No, not that nasty instant stuff. The good stuff you can get creative with?

My ultimate recipe for oatmeal uses the 2-1-cup ratio we all know and love, with 2 being water and one being rice — I mean oatmeal…

Anyway, I break the oatmeal ratio by a third (2-1) with the addition of 1 Red Mill musile to 2 oatmeal, which is a tasty blend of grains, dates and chopped almonds. I set the water and oatmeal mix aside, and poor some extra virgin olive oil into a sauce pan. Over medium heat (olive oil has a low smoke temperature), I add a small handful of pine nuts. I heat them to a nice golden brown, then poor in the water. I then add salt, cinnamon and ginger, and bring to a boil. While waiting for the boil, I add other bits of goodness, with brown sugar, margarine, dried cherries, dried cranberries, some fresh blueberries, banana chunks and strawberries.

Bringing to a boil would be up to the cook. Adding the oatmeal at the point of boiling is called blanching, which flash-cooks the outer layers of the oatmeal. Adding the oatmeal to the cool water and raising the temperature is preferred by many, which gives the cereal a creamy, or as I see it gooey, texture.

Anyway, with all your ingredients in, and as soon as the concoction boils, or right after adding the oatmeal for blanching, lower the heat to medium low. Allow now an additional 5 minutes to cook.

After the 5 minutes, I add a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil and stir it in. After a bit of stirring, remove from heat and cover for a few minutes. Dished out, it should serve 2 people.

Good morning.