I don’t know about where you live, but here in the Midwest people often express their love through food. Having a gathering of some sort? The number one question you’ll get after the date is, “What can I bring?” Did a loved one pass? Best clean out your fridge because you’ll get enough casseroles to last a few weeks. Have a new baby? Congrats! Here’s a full three-course meal so you don’t have to worry about cooking.

It’s truly awesome, and one of the things I love most about the people that live here. It also completely confused my husband and in-laws when they first moved to the U.S. Things work the exact opposite in The Netherlands; the people hosting, having the baby, etc. are the ones that also supply all of the food. It’s kind of a reverse mindset…instead of “Hey, I’m happy/sad for you, let me feed you to make things easier!,” it’s “Hey, I’m happy/sad and want to celebrate/commemorate by feeding my friends and neighbors!” Both are great in their own ways.

This Baked Blueberry Oatmeal was a case of a Midwesterner showing us their love. After our youngest VandeLittle made her earlier-than-planned appearance, or sweet neighbor dropped off enough food to get us through a whole day (bless her!), and this oatmeal was our breakfast. We ended up sticking it in the freezer for a couple of weeks, and man was I happy to have it when I needed it! All of us (well…at least all of us that were eating solids anyway…) absolutely loved it, and I’ve made it many times since!

Looking for more great breakfast or brunch ideas? Try one of these!
–Smoked Salmon Flatbread
–Fruit and Yogurt Dream
–Ham and Cheese Quiche from The Farmwife Cooks
–Blueberry French Toast Casserole from The Farmwife Cooks

Ingredients Needed for Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

• Eggs
• Oil – I use vegetable oil because that’s what I’ve always got on hand. Use whatever you prefer, as long as it’s very mild in flavor. In other words, no olive oil!
• Granulated Sugar
• Chopped Nuts – Use what you like. I usually use pecans and almonds.
• Milk
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Baking Powder
• Butter
• Vanilla
• Almond Extract – Optional. I usually leave this out.
• Sliced Almonds
• Old Fashioned Oats – Do not use instant here!
• Blueberries

Tips for Making Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

-Don’t like almonds? No worries! Leave them out and use a nut you do like. I personally prefer to top this oatmeal with chopped pecans.

-If you don’t use almonds, leave out the almond extract. I like to add 1 tsp of cinnamon instead.

-Change up the fruit if you want. Try apples or maybe raspberries!

-We like this Baked Blueberry Oatmeal topped with maple syrup. You could also try it topped with honey, or even with a side of vanilla yogurt!

-This oatmeal freezes really well. Use a foil pan for easy clean-up. Prepare all of your ingredients as directed, but freeze before baking. Then pull it out of the freezer the night before you want it to let it thaw, and bake as directed!

How to Make Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.

In small skillet, melt the butter and toast the almonds until they are lightly browned, being careful not to burn them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and granulated sugar. Stir in the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, vanilla, almond extract, milk, and nuts. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Pour the mixture into the greased pan. Top with the toasted almonds then the brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.

Serve topped with maple syrup!

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Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

This easy, healthy Baked Blueberry Oatmeal is a great make-ahead breakfast idea! It even works well as a freezer meal!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword almonds, blueberries, freezer food, healthy breakfast, Make Ahead, oatmeal

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Meagan – The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1/2 C Sliced Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 2/3 C Oil, such as vegetable
• 2/3 C Granulated Sugar
• 1 C Chopped Nuts
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 C Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Almond Extract
• 4 C Old Fashioned Oats
• 1.2 C Brown Sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the sliced almonds and toast them until they are lightly browned, being careful not to burn them. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and granulated sugar. Stir in the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the chopped nuts. Carefully stir in the blueberries.
• Pour the oatmeal mixture into the greased baking pan. Top with the toasted sliced almonds and the brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• If desired, serve topped with maple syrup, honey, or vanilla yogurt.

The post Baked Blueberry Oatmeal appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

I’ve found that there are two schools of thought when it comes to fall flavors. Either you love apple, or you love pumpkin. Of course, there’s a small number of folks that happily float between the two (I personally belong to this camp), but most prefer one or the other.

For those of you that fall into the “pumpkin obsessed” category, these pancakes are for you! And for those that don’t?….well…these pancakes are for you, too! These pumpkin pancake are decadent, just sweet enough, and slightly addicting. They are spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and make your kitchen smell like heaven when they’re cooking.

Now, let’s be real here: I only cook a ‘real’ breakfast once a week if my family is lucky. I love breakfast, don’t get me wrong, but I am NOT a morning person (despite my dairy farming roots/life…go figure). So for me, getting up every morning and making a big breakfast just isn’t in the cards. That’s another thing that’s great about these pancakes though; you can make a batch and freeze whatever you don’t eat! Then, on a busy week morning when you want something satisfying, just pop one or two in the toaster and in no time you’ve got delicious pumpkin pancakes on your ho-hum Tuesday morning!

Many of the pumpkin pancake recipes that I’ve tried are really thick and stodgy. These are slightly denser than a regular pancake, but something about the vinegar reacting to the baking soda and powder helps lighten them up. The lighter the pancake, the more you can eat…right?

They really are super easy to make. First, whisk together your wet ingredients (milk, pumpkin, vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, and egg) in a bowl until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Then stir in the brown sugar. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Don’t overmix here or your pancakes will be tough! Just make sure everything is evenly combined.

Heat a little oil in a nonstick pan. Use 1/4 measuring cup to portion the batter into the pan. The pancakes are ready to flip when the edges are slightly cooked and the surface is bubbly, just like a normal pancake. Keep in mind that these guys will brown pretty quickly due to the sugar content, so make sure your heat isn’t too high.

Top with butter (or cinnamon butter if you’ve got it!), maple syrup, and pecans. Add a little whip cream if you’re into that sort of thing. Yum.

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Pumpkin Pancakes

Calling all pumpkin lovers! Breakfast (or brunch!) is the perfect time to celebrate fall's favorite flavor with these yummy Pumpkin Pancakes!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Easy Breakfast, Easy Brunch, freezer food, Make Ahead, Pancakes, Pumpkin

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Egg
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (milk, pumpkin, vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, and egg) until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt). Stir in the brown sugar.
• Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until the ingredients are just combined.
• Heat a small amount of oil (I use a spray of Pam) in a gridle or large skillet over medium-low heat. Use 1/4 measuring cup to scoop pancake batter on to the griddle/skillet. Cook until the surface becomes bubbly, then carefully flip. Cook on other side for a minute or two.
• Serve topped with maple syrup, butter or cinnamon butter, chopped nuts (such as pecans), and/or whipped cream.

The post Pumpkin Pancakes appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.