Recipe: Brown Sugar and Berry Oatmeal

Setting the Scene:

One of the things I love most about having my own home is having the space to entertain. I love inviting friends over for morning coffee, or having my family stay for a long weekend. Entertaining, however, definitely comes with its own set of stresses, particularly when it comes to food. It didn't take me long to realize cooking a fancy meal for 2 is different than cooking for 6. Many times, special meals call for a lot of attention. With multiple components cooking at the same time, paired with your family and friends jabbering away and the wine flowing freely, it's easy to miss a step. In fact, the first time I had my parents visit my new house I was so excited to show off one of my great dishes, but while it was in the oven cooking I got carried away in conversation (and cocktails!) and burnt the whole thing. But, we learn from our mistakes and when I had to cook breakfast for 6 last week, I kept it simple (but no less fancy).

Time: 1 hour (20 minutes prep; 40 minutes cooking) It is possible to prepare this dish the night before and stick it in the oven when you wake up.

Serves: 10

Recipe Below Adapted From: Diethood

Ingredients:

2 cups skim milk 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1/4-cup honey 4 cups mixed berries, divided (I used blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) 2 cups rolled oats 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 pinch of ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3-cup light brown sugar 1/4-cup sliced almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, and honey.

3. Arrange half of the berries on the bottom of a baking dish.

4. In a bowl, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and light brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Pour over the berries in the baking dish evenly. Then, pour the milk-mixture over the oats and arrange the remaining berries on top. Add slivered almonds over the entire mixture. Bake for 40, or until the oats have absorbed the liquid. Serve immediately.