Oatmeal with Caramelized Sugar

This is a recipe I made up one morning when I wanted to have a nice breakfast but didn’t have a lot around the kitchen. Everything in this recipe can sit on a shelf for months without going bad, which greatly enhances your chances of having the ingredients when you need them. The sugar discs add crunch to the smooth texture of the oatmeal, and as they slowly dissolve will provide pockets of extra flavor.

Ingredients:
Oats – 1 cup per serving
Salt – ¼ tsp for every cup of oats
Sugar – 2 tsp per cup of oats
Cinnamon – ½ tsp per cup of oats
Raisins – ¼ cup raisins, more to taste
Water – portioned per the directions on the oats

Directions:
-Dissolve salt into water and set on high heat.
-Cover an aluminum or steel baking sheet with a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. Spoon out sugar into a desired shape (circular, strips, etc), 1 tsp. per cup of oats. Using food torch, caramelize the sugar into discs being careful not to burn the sugar. Let cool. After the sugar has cooled, carefully peel away from the aluminum foil. Carefully set aside.
-Once water boils, remove from heat. Combine the oats, remaining tsp of sugar and raisins, mixing thoroughly. Slowly add the hot water to the oat mixture gently stirring until all water is absorbed.
-To serve, portion the oatmeal into bowls and arrange the sugar discs around the oatmeal.

Alternatives:
-For some variety, try using brown sugar instead of white, and experiment with other fruits.
-Dried fruits, such as raisins and dried cranberries work well as they absorb some of the water and thus flavor as the hot water is mixed in.
-The sugar discs add crunch to the smooth texture of the oatmeal, and as they slowly dissolve will provide pockets of extra flavor.
-The salt helps add savory-ness to the dish, but can be lowered or left out if watching sodium intake.

Books Now!

Books, books, books, books. One big advantage to commuting to work via train is a guaranteed time each day that you are going to be able to read, assuming you bring a book. One disadvantage to commuting to work via train is getting 20 to 30 minutes into a good book and having to stop, assuming you bring a book with you. However painful it may be to tear yourself out of the book at the proper stop, it all hinges on having the right book with you. I’ve made it through quite a few books that I read primarily in my commute time.

When I first moved to DC I was living in La Plata Maryland with the Milster’s and had about 45 minutes (1hour plus on bad days) of train ride both ways every day. During that time I read all three of the Lord of the Rings books. My commute is shorter now, but I’ve read books from Agatha Christie (Then There Was One), to C.S. Lewis, to Heat (a cooking book about Mario Batali, sort of), to my most recently finished book Every Earthly Blessing. Reading all these books happens naturally when you have the time set aside each day; the hard part is building up a good reserve of books to choose from.

Choosing books is much easier when you have a running list you can refer to. That’s probably my favorite thing about Goodreads.com. By having my “to read” list online I can access it from anywhere I have internet connectivity. Also, by using Goodreads, I’m able to pilfer ideas from others people whether like minded or more diverse.

I just used Goodreads to put together a book order, together with Amon, from Amazon using a gift certificate we got by sorting all of our spare change from last year. I’m pretty excited about the incoming new books, it feels like a slightly self-indulgent Christmas in August.

In the meantime I’m re-reading some parts of the Old Testament (any favorite sections I should check out?) and considering reading Pride and Prejudice. Amon’s got the Jane Austen Book Club thing going on, and it’s a good “excuse” to read some books I might get thrown out of the Guy’s Club for reading.

So now I’m waiting for Amazon and the US Postal Service to get my new books to me so I can ensure that daily hour of commute gets put to good use. You hear me Amazon? I’m talking to you!

Attention Span

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Originally uploaded by mikeygibran

Interesting commentary on male attention spans? I sort of feel bad for the two blondes decked out in their skimpy bikinis, relegated to the boat's stern and obviously very bored while the guys are all in the front of the boat so engrossed in the airshow they seem to have forgotten the other two members of their party. I'm sure that once the last contrail had dissipated the proper center of attention was restored.