One of my best childhood memories is my mother (or grandmother many times) making me a hot, steaming bowl of oatmeal. I was born in Indianapolis and lived there for five years. I remember oatmeal and cream of wheat for breakfast most mornings and my love for both is still strong. When traveling in Europe, I enjoy Muesli (a beautiful combination of fruits, grains, seeds and nuts) but I have yet to embrace Asian Congee (a thick pasted rice). For me, oatmeal is just a great way to start the day. I prefer steel cut oats because of its rich and nutty flavors and I don't really like instant oatmeal... I like the cooked on the stove, perfect serving of oatmeal.
When we were moving to Florida, I remember stopping at a restaurant and my mother ordering oatmeal and we were served our first order of grits. GRITS! Wonderful, creamy grits. Of course, I was too young to really care-- it was breakfast and it was something different and yet yummy. My journey of warm comforting breakfast foods began.
It's fun to see how people eat their grits. My husband is a butter, salt and pepper grit eater. I love mine with a little brown sugar or syrup. I like them sweet, he likes them salty. I eat them as a side to some eggs, he eats them as a whole meal for breakfast. Both of us prefer cooked off the stove and not instant. Neither will eat them with cheese unless it is a dinner side dish.
I like my oatmeal the same way, a little sweet and add some raisins and nuts and I am off to a great day! Then I get the added health benefits and feel even better! I am tempted to try some of these recipes I keep seeing for "overnight oatmeal" but have yet to do it. Maybe sometime before the winter is over, I will do just that.
But I must ask you-- have you ever had fried mush?
Mush! yuck! That was a dinner food!
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