Himbeersaft - German raspberry juice - learned that from my grandparents.

Dave, is this something easily found at one's local ethnic store? Where do you buy yours? Do you have a brand you recommend? (I see that there is a Polish version online that I think I've seen at Marketplace on Oakton.)

You can probably get this at Gene's Sausage, but I haven't been there yet to confirm.

I buy the Polish version at Marketplace. Tastes the same to me. I haven't seen the German version in years.

Jay K wrote:More often than not, I eat my oatmeal, particularly steel-cut, like any other grain (rice, cous-cous, quinoa, grits) - with savory dishes/toppings. We tend to make our oatmeal a thick stick-to-your-ribs type "congee," and I'll typically have it with last night's left-overs, be it curry, sauteed shrimp, broccoli, pan fried cod, salmon, omelet, etc...

I don't know why I've never done this. It'd be much faster than making rice or quinoa.

toria wrote:I don't like mix ins. I take oatmeal cooked which I like a little stiff more like pudding. Don't like soupy oatmeal. I sprinkle brown sugar on the top, walnuts and either raisins or dried cherries. Or I have sliced bananas on it.

So you don't consider those things mix-ins because you're just sprinkling them on top of your oatmeal?

Dave148 wrote:Himbeersaft - German raspberry juice - learned that from my grandparents.

I'm intrigued by this idea--by the German juice but also with the general idea of juice in my oatmeal. I'm planning on making a few stops at eastern European markets today. I'll look for raspberry juice.

BTW, I tried peanut butter in my oatmeal the other day, and I did not like it. I'm fairly certain the problem lay in the fact that I used too much peanut butter (close to equal proportions of oats & PB; I like PB), so even though the PB melted somewhat, my oatmeal ended up very stiff, like PB hard from the refrigerator with some oats mixed in. Ewwwey.

Happy_stomach, from what I can see, the raspberry syrup is basically raspberry-flavored sugar syrup (at least it doesn't appear to be HFCS.) The polish brand I was referencing is Krakus, it's similar to the Greek syrups LAZ has talked about somewhere here, but I bet you could sub a Monin flavored syrup or the like if it's easier to get.

OTOH, a fruit juice concentrate might be an interesting mix-in, like the frozen concentrates available everywhere. It would make for an intensely-flavored breakfast!

Mhays wrote:Happy_stomach, from what I can see, the raspberry syrup is basically raspberry-flavored sugar syrup (at least it doesn't appear to be HFCS.) The polish brand I was referencing is Krakus, it's similar to the Greek syrups LAZ has talked about somewhere here, but I bet you could sub a Monin flavored syrup or the like if it's easier to get.

Thanks for the clarification. I have Monin almond syrup at home that I use for steamed soy milk. I should give their fruit syrups a try.

I'm a minimalist:
A lil touch o cinnamon.
Too much butter.
Too much sugar.
And more butter.
And more sugar.

And then a little more butter.

happy_stomach wrote:
BTW, I tried peanut butter in my oatmeal the other day, and I did not like it. I'm fairly certain the problem lay in the fact that I used too much peanut butter (close to equal proportions of oats & PB; I like PB), so even though the PB melted somewhat, my oatmeal ended up very stiff, like PB hard from the refrigerator with some oats mixed in. Ewwwey.

ew, yeah, I only put in a tablespoon or so.

I'm a simple man. Some combination of brown sugar, raisins, bananas, granola.

happy_stomach wrote:BTW, I tried peanut butter in my oatmeal the other day, and I did not like it. I'm fairly certain the problem lay in the fact that I used too much peanut butter (close to equal proportions of oats & PB; I like PB),... Ewwwey.

That's a little scary. I use about 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Using equal parts peanut butter, a medium sized bowl of oatmeal would have over a thousand calories. Yeah, a tablespoon sounds better to me.

I'm usually just a milk and brown sugar person if I make plain oatmeal at home. In an effort to use of some of the apples in the fridge recently, I peeled and diced an apple, sauteed it in butter and sprinkled the cooked apple with brown sugar and cinnamon. The second time I tried this, I pretty much carmelized the apple because I wasn't watching close enough. Quite delicious over the oatmeal -- even moreso because I poured some heavy cream over it rather than milk.

Kennyz wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:BTW, I tried peanut butter in my oatmeal the other day, and I did not like it. I'm fairly certain the problem lay in the fact that I used too much peanut butter (close to equal proportions of oats & PB; I like PB),... Ewwwey.

That's a little scary. I use about 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Using equal parts peanut butter, a medium sized bowl of oatmeal would have over a thousand calories.

Seriously?* Well, I guess it's a very good thing I'm oblivious to calories because even though I won't likely do the 50/50 oatmeal/peanut butter again, I easily eat that much oatmeal and peanut butter separately most every day.

The GP wrote:In an effort to use of some of the apples in the fridge recently, I peeled and diced an apple, sauteed it in butter and sprinkled the cooked apple with brown sugar and cinnamon.

I do a microwave version of this often. I cook the oatmeal half way. Then I add the diced apple, little pieces of butter and cinnamon and cook the rest of the way. Very comforting.

*OK. I just checked my giant jar of Whole Foods brand peanut butter in my fridge. Two tablespoons=200 calories. Kennyz is right. I had *no* idea.

happy_stomach wrote:*OK. I just checked my giant jar of Whole Foods brand peanut butter in my fridge. Two tablespoons=200 calories. Kennyz is right. I had *no* idea.

