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Baked Oatmeal
I got my love of oatmeal from my mom. Growing up, she would cook a big pot of oatmeal for breakfast, then ladle us generous bowlfuls of it. I remember leaning over my bowl and inhaling the warm fragrance of oats, steaming hot and creamy, studded with raisins and flecks of cinnamon, and topped with a drizzle of honey and a splash of milk. To this day, whenever I make a bowl of oatmeal with honey on top, it takes me back to my early childhood. It was a go-to breakfast for us, and it’s one of those classics that never gets old. That said, one of the best things…
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Oatmeal Crisps
Thin, crispy, crunchy, buttery amazingness! This is like toffee meets cookie meets lace doily. I think that’s why these delicate, crisp cookies are also often referred to as “lace” or “lacey” cookies. This recipe comes from my great-grandmother, Anna Wilson Stephens (1917-1999). Anna was known by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren for always having cookies in her cookie jar, which she was always ready to share, along with a warm hug. Anna spent her early childhood in a small log cabin on her parents’ homestead in Idaho, where they endured a harsh climate as well as lifestyle, but she said she always felt loved and well-cared for by her parents and…
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Swedish Oatmeal
Sweet, creamy Swedish Oatmeal. This is the stuff of my childhood dreams. I grew up eating this dish and hearing my mother tell stories about our Swedish ancestors who used to eat it too. I would imagine them as children in the Swedish countryside more than a hundred years earlier waking up in the morning and having this for breakfast with fresh-picked blueberries and milk from the cow in the barn out back. Of course, I have no idea how close my childhood imaginings came to approximating the truth of this idyllic image, but like many old family stories, this had become the stuff of lore. At least I was…
