*a prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages

My dad caught a raging flu today, so bad he was Rudolph the red-nosed for most part. He was hungry, & so I tried a hand at oatmeal. Personally I dread oatmeal as breakfast, perhaps its the mushy consistency a la baby-food. My dad simply adores oatmeal (along with Teochew peanut candy, dark Toblerone, curry scissors rice, grapefruit… the list goes on), its his comfort food. Plus, you have to try very hard to fail at making oatmeal.

I once cooked oatmeal for him before I went to bed, & when he came home apparently it had gone so bad it “turned grey”. This time though, in his own words, it was so nice. To see an oatmeal aficionado enjoy an unassuming bowl of oatmeal, its a pleasant surprise. The recipe follows.

Dad’s Oatmeal

7 full tsp of quick cooking oatmeal

180ml of water

50ml of fresh milk

.5 tsp of ground cinnamon

2 tsp of lemon or orange juice juice

1.5 tsp of sugar, brown or white

pinch of salt, to taste

chopped walnuts and/or or dried fruit

1. Add water & juice to a saucepan, bring to boil.

2. Add 4 teaspoons of oatmeal, allow to simmer for 4 minutes.

3. Add milk & remaining 3 teaspoons of oatmeal, simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Add sugar & cinammon, mix in well before serving.

5. Serve with a dash of salt, and chopped nuts & dried fruit on the side.