It might seem like more effort than cold cereal or toast, but once you have it down, it’s actually really simple. Start it before you make coffee or while you’re making a packed lunch or whatever else you do first thing.

The secrets?
1. Use old-fashioned oats (not instant or microwave or ‘easy’. This is important) [1]
2. Don’t use the microwave [2]

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup of water OR 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup milk (try it with just water first, and see what you think)
1 pinch of salt (this makes the oats creamy even if cooked only in water)
slivered almonds

Optional Toppings
fruit jam/jelly
dried fruits
fresh blueberries
brown sugar

METHOD
1. Boil the water and/or milk.
2. While that’s happening (or better yet, the night before), place almonds on a greased baking sheet and toast under the broiler. Hang around in the kitchen until you smell the first hint of delicious toasty almonds, then RUN to the oven and grab them before they burn. (If you do a whole bag of almonds today, you can put the rest in a ziplock back in the freezer for use on other days.
3. When the liquids are boiling, add the salt and stir.
4. Add the oats, stir once.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover.
6. Set a (loud) timer for 5 minutes. (This is where you can make coffee or go and yell at your kids to get up/dressed/showered).
7. When the timer sounds, turn off the heat and leave for 2 minutes, to absorb remaining liquid. (You can leave it for longer. It just gets thicker and thicker the longer you leave it. Honestly, you could go and have your shower and it’ll still be fine when you come back. You just might need to add some milk to thin it out a bit).
8. Crush the almonds a bit (with a spoon or your fingers if cool) and mix into oatmeal.
9. Add other toppings sparingly. Add a dash of milk, or half and half if you feel the need (This tastes really good with just a teaspoonful of a good fruit jelly or with fresh berries or dried fruit)
10. Fill the pot with water, to soak, while you enjoy your breakfast. There should be no sticky bits, but just in case…

[1] Insant or ‘easy’ or ‘microwave’ oats are the devil’s own breakfast. They cook up with no texture at all and will put your kids off oatmeal (AKA ‘lump-sludge’) for life. Using them also removes you from the register of People Who Can Claim Any Type of Celtic Heritage Whatsoever [*]
[*] This is not actually true. My mother uses microwave oats. In Scotland! I tell you, the woman is one breakfast guest away from an angry, pitch-fork-bearing mob…
[2] This is also not true. I use the microwave sometimes. It creates oatmeal with less texture (which you may/not prefer) and makes clean-up even easier, as you can make it right in your (large) cereal bowl. Just add the oats, liquids and salt, cook uncovered for 5 minutes on 50% power, and add toppings. It’s not quite as good but it’s not bad. Also it might be thicker. Or thinner. Depending on the day.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup brown rice
14oz can black beans (or thereabouts)
1 small jar salsa
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

METHOD

1. Cook the rice. I use this microwave steamer, which makes it slightly faster, and hard to mess up.

2. Rinse the black beans, then warm in a pan. Throw in the salsa, mix around until warm.

3. Serve the rice with the bean-salsa mix poured over, spinkled cheese on top.

SERVES 4 (but not a huge portion)

1 lb boneless chicken breast cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

2 cups 1 ½ fresh pineapple chunks

1 each red and green pepper, cut into 1 ½ inch chunks

½ cup BBQ sauce

3 Tbsp. orange juice

Method

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Using 8 long wooden skewers (2 side by side for kabobs) thread chicken alternately with pineapple and peppers onto skewers to make 4 kabobs.

Mix BBQ sauce with orange juice and brush mixture over kabobs.

Grill 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked.

Serve with rice and salad

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

3oz cream cheese

1 Tbsp chopped chives

2 Tbsp. Milk

Salt to taste

½ cup crushed seasoned bread crumbs

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

¼ cup melted margarine

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk, and salt

Unroll rolls

Make rectangles instead of triangles by sealing the perforations

Place ¼ cup filling on top of each piece of roll

Fold over and seal

Brush packet with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs

Bake 20 minutes until golden brown

Serve with salad and green vegetable

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked wagon wheel or spiral pasta
1 can (15oz) chili
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Method

1.Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large saucepan combine the chili, tomato sauce, ketchup and chili powder.
2.Mix well
3.Heat Through
4.Drain and rinse pasta
5.Garnish with cheese if desired

Serves 3-4

Franks and beans

Empty a can of baked beans into a saucepan. Cut a couple of hot dogs into 1-inch pieces and toss them in. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they’re at serving temperature. Eat. They’re even better re-heated the next day. Serve over toast, crusty bread, baked potatoes, pasta, or alone.

Super-charged Spaghetti Sauce

Cut a package of Italian sausage into one-inch cubes; brown in a large pot (cast iron, preferably). Add two or three jars of good spaghetti sauce. (Paul Newman’s is good, but your pick…) Cook over low heat until it’s hot; serve over pasta. (While the pasta’s boiling you can put a serving of snowpeas or sugar snaps in a metal collander and pop it on top of the pot, with a lid on top, for the last 7-8 minutes.)

