BAKED OATMEAL

(Is it just me or do my fingers look kind of scary?!)

I was totally a camp kid growing up. From about 4th or 5th grade through high school I went to some sort of week long camp (hey hey Camp Tecumseh and Castaway!) and I loved it. Camp crafts and activities, sleeping outside on the tennis courts, playing Gold Rush, cheers at lunch, getting treats every day at the Trading Post... so much fun and happy memories! One thing I didn't love, however, was camp food. Sloppy Joes - not my thing. Eggs that weren't really eggs... ick. The only camp food I liked was Baked Oatmeal. It was a tradition to have it the last morning of camp and it was probably the one meal I looked forward to all week.

One year, Camp Tecumseh posted the recipe online and you can bet we snatched that up super quick. Since then, it has been kind of a staple breakfast for me. I had it almost every morning for early swim practice in high school. I made it for my roommates in college. I ate it for breakfast and snacks. It is so. good. It's probably not the healthiest, but it's worth it.

Since I'm always running late in the mornings, I decided to whip some up last night. Instead of putting it in one pan like the recipe calls for, I choose a muffin tin for individual little baked oatmeals. This is ideal for anyone on the go. It's hearty enough that you won't be starving by 10:00 and just the kind of sweet treat you need with your coffee. If you have more time, you can get a little bit more fancy as you'll find in the recipe below.

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Baked Oatmeal - A Camp Tecumseh Tradition

1 Egg

3 Cups Oatmeal

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

3/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Milk

Beat oil and sugar together, then add egg, beat together. Add remaining ingredients and mix together, slowly adding the milk. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 cake pan, or muffin tin. If using a muffin tin, be sure to heavily grease so that muffins do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown. Serve plain, or with brown sugar, raisins, and/or blueberries and milk.