Fuck Yeah Oatmeal

I freaking love oatmeal. I know that might sound a tad overenthusiastic for boiled wheat groats, but I could (and frequently do) have it for breakfast every day for weeks a time. Steel-cut oats are my weapon of choice, but old-fashioned rolled oats will do in a pinch.

I think what I like best about oatmeal is the versatility. It doesn't matter if my pantry is all but bare - just about anything goes with it. Peanut butter and banana is what I usually add, but I've also done, among other things, cocoa powder, milk, and a dash of cayenne; sausage and peas; a fried egg, spinach, and Sriracha; and olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic powder, when there wasn't anything else in the house. And all of them were actually pretty good!
If your idea of oatmeal is the thick, gluey, over-sweetened mixture you've poured out of instant oatmeal packets, give it another try. Like I said, steel-cut oats are what I like to buy (Bob's Red Mill brand, if you have them near you), but old-fashioned rolled oats are great as well.
A single serving of steel cut oats is 1/4 cup, but for measuring purposes I make 1/3 cup, which takes 1 cup of water to cook.
Important first step: toast that shit. It doesn't take very long, and it adds a warm, slightly nutty flavor to your oats that I find makes them ten times better. Just measure out your oats and pour them into a pan. Turn your burner on medium-high heat. Shake the pan regularly, maybe every 10 seconds, to keep them from burning. After 3 or 4 minutes, your oats should be turning a golden brown and start to smell deliciously toasty.
Pour your water over the top - it will immediately come to a rolling boil. Turn your heat way down, just to a simmer. Put a lid on and leave it at a very low boil for 10-20 minutes. I don't even bother to stir it, I just come back in about 15 minutes, when I'm done washing my face and brushing my teeth and all that, and it's done. If you're using rolled oats, it's the exact same process, except that you can turn the heat completely off after bringing the water to a boil. That's probably the route you want to go if you don't like leaving your stove unattended at all, or have a kid or pet that might knock something off of or onto the stove.

Was looking for pictures of steel cut oats, stumbled across this. Ooooh, baby.

I can't be the only one that gets absurdly jazzed about something this random. I think I mostly just love my starches and carbohydrates. Mashed potatoes? Mouth watering. Mac and cheese? Would happily eat it for lunch every day in the winter.