Nuts are surprisingly calorie dense. Last night, I finished off 4 oz of some Mexican brand of peanuts con chile y limon. The nutritional info on the back said "180 calories, servings per container: 1." I thought that seemed a little low, but ate the bag, anyway. Looking more closely, the serving size is 30 gms, or 1 oz, which puts the total calorie count of that 1/4 pound bag of peanuts almost equivalent to a one-pound beef tenderloin. Oops.

FYI
I was at Meijer in McHenry and they had Hogsdon steel cut oatmeal on sale. 2 boxes 18 oz. for $4.00. Lately I have been using a Black and Decker steamer to make it and is so far my favorite way. I also bought a small Aladdin thermos for $13.00. Supposedly it is dishwasher safe and microwavable. I plan to try a single serving overnight method.

Thermos url
http://www.aladdin-pmi.com/shop/Product ... -00031-014 .

Lately I have been using a Black and Decker steamer to make it and is so far my favorite way.

lowjones,

Can you provide amounts and cooking time? I also have the B & D steamer and love it but usually just use the crock pot for oatmeal. Your post has made me want to try the steam method.

lawoman,

I have a Rubbermaid rectangular container that holds about 4 cups. I cook 1/2 a cup of McCann's steel ground regular oatmeal in about 1 3/4 cups water for 70 minutes. Fill the base to the highest mark and add the above ingredients to the rice bowl. I then put it in the Rubbermaid let it cool on the counter, then refrigerate. Next day slice it. Scoop out into a bowl and microwave. Get about 3 to 4 servings.I sometimes break off a small piece of Lindt chocolate bar and add when I microwave. After it is heated I add a little honey, milk and sometimes cinnamon. I use this little steamer a lot.

i've been adding chopped dates and poached pears to my oatmeal. the peanut butter suggestion sounds terrific-i'll be trying that. justjoan

Latest oatmeal revelation: scant teaspoon of pomegranate molasses with half a handful of Iranian pistachios in 1 cup of oatmeal. Extraordinary.

I'll take a picture next time.

Aahhh...it is definitely oatmeal season. I do steel cut oats in the crock pot overnight and add dried cherries. They turn into plump juicy cherries by morning. Heaven!

I also add diced apples. I was adding cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc, etc, to the apples, but honestly, I think just the plain apples is as good if not better.

Acording to my coworker, who was chatting with me while I made my morning oatmeal in our office kitchen, his Dad returned from a trip to Scotland years ago with a new favorite oatmeal mix-in: whiskey.

-Dan

dansch wrote:a new favorite oatmeal mix-in: whiskey.

Brilliant, I know what I am having for breakfast tomorrow!

I think that should be whisky, no e. Scots are crazy enough to put spirits in oatmeal; the Irish are not.

Tastespotting just finished a month-long oatmeal project - many, many of the options were savory.

Just made bruleed Elvis oatmeal the other day; it was a huge hit (oatmeal cooked with a big dollop of peanut butter mixed in the water, covered with sliced bananas and a bit of brown sugar, broiled for a few minutes. Good stuff. I suppose one could crumble bacon over the top for extra authenticity)

I try to eat higher protein/low glycemic, and got this recipe from "The Formula," but I'd eat it just because it tastes good!

Cook 1/3 dry oats.

Mix in:
1/3 cups low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese
Splash of milk
1 teaspoon sugar or other sweetener (or to taste)
2 teaspoons chopped/ground almonds

G Wiv wrote:

dansch wrote:a new favorite oatmeal mix-in: whiskey.

Brilliant, I know what I am having for breakfast tomorrow!

Don't laugh! I like a splash of bourbon with the raisins and brown sugar. Amaretto also works well

I had a savory version of oatmeal for lunch, based on an idea from Tastespotting's 28 days of oatmeal: oatmeal with hummus and green olives.

I toasted the dry oats in olive oil instead of butter, made per the package directions. At the end, I topped with homemade hummus, chopped parsley, lemon juice, oil cured black olives, za'atar, and more olive oil.

Ultimately, liked this, although it took me a few bites to get used to the savory bowl. I think between the olive oil for toasting and the olive oil to finish, I added a little too much. But this is definitely worth making again. I also think I'd like the brighter flavor of green olives here (as was called for in the recipe), but I only had the oil cured on hand.

Actually, what you made is much closer to skirlie, a scottish dish of sauteed oats. I've often thought of food-desert-izing it, but opted instead to write a recipe for oatmeal risotto. It works really well as a substitute for arborio rice, although you do get a more puddingy final texture.

(edited to fix link)

Himbeersaft - German raspberry juice - learned that from my grandparents.

I'm interested in this. Is it alcohol based? I'm wondering if it is anything I could make. I did a search for it, but came up empty handed. Anyone have info. on this?

razbry wrote:

Himbeersaft - German raspberry juice - learned that from my grandparents.

I'm interested in this. Is it alcohol based? I'm wondering if it is anything I could make. I did a search for it, but came up empty handed. Anyone have info. on this?

HI,

It is not alcohol based. It is a syrup concentrate. I've seen my German relatives mixed it into beer. In my household, we mix it with water. You could add it to seltzer water for a raspberry soda.

You definitely could make it yourself and preserve it.

Regards,