Baked Chicken

Get a package of boneless chicken thighs or breasts; flatten them out and put them in a single layer in a Pyrex baking dish. Sprinkle with seasoned pepper, or spread with mustard, barbecue sauce, or ketchup. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes (until they run clear when stuck with a fork). Pound them first for more tender meat (place under wax paper or in a zip-lock bag. Whack with a rolling pin until the tension of the day melts away…)

“Instant” pasta with Alfredo sauce

Cook your pasta, and drain it. Add butter and grated Parmesan or Romano, and stir until the butter is melted and the cheese is getting soft. Add a little cream, and stir until it’s all blended.
20 minutes start to finish, and you can make a salad while the pasta’s cooking.

Mandlebear’s Dad’s fruit pancakes

Make a batch of Bisquick pancakes, and add either blueberries or finely-chopped apples to the batter.

(ideas from mdlbear – via Julie)

INGREDIENTS:

1 large potato
2.5 teaspoons plain yogurt
3 tablespoons grated cheese (your favorite. I use sharp cheddar)
salt and pepper

METHOD:
1.Bake potato (at 425 for 45 minutes or microwave on high for 5-8 minutes)
2.Carefully slice in half
3.Scoop potato flesh into a bowl.
4.Stir in yoghurt and 2 tablespoons of cheese, salt and pepper. Mash with fork until relatively smooth.
5.Spoon mix back into potato shells.
6.Top with cheese.
7.Place on baking sheet and broil until cheese is melted.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pork chops
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water, divided
3/4 cup evaporated milk [not “condensed”! ]
Method
1.Combine flour and salt and seasoned salt in a wide bowl or pie plate.
2.Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour, reserving remaining seasoned flour for the gravy.
3.Brown chops on both sides in a large skillet in hot oil. [tip: don't move them around or they won't brown. High heat is good.]
4.Add 1/2 cup water; cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender.
5.Remove pork chops to a serving platter; keep warm.
6.Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Remove skillet from heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved seasoned flour to the drippings; blend until smooth.
7.Combine milk and remaining 1/4 cup of water;
8.Return skillet to low heat. Add milk and water mix to flour mixture in skillet, stirring until smooth. Continue cooking over low heat until milk gravy is smooth and thickened (5 minutes or so).
9.Serve gravy with pork chops.
Serves 2
Serve with mashed potatoes, or beans, or steamed veggies, or cornbread, crusty bread, etc.

VARIATIONS

Chicken & Gravy – Brown chicken breasts in some oil instead of pork. Use veg oil or butter in place of pork drippings, add flour, then gradually add chicken stock (instead of water/milk mix). Season to taste.

Ingredients:
½ lb ground round
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
a dash Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
4 medium sized potatoes
dash of milk
2-3 tbsp grated cheese (cheddar or your favorite)
salt and pepper
Method
1.Peel and chop potatoes in half. Boil in a large pot of water until soft.
2.Brown beef in skillet over med-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up lumps (if you like it less lumpy, place uncooked meat on chopping board and chop into it with a large knife.)
3.Reduce heat. Sprinkle flour onto browned meat to absorb the juices.
4.Turn up heat to med-high. Slowly add beef broth, stirring all the time.
5.Add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes.
6.While meat is still cooking, drain potatoes and     mash, adding a little milk to keep it together.
7.Place meat in small casserole dish (or two small oven-proof dishes for individual servings).
8.Place mashed potatoes on top of meat. Smooth to form a potato ‘lid’. Sprinkle with cheese.
9.Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and potato looks browned.
Serves 2

VARIATIONS
Add-a-Veg – Add chopped vegetables and peas (or frozen veg mix) to the beef after adding broth.
Vegetarian Shepherd  – instead of beef, use chopped zucchini, mushrooms, sweetcorn, carrots, brocolli, peas, swede, and black beans, whatever mix you have/like, with some garlic or chili for a vegetarian alternative.
Beef’n'Bean – Add a layer of baked beans, straight from the can (I like the Heinz vegetarian ones) on top of the meat and spread the potato on top, for a heartier version.

*Strictly speaking, this is a cottage pie. Shepherd’s pie should have mutton, but a, it’s hard to find and b, it tastes funny!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoons of butter
2 eggs
Splash of milk

Method
1.Mix three eggs in a bowl, add a splash of milk (2 tablespoons).
1.Add a touch of salt and generous amount of pepper
2.Melt butter in non-stick skillet until it starts to bubble around the edges. Don’t let it go brown or the pan is too hot and you’ll scorch your eggs. (You can use cooking spray if you like but the butter helps you keep the temperature right and it makes the eggs taste great!)
3.Pour egg mixture into hot pan. Stir frantically until the egg is lumpy but still a little wet. Remove from heat (the egg will continue to cook in its own heat, and will be firm by the time you sit down to eat it).

Serves 1