Mother's Day Strawberries and Cream Oats

Mother's day is just around the corner and I can't think of a better way to pamper Mom for all she does than to serve her these amazing STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM OATS.  They're a little bit healthy, a little bit indulgent, and completely over-the-top divine!  I promise, she's going to love every bite!  

Ok, this is going to be really easy.  Start by placing sliced fresh strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Toss them well and set aside until we need them again.

Place the water and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the old fashioned oats.  Pinhead oats, steel cut oats, and/or groats are also excellent, but they take much longer to cook so be sure to follow the instructions on the package.  

Definitely avoid instant oats - they cook up very mushy and kind of flavorless.  Mom will use them when she bakes.

Bring the water, salt, and oats to a gentle boil, stirring frequently to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  

Stir, stir, stir.... it won't be long... just a few minutes. 

Look, it's only been a few minutes and we're almost there.

Perfection!  Now here's where we take dull, boring oatmeal and turn it into something spectacular!  Remove the oats from the heat and stir in the following:

Brown sugar - mmmmm!

And the very best pure vanilla extract you have - double mmmmm!  

I'm telling you, if you stop right here you'll have the best bowl of oatmeal ever, but we're going to take it over the top.

Give the strawberries you prepared earlier a stir - the sugar we added to them will have turned them a deep ruby color and they should be all nice and juicy.  Spoon a generous portion over Mom's oatmeal and drizzle liberally with heavy cream.  

Now get ready, Mom's going to be amazed.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

• my favorite little trimming knife https://amzn.to/3s4CO6O

• stainless saucepan https://amzn.to/3LdK9tE

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Strawberries and Cream Oats

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 3 1/2 cups water

• pinch of fine salt

• 2 cups old fashioned oats

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)

• heavy cream for drizzling

Directions

To make the Strawberry Topping:

1. Place sliced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

2. Toss well and set aside until needed.

To make the Oatmeal:

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine the old fashioned oats, water, and salt.

2. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and brown sugar.

4. Serve oatmeal with strawberry topping and drizzle with heavy cream.

Bacon and Mushroom Frittata Cups

Individual frittatas are great to keep in the fridge for a quick snack or breakfast on the go.  Feel free to switch up the vegetables, or use sausage instead of bacon.  Make a batch today.

Start by sauteing the bacon and mushrooms together.  Feel free to add a other vegetables too.  I dad a few spears of leftover asparagus in the fridge so I tossed them in.  You'll need about a cup of cooked bacon and vegetables in all. 

Drain the bacon mixture well.

I measured out a cup of the bacon mixture and gathered my eggs.  I started with 10, but didn't have quite enough to fill all the muffin cups so I ended up using 12 in the end.  My eggs were from a farm and were a little on the small side. 

Eggs are notoriously sticky, like cement, so I always spray my pans with Baker's Joy so I know they'll release without any trouble.  

My favorite tool for whisking eggs is a flat whisk.  I can't believe how much faster and better it works than a standard whisk.  Love it!  

See what I mean?  Beautiful.

Divide the bacon/mushroom mixture evenly among the muffin cups.

Transfer the beaten eggs to an "easy pour" container.  

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full.  Note how neat the beaker poured the beaten eggs.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes until done.  Don't be alarmed if the frittata cups puff up high or even look like they're going to pop out of the muffin pan.  They'll settle down shortly after removing from the oven.  

I like to sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon of shredded cheddar cheese, a few sliced scallions, and a drizzle of Sriracha.  The cheese will melt on the  hot frittatas almost immediately. 

items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional muffin pan https://amzn.to/3B578CB

• flat whisk https://amzn.to/3IWWiRD

• baker’s joy https://amzn.to/3scMnjZ

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BACON AND MUSHROOM FRITTATA CUPS

makes 12 individual servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped

• 12 mushrooms, chopped

• 10-12 large eggs, beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• optional: shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, Sriracha, etc

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a standard 12-muffin pan with Baker's Joy.

2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook chopped bacon and mushrooms together until the bacon is brown and the mushrooms are caramelized; drain, cool, and place in muffin cups.

3. Combine beaten eggs with salt and pepper; pour over bacon and mushrooms.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with optional cheese, scallions, and Sriracha.

Notes

• store leftovers, chilled, in an airtight container. Reheat for a minute or two in the microwave.

• depending on the bacon you use, you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the recipe.