This morning when I woke up it was cold - cold enough to actually be uncomfortable. Hooray!!! Fall is my favorite season in the whole year, so I'm really excited to see that summer may be starting to ease up just a bit.
Since it was so nippy this morning, I wanted to do a nice warm breakfast, the kind that warms you from the inside out. A comfort-food breakfast. I immediately thought of oatmeal, then remembered the homemade bread I did up yesterday (I'll post that later). And I thought of my grandparents.
When we visit my maternal grandparents, it's like stepping back in time. They live simply - my grandfather the stoic gentlemanly farmer, my grandmother the cheerful and productive housewife. They live in a large house that my grandfather built when my mom was just a child. Grandpa spends his days out in the fields while Grandma cooks, cleans, quilts, tats, sews, knits, and does crossword puzzles.
The meals we eat at Grandma and Grandpa's house reflect their simple way of life. They're the meals that my mother grew up on - meals that a farmer's wife prepares and feeds to her farmer husband and farm-grown children. Nothing fancy - just delicious, easy, and hearty.
Oatmeal on Toast is one of those breakfasts that we would eat when visiting with my grandparents. Well, it took me a while to get up to eating it actually. When I was younger, I would eat my oatmeal out of a bowl, topped with brown sugar and milk just like I was used to. I would stare at Grandpa as he built up his breakfast, and think it was a really weird way to eat oatmeal! But now I love this hearty breakfast probably as much as he does, not only because it's good, but because of the simple and happy memories it provides.
Oatmeal on Toast
Toasted homemade bread
Jam or jelly
Oatmeal
Milk
Toast a piece of homemade bread and place it on your plate. Yes, the bread absolutely has to be homemade. If it's not, you'll end up with a soggy mess and it's not tasty at all.
Spread your bread with jam. This is our homemade apricot jam, but any will do. I have very fond memories of using Grandma's homemade crabapple jelly.
Scoop a big spoonful of oatmeal on top of your jammed-up bread.
Pour milk over the whole thing.
Now eat and enjoy! When you're done, go out and do some farming. Or spend the day playing at Grandma's house.
7 comments:
I LOVE this idea! I would be all over this for breakfast. Makes me wish I lived on the farm!
yummy, oatmeal sounds really good right now. i sent out your book today stephanie, thanks for being patient in waiting for it! hope you enjoy!
Oh wow! So many memories! Like, climbing the tree - it was actually choke-cherry to make the jam that summer. And Grandpa doing the same thing with untoasted bread for lunch and dinner too! I don't think he put eggs with the oatmeal on his toast, but just about everything else was fair game. And you're right. It HAS to be good, old-fashioned homemade bread... I think I tried it last time we had breakfast there, when we moved back to the states, and it was actually really good! (And here I thought Grandpa was really wierd all this time...)
Chokecherries, that's right. Well, the crabapple jelly is good too. Ah, memories.
Priscilla, I'm looking forward to getting the book! I can't wait to start making recipes out of it.
Jenny, I would love living on a farm too - except that I'd probably have to work a lot more than I do right now! lol.
What an interesting idea! This morning Chris asked me what he could have for breakfast. All I told him was ham with egg and cheese on toast - and he fixed it. I wonder if he would go for this? Sounds good!
Now Stephanie that looks good to me. I dont think my husband would go for it but i definitly would.
My Mom always ate pieces of butteted rye toast in her bowl of oatmea; I do the same and love it!
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