National Oatmeal Day!

Hey, hey, hey, it's National Oatmeal Day! Come out or stay in and play, just eat some Oatmeal today! I love oatmeal. It wows me. Actually, it's more like "whoa-tmeal". It's "oatmeal-icious" and wonderfully "kick-ass"!

In the United States and Canada, any kind of crushed, rolled, or cut oats are known as oatmeal. However, outside of our own little continent, oatmeal means ground or cut groats. Groats can be peasemeal, cornmeal, or oatmeal. Oatmeal has the highest count of B-vitamins and calories of all the kinds of meal, though, and is used in alcoholic drinks, cosmetics, soaps, external medical treatments, and is used to flavor pet foods. (Wikipedia, mhmm)

I love oatmeal. I do not eat it all the time because the dining halls do not have it and instant is terribly unhealthy for you. It has many shapes and forms to take, such as pie, baked, or just plain mush in a bowl. The consistency of oatmeal is also incredibly pleasing. It just feels good to eat, and the starches let it stay hot even as it hits your stomach. Eating oatmeal when you're cold is an entirely blissful, wonderful experience. The baked oatmeal is an awesome breakfast food. I used to go to a breakfast place called Heineman's and they had a baked oatmeal dish that was just freaking sweet. It used the wonderful grain of the oatmeal to give it a strange but entirely welcome dining experience.

And with all the toppings and the ability to control thickness, anyone can create a great oatmeal experience for themselves. My favorite is thick oatmeal that has maple syrup, raisins, and brown sugar. Incredibly rich, filling, hot, and good. I also enjoy Irish steel-cut oats, but those are entirely different because they are not quick-made. You can't just microwave these mothers, you have to cook them on a stove. But it's worth it for a change every once in awhile. Quick-cook Quaker oats is the most popular of all oatmeals, as everyone in America probably has a jar in their pantry. These don't just find their way into bakes and bowls, though, and are used in some of the best cookie recipes on the earth. One of my favorite cookies involves oatmeal and a bit of coffee. This makes the best dough as well.

So go out, find a recipe with oatmeal and celebrate! It's National Oatmeal Day!