Breakfast Triumph
Internet, I have exciting news! I made delicious oatmeal this morning! No, seriously, this is big. Oatmeal is one of those things that I LOVE to eat in restaurants but that never comes out like anything I want to eat at home.
For instance, at The Omelettry in Austin their oatmeal is creamy while still having a substantial texture and it is so sugary and spicy with cinnamon. At my house in Denton oatmeal is bland is strangely gummy and completely devoid of flavor no matter how much sugar I put in it.
But not today! I started with steel cut oats and toasted them in a sauce pan with a little butter. Then I added boiling water and let it sit about 25 minutes avoiding my impulse to stir. Then I stirred in some milk and half and half to ensure it would be creamy. The result is pretty much an oatmeal version of risotto. Sticky and creamy but there is still something to bite down on because the steel cut oat really hold their texture.
Topped with a little brown sugar (okay, a lot of brown sugar) and some cinnamon and I know what I'll be eating for breakfast all week.
Sam's Awesome Steel Cut Oats
3 c water
1 c steel cut oats
1 tbsp butter
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 c half and half
pinch of salt
brown sugar and cinnamon to taste
1.) In a smallish saucepan melt the butter and then stir in the oat. Keep them moving for about two minutes to toast them. They should start to smell really nutty without smoking.
2.) Then add BOILING water to the pan. Now leave it alone, simmering, for about 25 minutes.
3.) Stir in the half and half and milk (and a little salt). Cook at the same simmer for 10 minutes, more for less creamy oatmeal.
It's ready! Slop some in a bowl, top with sugar and cinnamon and enjoy! Watch it with the sugar though, the half and half combined with too much sugar can be lethally sweet.
So it's starting to feel like fall here. The temp is dropping into the 70's at night and it's so breezy and clear in the afternoons I can hardly stand it. This morning I had the window open while I was taking a shower and I spent a few extra minutes just letting the water fall over me, listening to the rustle of leaves and grass outside and watching the birds and dogs outside busily go about what they were doing. I was so blissed out I let the water turn cold before I decided to get out.
Contributing to my air of happiness and harmony are our impending nuptials which are now a scant 2 months away. We've hired a coordinator for the day itself which has taken a lot of the pressure off of me and allowed me to relax and focus on the fun details.
I haven't talked about the wedding much here. First and foremost because I love to talk about it so much I was afraid if I started I wouldn't stop. And though my mission statement here as So Suburban involves cataloging and sharing my life, I don't want any one aspect (like the wedding) to totally take over. Also, I have been a member of the Offbeat Bride tribe for almost a year now and tend to take my squealing and inspiration pictures there.
And also, the dress and cupcakes and decorations have been lots of fun and we're both really looking forward to the wedding but I don't want the wedding to overshadow what's really important and that's our marriage.
I really can't wait to be married. I feel like I won the lottery and I can't believe that Ryan and I laugh together so much. I can't believe that all our hardwork is going to have this amazing payoff. I can't believe that we're only having our closest family at the ceremony and yet there will still be almost 30 people there. We are so very lucky. We are so very happy. We are so very ready.
Status Report
So I know I haven't been around lately. I would love to pretend that it's because I'm planning my wedding or volunteering or that I'm AWESOME but the truth is I am taking Algebra and we just got a Wii soooo that's pretty much what I'm up to.
However I have decreased my Wii Age by 3 years and I got a 94 on my first math test so obviously time well spent.
Last weekend Ryan and I went to Austin to do some wedding stuff and I came home feeling slightly more relaxed and lots more excited for our impending nuptials. Two pretty awesome things happened:
1.) We found an amazing photographer who is trying to branch out in to making wedding films. He's going to shot our wedding on 8mm and edit together a short film and he's going to do it all very cheap since we're his first try.
2.) We finally got around to tasting cupcakes and I can't wait to see what Sugar Mama's Bakeshop cooks up for the wedding, that is if I can get Olivia to return my e-mails.