Toasted Oatmeal

I have found oatmeal is a polarizing breakfast option. People either love it or hate it. While I love oatmeal for breakfast, Kathy was in the other camp. She surprised me one day when she found this recipe in a Quaker Oats ad in the March 2014 issue of Family Circle and for reasons that are still unexplained, proceeded to make it, eat it and like it. She even packed the dried mixture up in canning jars and sent Josh back to college with it. Although any math teacher worth their weight in whiteboard markers will remind you correlation does not prove causation, and yet Josh's grades improved after Kathy's care package was sent...just sayin'.  ;-)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Quaker® Oats
½ cup chopped nuts (pecans are a good choice)
⅔ cup nonfat dry milk powder
⅓ cup Quaker® Oat Bran
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
½ tsp. salt
Snipped dried fruit (dried cherries are my personal favorite)
Honey (optional)


DIRECTIONS

• Spread oats and nuts in a shallow baking pan. 
• Bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven 15 minutes or until oats are lightly browned, stirring twice. 
• Cool in pan. 
• Once cool, add remaining dry ingredients except for fruit.
• Store mix in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Makes 4 cups dry mix (or 12 servings).

For one serving in microwave:

• In a 4-cup microwave safe bowl, 
• combine 3/4 cup water and 1/3 cup of the oatmeal mix.
• Microwave, uncovered, on 50% power (medium) 6 minutes or until cereal reaches desired consistency (cereal will thicken slightly as it cools). 
• Let stand 2 minutes before serving. 
• Stir in dried fruit and honey if you like.