Autumn is beautiful and wonderful and I will never stop blogging about how fantastic I think it is. One of my favorite things to do on a chilly morning is prepare my special vanilla bean steel-cut oatmeal. It fills the house with the most delightful fragrance ever. No candles needed. I used to make this oatmeal at 5:30 a.m. while I did my makeup and got ready for work. I would then pack it up and microwave it at work. I made lots of people very jealous. This is not the plain old mushy oatmeal you remember from your childhood. Steel cut oatmeal has a slightly crunchy texture and tastes incredible. It is really good for you and will keep you full until lunch. Fabulous if you are watching your weight.

Vanilla Bean Steel Cut Oatmeal

• 2 cups milk (I use 2% local milk)
• 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar

Heat milk and oats on stove top until the mixture is about to boil. Quickly lower heat and simmer gently. Add nutmeg and vanilla bean paste. Whisk. Add cinnamon stick. Simmer for about thirty minutes, stirring or whisking often. Remove from heat once the oats have soaked up most milk and the texture is to your liking. Sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Enjoy : )

Sometimes I sprinkle dates, chopped walnuts, or slivered almonds on top. The recipe is so easy and adaptable. Obviously you can substitute vanilla bean paste for extract, grated nutmeg for powdered, and cinnamon sticks for powdered cinnamon. It tastes and smells just as wonderful. I am a vanilla bean paste addict. There is something about seeing pretty little specks of vanilla beans in my food that makes me so happy.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. Happy Thursday!