Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream Oatmeal

It's Saturday morning, which means I am going to share a breakfast recipe with you.  Because of the time of the year, and because I have been buying cans every time I go to the store, it's going to have pumpkin in it.  I hope you're not sick of pumpkin recipes yet!

You know, until the last couple of years, I didn't think I liked oatmeal.  Hard to believe since this is the second oatmeal recipe I've posted but it's true.  All the while I was growing up, I thought oatmeal was mushy, runny, sometimes tacky if overcooked and just down-right blah.  That's because it was quick oats!  I had no idea that old-fashioned oats were so completely different until one fateful morning at my sister-in-law's lake house.  She made a baked oatmeal with brown sugar, dished up with a homemade raspberry sauce and cream.  It was delightful, and completely changed how I looked at oatmeal!  When I raved about it, she said the difference was old-fashioned oats.  What?!  I didn't know there was a difference.  To be fair, I never looked.  But now, well, I LOVE oatmeal!  No, mushiness.  It's not runny.  It is thicker, has more substance when you bite into it, and is a little chewy.  Thanks, Jenn, your baked oatmeal was a game changer for me!

Last Saturday was the first time that I came up with this recipe.  My daughter asked me to make some oatmeal for her, and I had some leftover pumpkin that needed to be used.  I asked her if she wanted to try pumpkin oatmeal.  She was a little skeptical, at first, but eventually agreed to give it a try.  Once she did, though, she really liked it.  The little drizzle of whipping cream over the top made it taste like pumpkin pie with whipped cream, she said, which is how I came up with the name.  My husband and son, originally wrinkled their nose at it, since it seemed a little too weird for them, but they tasted it anyway.  To their surprise, both of them liked it, as well.  My son actually called it amazing, and said it was his new favorite oatmeal.  We had a couple of helpings leftover, and the next morning, I found myself fighting with my kids over who got it.  Being the mom, I relented and let them have it, but I wasn't happy about it!  My son was good enough to share a spoonful with me, and it tasted just as good the next day.  He even asked if I could make another batch so he could have some throughout the week.  I did, and we found that it does keep very well for about 3 days.  I hope you like it as much as we did!

Here's your Cast of Characters.

3 Cups of hot water
1/8 Teaspoon salt
2 1/2 Cups old-fashioned oats
1 Cup pumpkin puree
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1 Teaspoon, each, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Heavy whipping cream to drizzle over the top

In a medium pot, bring water and salt to a boil.  Add all but the cream.

Turn down to medium heat and stir well. 

Continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the oatmeal has thickened up.  It turns a pretty, dark orange color when it's done.

Dish up, and drizzle with a little cream.

Enjoy!