foodstuff: baked oatmeal

every once in while, i discover a recipe that looks wonderful and that requires only ingredients which are already in my house.

this kind of recipe is my baker's nirvana, my special place of kitchen happiness. in these moments, i don't have to plan ahead or go on an ingredient gathering expedition. instead, i can instantly put on music and an apron and make something tasty.

recently, this recipe for baked oatmeal allowed me a morning of baker's nirvana...

{heidi swanson via lottie + doof}

when i discovered this creation, there was a new container of blueberries in my fridge and two perfectly ripe bananas just waiting for the right opportunity.

thus, i spent a saturday morning filling the house with the scent of vanilla, cinnamon, toasted nuts, and sweet roasting fruit.

i substituted two things in the recipe: i used sliced almonds because i didn't have walnuts, and i used quick cook steel cut oats because i didn't have rolled oats.

the almonds worked out beautifully, but the steel cut oats were extra grainy and slightly al dente. of course, this didn't stop me from eating some every single day until it was completely gone...but next time, i will use rolled oats.

visit lottie + doof or purchase heidi swanson's cookbook super natural every day if you are interested in whipping up a batch of this deliciousness.