Oats! Oats! Oats!

Mom made lots of oatmeal for us as kids. I can safely say I, um, hated it. The rolled oats were gluey and mushy and no amount of brown sugar and milk could make it tasty. As I pecked at the edges and learned to eat it without tasting, it quickly cooled and then the parent child face-off began - cajoling; stern orders; finally veiled threats to have it appear in the lunch soup if not eaten right now (some of my siblings insist this did indeed happen; seems apocryphal to me). I happily left that oatmeal past of my childhood behind.

As an adult, some friends came back from a trip to the UK with pinhead oatmeal and raved about the taste. They made me some. Holy smokies - that was oatmeal?!?!?! Dense; tasty, delightfully nutty and chewy. Yeah baby! It was the first time I thought about oats as a grain - a savory grain like rice or barley - rather than a sugary cereal or a penance from hell. Luckily, we didn't have to go across the ocean to buy it - we found pinhead and steel cut oats at natural food stores and co-ops.

We really hit the taste jackpot when we discovered  War Eagle Mill in Rogers AR, a waterwheel-powered stoneground mill that sources organic grains. Oh, man, oh man, those oats are worth every penny. Fresh, fresh, fresh. When we ran out and went back to store-bought, the difference was stunning. We are hooked on War Eagle (oh, plus they come in cool cloth bags and give us a recipe for bannock cakes - see below).

We also figured out a good way to make it easily and quickly on an electric stove: using an asparagas cooker (the tall, lean pot), cover 1/2 c.oats and a pinch or two of salt with a cup of water; put the cover on & turn on high. As soon as it begins to boil, turn off the heat and let it sit for 20-25 minutes. The residual heat from the burner keeps it cooking and the high sides of the cooker keep it from boiling over. Give it a quick stir and serve. When we decide oatmeal for breakfast, it makes us sing "O-o-o-oats!"

Finally, let me share the gist of the Bannock Cake recipe from War Eagle Mill with you. Oatier than pancakes but just as darn good.  
Mix together:
-1 egg
-pinch of sugar
-1/3 c. butter milk
Add:
-1 c. cooked steel cut oats
-1/2 c. flour of choice
-1/2 t. baking soda
-1T. oil
-pinch of cinnamon

Then cook in a lightly oiled skillet over medium low heat til bubbly, flip, cook a little longer and eat like pancakes. Extras can be kept for week in fridge or frozen and toastered when ready! This recipe makes about 7-8 little beauties.