My grandmother, born in 1882, always made raisin oatmeal for breakfast, and it was one of the highlights of every visit. She put a pat of butter in the middle of my bowl of hot oatmeal, and then added a spoonful of brown sugar on top. The brown sugar melted into the butter, and it made a lovely butterscotch syrup that was delicious. I do that quite often, but I’ve devised a recipe of my own for my daughter and I. I make the oatmeal with raisins in the microwave using 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup milk, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Two minutes later, it’s time to eat it. When we want to be fancy, we split a banana and put banana slices on top with another sprinkle of cinnamon. It doesn’t need any other sweetening, and it holds us over until lunch with ease. I’m thinking I need a healthy oatmeal snack right now!

• Reply