pumpkin (part 1).

for Sara.

So when I talked to you this afternoon and you mentioned a pumpkin shortage (huh?), it was all I could do to keep my cool and not tell you that I bought three cans of the 100% puree at Kroger on Friday. I really wanted to make pumpkin oatmeal (and surprise you!)

I've had two recipes bookmarked in my cooking folder - hummm, maybe you sent them to me? - anyway, one is for Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal and one is for Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal. Because the only thing better than pumpkin pie cheesecake (for an oatmeal lover like me) is pumpkin pie oatmeal.

This morning I made my version. a bit lighter than the "pie" version, but a bit more than the other. And I was pleased with the result (except that I boobled the nutmeg and ended up with way to much of that - not the recipe's fault!). Which is good because I have three more breakfasts worth of it sitting in the fridge.

Here's how I worked it:

my pumpkin spice oatmeal
1 C old fashioned oats
1 T dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 t cinnamon
3/8 t cloves allspice (see comments!)
3/8 t nutmeg (my booble ended up with more than a half teaspoon - do not use this much!)
1/2 t lemon juice (the pie recipe called for zest and of course, we didn't have any - I sub'd lemon juice for flavor, but I'm not sure it matters?)
1/4 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
1 t butter
1 C pumpkin puree
3/4 C milk (I used skim; I think I could've used more)

to top:
1/8 C chopped almonds
1 t dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (I used convection bake). Spray an 8" diameter Corning dish with Pam. Set aside.

Combine oats through salt in a medium sized bowl. Stir well. In a separate smaller bowl, combine the butter and milk. Microwave on medium for about 30 seconds to soften the butter. Add the vanilla and pumpkin and stir until combined.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats and stir until combined.  (I don't think you can overstir this!)

Pour mixture into the Corning dish and bake for 8 minutes (suggest 10 for non-convection).

Meanwhile, make the topping. Put the brown sugar in a small bowl.  Toast the chopped almonds in a small skillet over medium high heat. Pay attention, nuts burn quickly! When they're toasted, add the nuts to the brown sugar and stir well.

After the 8 (10) minutes, remove the oatmeal from the oven and spread the almond sugar mixture on top. Bake an additional 5 (suggest 7 for non-convection)  minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a splash of milk.

There are two more cans of pumpkin in the pantry. Looking forward to cooking with you next weekend!

xxoo - M.