny-side-up eggs take lots longer to cook! I don't even want to tell you how much time and fussing it took to take the above shot. Setting is not such a simple thing to achieve and how some take such marvelous shots is a thing of amazement to me. Annie and I were laughing at our ineptitude!]