"Nathan's" Baked Oatmeal

We were blessed to have some friends from Maryland stay with us last weekend.  Nathan and Julie are a wonderful Christian couple who are engaged to be married in August!  The four of us share loves of music, worship, teaching, and food.  Nathan comes from a Polish family who take pride in their heritage and also in food prep.  Any event at their house comes with fantastic, and often unique, cuisine.


On Saturday morning I was making a late breakfast (I guess it was more like brunch, but we had stayed up until 2:30 the night before catching up!) when Nathan came into the kitchen, looked over my shoulder, and asked me what I was making.  I told him Baked Oatmeal.


His response was a bit skeptical I must say!  He said he liked oatmeal, but he ate it pretty plain and wasn't sure if he wanted anyone messing with it or, for heaven's sake, baking it.  I told him to relax, this recipe looked pretty good to me, and I couldn't wait to try it.  He said we would see.


When the oatmeal and cinnamon rolls (from a can, my kids' favorite:) came out of the oven and the eggs were scrambled, we sat down together for the official taste-testing.  Granted, I had never tried this recipe before, but I just had a feeling... and I was right!


It only took Nathan one bite to say it was good, two bites to say it was really good, and three helpings to say it was blog-worthy.  So in his honor, I titled this post "Nathan's" Baked Oatmeal, and will think of him and Julie every time I prepare this from now on!


If you enjoy grainy foods and breakfast fare, you will enjoy this...the recipe is as follows.


Combine/mix 1 stick of melted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 beaten eggs, and 2 T milk.  Add 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (make sure it's the old fashioned kind, that is an important detail), 2 1/2 t. baking powder, 1 t. salt, and 1 cup milk and mix (I also sprinkled in some cinnamon).  Put in greased 9x9 pan (I used a pie plate my friend Jessica gave me at Christmastime).  Bake for 40-60 minutes at 350 (we were hungry so I did 35 at 375).  Then enjoy this hearty, delicious breakfast treat!  It could almost be cut into bars and is similar to a homemade granola...yum.


P.S. Not to beat a dead horse, but this also came from "Cooking with Grace" so go to your Christian bookstore and buy this cookbook because you will love it!!  :)